Barter/Trade

Visions of the Rewilding Renaissance
#1

Does anyone here barter or trade for most of the things they need that they can’t obtain on their own (or through their family or community’s effort interacting with the ecoregion)?

I have done a little here and there and have often worked on ranches in exchange for room and board, and I find that the older I get the less patience I have for banks and the whole monetary exchange system that industrial society is based on.

It would be great to see a return to the barter/trade system, which I find more practical and conducive to respectful and honest face-to-face transactions and relations (for food, shelter, clothing or whatever else one may need) which seems to be another way in which people can re-wild or return to a more honest way of engaging in trade with one another.

#2

I meet a goodly number of my needs on the “here, have this” system. My mother and I constantly update each other on what we’re looking for, and we each have our own networks to acquire things cheap or free. Then we just hand it over. A lot of people have junk they don’t want, but feel bad about throwing away because it’s perfectly good, and they don’t want to bother with selling it. They have to drive it to the goodwill, but if you are willing to pick it up, you save them a trip.

Anyway I’ve gotten all of my furniture, several bikes, and some good gardening tools this way. I’ve given other gardening tools, vegetables and also furniture this way. It’s kinda like bartering within out keeping score.

#3

My father (owns a very small business) was in a ‘business bartering’ program in our area for a few years. It was pretty shady, and mostly like a bank. You did work for “trade” in the form of credits, which amounted to a bank account, taxes and all. Really a tangent, though, as its not quite what you’re talking about.

Bartering would probably be a good step in transition, but I would feel more secure in a gift economy. It feels more intuitive, and is still practiced in certain aspects of our culture. Smokers come to mind with ‘bumming’ cigarettes. Someone may give a cigarette to a friend or even a stranger without the expectation of necessarily getting one from that person in return, just so long as the favor is returned to someone eventually. Known ‘mooches’ are quickly kicked out of the system, unless times really are rough for them.

There’s freecycle if you live close to a group. http://www.freecycle.org/

#4

The “free” section on craiglist is really great too, maybe it’s just St. Louis, but I found that by the time I sent a note to whoever had posted on freecycle, the stuff was already gone, & I’ve had way better luck with craigslist. A friend of mine who lives near Washington University scavenges everything she owns - the students just throw out furniture, clothes, everything at the end of the semester cause it’s cheaper to dump it that ship it. So if you’re near a university, end of Spring semester can be a great time to go alley surfing …