Step 10: Trading and Bartering

Trading and Bartering Defined

Now that you have come this far, it’s time to talk about trading and bartering. Trading and bartering are ancient and enduring practices that can be useful for achieving self-sufficiency. These methods allow individuals and communities to exchange goods and services without using traditional currency.

A Potential Survival Skill

In a time when thought policing, censorship, and cancellations seem to be on the rise, trading and bartering may at some point become valuable survival skills.

Trading and bartering can be particularly useful in times of economic hardship or in areas where traditional currency is scarce or unavailable.  It can also be a way to build relationships and strengthen community ties. 

Modern Day Examples

Here are some specific examples of how these skills have been used in modern times:

1. The Great Depression (USA):
• During the Great Depression in the United States, people traded and bartered all sorts of goods and services, including food, clothing, and labor. This helped people meet their basic needs during a time when money was scarce.
2. Venezuelan Economic Collapse:
• In Venezuela, surviving the severe economic crisis these past many years has been the result of people relying on trading and bartering for basic supplies. They trade goods such as food, medicine, and gasoline for other goods and services.
3. Refugee Camps:
• In refugee camps everywhere, where traditional currency may not be accepted, refugees rely on trading and bartering goods and services with each other. This helps them meet the basic survival needs that are often unmet by support agencies – sometimes such basics as salt. not .

Functional Skills

When engaging in trading or bartering, it is important to:

1. Be fair and honest.
•  This means offering goods or services of equal value, and negotiating terms that are satisfactory to both parties. 
2. Be clear and specific.
•  Express clearly what is being traded or bartered, and
3. Maintain accountability.
• Keep track of any agreements or debts that may be incurred.

Finding Partners

There are many ways to find trading or bartering partners. You can 

• connect with people in your local community, 
• join online groups or forums, or 
• participate in events or markets that facilitate trading and bartering.

Overall, trading and bartering can be a useful and practical way to achieve self-sufficiency, or in a worse case scenario, survival. By connecting with others and exchanging goods and services, you can build relationships, strengthen your community, and find resources that you might not have access to otherwise.

This is definitely a skill worth developing.