Bartering or trading is the only FREE system for getting items and services that you want with out paying a dime for it! Unless of course you are trading coins and one of them happens to be a dime. In any case trading is the number one way to save money when all you want to do is get something in exchange for something else.
Simple rule of thumb to keep in mind when bartering with someone, is to be realistic about what you want to trade in exchange for what you are asking for. For instance if you have an old pair of runners that have mold on them with foot fungus inside, then you should not be asking to trade them in exchange for a rolex watch. The two items involved in the barter simply are not compatible. However if you want to trade your old stinky runners with someone in exchange for their used baby diaper, then that would be a fair barter! The same goes when you are trading an item for a service. It would be unrealistic to post something like, "Will fix your car in exchange for tickets to Hawaii". Do you see how the two dont match? Tickets would cost far more then fixing someone's car, unless of course you were placing in a new motor and providing all the labour. I guess what Im trying to say is that when you place a barter, make sure its compatible. A good example of a fair barter would be the following:
" I will paint one room in your house in exchange for 3 DVD movies"
Now that would be a nice simple barter because the time it would take someone to paint a room would equal in value to three DVD's. There are no real solid rules in bartering because someone may be happy to get rid of their old car in exchange for a case of beer. The thing to remember is to make your barters attractive so that people will want to trade with you.
