Barter It Up! From One’s Shelves to Another

Patricia Aira Sales in Tips and Advices

Jul 29, 2020 • 2 min Read

Most times, we find items in our house that we no longer use but can’t just throw away because it is either still valuable or working and throwing it out will be a total waste. However, keeping it means collecting dust on our shelves, leaving people with a dilemma on what to do with it.

I say, barter it! The barter system is an ancient way to trade in the Philippines way before the Spaniards invaded the country. In the modern era, amid the pandemic, Filipinos came back to where they started but with a modern twist – by bartering up goods with one another on Facebook groups.

There is a growing number of barter communities on Facebook that allow people to put their stuff up for barter in exchange for whatever they need or what other people in the group offer. It’s that easy and people don’t even have to spend a single penny.

Looking for these communities on Facebook isn’t hard as well. There are various groups on Facebook specifically designed for barter. It would be a good start to look for barter communities within your area so you won’t have to pay so much on the delivery fee. You can also widen your scope by joining barter groups covering a wider community, for example, one that covers your whole region. With that, you can have a wider audience in which you could reach and potentially struck a deal with.

Bartering is not just good for your wallet as you don’t have to pay for it, it is also good for the environment. Come to think of it, your item could have ended up in the landfill but since you chose to barter it, it’ll end up to someone who will utilize it. That’s one less trash to throw.

Just like any other transaction online, barters come with its risk as well. For one, we may find offers which we think won’t meet the value and quality of our goods. There may be defective items that could make you feel like you were robbed or played with. However, the most important thing is, be careful when dealing online. Make sure to check the items presented to you and a video call may be requested just to be sure.

Internet and social media, especially Facebook, has opened up a lot of opportunities for us. It didn’t just give us the ability to talk to our family and friends or to express ourselves, but it also allowed us to have our old belongings utilized again and cared for by another person.