Bartering Is Big Business
 
MT. PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA — The practice of bartering is as old as time itself and is on the rise in this tough economy.

Sonny Dougal distributes unique home designs which he often barters or trades for something he needs. "My daughter is visiting on spring break from university and she needs a new pair of glasses and we will be going to see Dr. Joe," Dougal says.

And, if Dr. Joe wants to upgrade his decor, he can come to Dougal's store. They are both members of Barter Brokers International.

"We literally market our customers to each other,"says Bill Bailey, the CEO of Barter Brokers International where businesses sell their services in exchange for trade dollars that can be spent with other businesses. "Think of us as a specialized credit card. Our clients are spending our currency," Bailey said.		 Antiques dealer Bud Carpenter barters with Dougal. "When we had a retail store we would trade products for him then sell them in our store and we didn't have to pay the cash to buy the product, we provided a service,” Carpenter said. "It's given me a chance to take some vacations, to buy computer equipment and go to the dentist," he said.

"We try to find things that they're getting ready to pay cash for and replace them with a trade opportunity," Bailey said.

Barter Brokers International has been around for 15 years and unlike other companies, the business is booming in these tough economic times. "I'd say for the last eight or nine months the interest in what we do and the interest in our existing clients about finding trade opportunities has dramatically increased," according to Bailey.

Bailey says his clients spend less cash while increasing their visibility which in turn brings their business more cash. Barter Brokers International is located in Mt. Pleasant and has a network of more than 500 thousand members nationwide.