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| NEW YORK, NEW
YORK — In these
cash-strapped times, there is still a way to get many of the goods and
services we need in our daily lives. Bartering is an age-old way of doing
business, and now many are turning to this give-and-take method, with
great success. Aliyah Phillips is a student who was on her way for a chiropractic adjustment. She won't be paying for this session. She and Dr. Joseph Cucci have a prearranged barter agreement. In exchange for her weekly appointment, she does work as a personal chef for the doctor. "Doctor Cucci and I came to know each other through craigslist" Phillips said. "I saw a posting for a chiropractor who was interested in housework or cooking, and I thought to myself I was carrying around my books and my back hurts and I would like to see a chiropractor." Cucci has a barter agreement with several of his patients. "It's about this mutual trade of healing" Dr. Cucci said. "Massage, Pilates, physical therapy, acupuncture, gym membership, an organic chef … all of these things has added to my life and I'm happy to give to their life a healthy experience." |
Craigslist hosts
more than 100,000 barter classifieds a month, and there are other Web
sites and businesses, too. International Monetary Systems is a barter
exchange. They act as a broker for members who exchange their goods and
services for an electronic currency. "A business no longer has to trade
one on one with another business that has what they need or want to
consummate a trade" senior trade broker Annette Bergen said. "We
have 23,000 IMS members in over 50 North American markets. And as long as
they have accrued trade dollars in their account, they can barter ...
Restaurants and Broadway shows are customers trading meals and seats for
the other goods and services that keep their business going." During this economic downturn more and people are looking to trade because they can purchase what they need with what they have. A professional barter service often charges a fee for both parties in the transaction. If you are bartering on an individual basis, make sure you do your homework. |
