A question came up recently on one of the prepper forums that I belong to about stocking items for the sole purpose of using them for bartering. There were many opinions offered on the subject and I thought I would just throw my two cents in here for the record.
First off, I will state that I am not a big fan of bartering per se. My reasoning will at first sound more than a tad pessimistic but hear me out and really think about what I am saying to you. Bartering is a matter of trust. That's right, I said it TRUST. During a time of turmoil, even the most peaceful, honest people will find themselves put into positions where they will have to make choices that normally they would never even conceive of. Think about it. If you had to watch your kids starve to death or rob someone for the last scrap of food, even you would do it. I f you are sitting there saying no, you wouldn't, I don't believe you. It doesn't make you a bad person, it makes you human. We protect what is ours.
Now, understand, I am not totally ruling it out. I just feel that in the event of a total collapse, there will be a time of desperation where the unprepared will be doing everything they can to survive. If that means hurting you to do it, they will. Again, it is human nature. Survival instinct. After the panic time, when order has started to return to the world, bartering may become an option.
A major consideration to trading with someone is that in doing so I am essentially "tipping my hand". Once I have told them I have something of value to trade their minds will work on the possibility that I may have more than I am letting on and they may decide that they simply would rather take it by force than by honest commerce.
To get to the original posters question as to what do people buy for bartering purposes, I don't buy with bartering in mind. I buy with survival in mind. I also feel as though my money is better spent on buying items I know I will use than on things that I might be able to trade for later. Surprise! I do have a "barter box". Whenever I buy a new or upgraded piece of equipment, The old, lesser quality item goes into the box. OK, I'm a bit of a pack rat. But if something may serve me down the road, I don't like parting with it. Everything has potential. Someone who has no knife will love the piece of junk $5.00 special sitting in that box.
Finally, if you do decide to barter, I would treat it like today's "Craigslist" type deal. Plan to meet in an open, public space. Bring back up if possible. More eyes on the situational awareness front will increase your odds of getting through the meeting alive. Always remember, your survival is what you have been working for. Don't compromise it. If it doesn't feel right, leave.
I wouldn't recommend putting much aside for barter, but recently I've considered buying a bunch of cheap butane lighters for my own use and barter.
As far as where to trade, unless it's somebody I know I agree that trading at home may not be the best idea.
I guess a lot depends on how bad will the future be. If 1 is today and 10 is MadMax, we might only be seeing 5. Maybe there won't be starving, just some hungry people. I've thought a lot about this, though it may seem good to prepare for the worst case scenario, we shouldn't assume that's what it will be.
Lastly if you do barter, don't be concerned about getting a great deal. There's nothing wrong with coming out on the short end. Building good relationships is important in the days ahead. If someone later feels they got take advantage of, may not be too anxious to help you out when you need them.
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Butane lighters are always a great item to have for so many reasons. They are definitely something I always have on hand. Great point about bartering being about relationships. It isn't always about what you get right now, but what you might be building for the future.
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Hi Prepperponderin, Very interesting observations. I understood from the general spirit of your posts that you are for the downside protection, which is great and very important. I sure hope though that if everything does go down, we as a group of humans can figure out a way to keep on going collectively. Even in banking crisis if only people don't panic, things won't be so bad. But, of course, each individually needs to be prepared in the best possible way. Before reading this post, I had written up about a possible crypto network which could help us barter more efficiently, not only with goods but services, and could actually help in a case of a total collapse. You can read it under my handle: @bittax. Cheers!
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