No cash? No problem, if you barter.

Remember back in school when as a kid you would swap apples for crisps, or biscuits for cakes? Well, that was your first taste of bartering. It is a medium in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/ or services, without the use of money.

Historically, bartering was especially useful after we dropped our nomadic ways and settled down to farming and living in communities. A wheat farmer can’t live on bread alone, but he can trade some of his surplus yield to a cattle farmer in exchange for some meat, or the farmer can sell wheat to a hungry worker who has the skills to construct a new plough for him. In these exchanges, each gets something he considers more valuable than what he gives up.

People have resurrected the ancient practice of bartering using the internet to swap things and advanced the barter industry’s growth.

Organized bartering has grown throughout the world to the point where virtually every country now has a formalized barter and trade network of some kind.

Bartering greatly benefits those who are lacking hard currency to obtain goods and services. Swapping is also an excellent way to find and obtain items that are inexpensive. It is becoming increasingly popular during tight economic times.

As there has been an economic shift in the last year and especially in the last few months, a lot of people have shown an interest in a local swap shop to help people get by. It can be amazing how creative people become during an economic downturn.

Most of us had dismissed the idea of bartering and swapping as soon as we got our first pay packet or allowance.

Recently, things have changed. Witness the story of Kyle MacDonald, who drew a media frenzy when, in a matter of one year and 14 trades, he bartered his way from a paper clip to a house. Although he had a lot of help from his local government and some people in show business, his story offers dramatic evidence of today’s existing market for bartering. MacDonald is one of many people who have taken advantage of the growing phenomenon

There is already quite an interest in bartering and swapping online and two of the most popular sites would be U-exchange at http://www.u-exchange.com/bartering and Barter-it at www.barter-it.tk.

These sites offer trade in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/ or services without the use of money and are popular with all age groups.

Above: Kyle MacDonald bartered an afternoon with Alice Cooper for a KISS snow globe– one of 14 barters he made on his way from a paperclip to a house.