Bartering has been going on since the dawn of mankind. It started as a trading of products and services before money was invented. For example one person needed meat for his family. He was not a great hunter but was good at making arrows and nets for hunting. Another man was good at hunting and had a surplus of meat. However he was not good at making hunting tools. A typical barter would be for one man to trade tools for meat. This was the basic bartering that would have taken place before money was invented.
Now there is online bartering. What is this and how does it differ from the old way of trading? Obviously trading has become a little more sophisticated over the years and money is used to buy products and services rather than straight bartering. Online trading has been in existence for over 10 years now. Here are some examples of different sites.
Online bartering sites: There are websites that offer members a chance to trade different products. These sites offer a membership to sellers and allow them to advertise on their sites. There are 2 models, both are membership sites. One is a free site where you can advertise goods for free the other is a paid membership site. The host site for both models will charge a fee from the seller when anything is sold. It is generally between 5% and 8% of the product’s value.
Paid membership: these trading sites charge large fees for becoming a member. They may ask for up to $500+ to join. On top of this you may have to pay a small monthly fee and of course the usual percentage fees when you sell an item. These types of membership sites are good for those selling a large volume of products or high ticket items. The membership base for these trading sites is into the 1000’s and so you can be assured of a good sized market. Some of these sites will also buy keywords on Google and Yahoo to help with your advertising.
Free membership: These sites allow members to advertise their goods for free. They will pick up the percentage fees when products are sold. Others will not charge fees but only charge for advertising. These are solely advertising sites for those who want to buy and sell products or services. It is important to make sure these sites have got a substantial amount of traffic coming to them, to allow the best exposure for your ad.
Auction sites: there are also trading membership sites that deal in auctions. These are usually paid membership sites with percentage fees for products sold. Try to join sites with large memberships. Online auctions attract a big crowd as buyers enjoy trying to get a good bargain. Some sites will even allow buyers to haggle for prices with sellers.
Zach Thompson is a freelance internet marketer and savvy online shopper. Join me in saving money – start shopping on bartering sites.
Article Source: Support Free Enterprise – Trade Stuff Online