Home Exchange

It's a great alternative for families on a budget or for people who want to travel adventurously. It's a very affordable way to travel because you save on hotel fees and expensive restaurants. If the other party is willing to exchange vehicles then think of the money that would be saved on renting a car as well.

The people you exchange homes with could also give you great tips on the best places to visit while you're visiting their area. Who better knows your desired destination than the ones who live there? By planning ahead, you can exchange advice on great locations to visit by each other's tour guides.

Of course home exchange isn’t something that you jump into or decide at the last minute. There’s always a substantial amount of communication with home exchangers before saying bon voyage so any concerns are dealt with before the bags are packed.

If you happen to establish a friendship from your home exchange adventure, then you’ve gained more than just memories of a wonderful holiday. Home Exchange can also flourish into home hosting, where you entertain your guests for non-simultaneous vacations.

Communication

It's the key to bartering successfully and in most cases it's a verbal or written agreement between two parties. It involves e-mailing, speaking on the phone, sending pictures to each other or even asking for references. It's important to remember that the person you are bartering with has the same concerns you do.

If you're suspicious or doubtful, then it's most likely for a good reason. This is the time when you listen to that little voice (no, not voices) inside of your head and cancel the deal politely. It's certainly acceptable to change your mind if you don't feel comfortable with a certain situation but I would suggest however, that you tell the person that you've been negotiating with that you're no longer interested. It just saves them from waiting around for your response.

If you've already made an agreement with someone, it is not okay to change your mind just because someone else has offered you something better. A deal is a deal and you should honor it, consider it an electronic handshake.

When someone has already followed up with his or her end of the bargain, you should return your offer in a timely manner. Procrastinating only leaves the other party with doubts of trust.

If something urgent has come up and you can't honor your end of the deal right away then you should inform them that you've been busy and that you have not forgotten them. It is not necessary to go into great personal detail!

A successful barter is being honest in what you are offering and realistic in what you expect to receive in return.

Hustle and Bustle

Consumer online christmas shopping is expected to increase by 25% this holiday season . Why? The convenience.

Everyone hates the long line-ups in busy stores and the majority of us procrastinate, avoiding the inevitable...The Mall!

Not all people are comfortable using their credit card online however and not all people have the convenience of one so they don't have a choice but to get in line.

Now if you're on a budget this holiday season and you've got some time to spare, consider bartering with small business owners.

Post a trade on an online barter site and offer to do all, or some of their Christmas shopping in return for services, gift certificates or products. Relieving some of the stress of running around finding the perfect gift, is well worth the barter for some business owners. All you need to spend on the presents you receive in return, is a little of your time.

If you're a creative person, you can offer advice or suggestions on gift ideas for that special someone and if you've got a knack for wrapping gifts, then you can include all of these services in your barter proposition.

Now if you're getting gifts in return that will make the faces of your loved ones light up, then it may just be worth the hustle and bustle.

Do you have other creative ideas for saving a few bucks during the holiday season? Share them with us!

Don't Sell Your Items…Short

If you've been to a professional jeweler's lately then I'm sure you've noticed how everything seems to sparkle as soon as you enter the store.

This is because the owner of the store knows that his merchandise will look more appealing to his customers when they are displayed in background colors of navy blues, deep greens and crimson reds. He also knows that proper lighting and the way in which his jewels are displayed will draw the eye of a potential customer and increase his success.

This is exactly what you should do with the "jewels" you want to barter. If you're sending a photo of an item or if you're posting one in a barter club for people to view, then you need to take the time to make your items look pleasing to the eye. Remember that people are seeing it for the first time so put the effort into making sure your images are centered and in focus. Take your picture in proper lighting and always make sure to check the background for anything unsightly.

You don't need to be a professional photographer but you do need to follow a few simple tricks to make your trade more successful. Be creative and use some items you have around the house to spruce up your photo. No matter how detailed your description is, photos will undoubtedly capture someone's attention more.

What's that saying again? A picture is worth a …well you get the picture.

A Common Question

We've recently received and answered some similar questions from visitors and thought that this would be the perfect place to address them.

How Does U-Exchange Set Up the Trade?

We don't, you do. We provide the tools but you need to use them. You have the ability to search by city, state, country, item, service or category.

Visitors

• Have access to numerous search features.
• Can contact any member they wish through an anonymous contact form in which they must first enter a security code.

Members have added features such as:

• Bookmarking members listings and saving them to their homepage.
• Access to "Latest Members to Join" feature.
• Adding photos to their listing.
• Posting up to two hyperlinks of their website which can be viewed by all.
• Access to further contact information that members have provided.
• Updates and announcements on member's homepage (not in newsletter form)
• Direct contact to other members, without having to enter a security code.

Your success is up to you. The first step is posting your trade.

Is It Legal to Barter?

Yes! In case you missed that....Yes!!

I'm amazed how often this question is asked. Speaking to people I get the "good way to avoid taxes" with a nudge, nudge...wink, wink. This coming from successful business owners who I thought would have known better.

Just follow this simple rule. Treat all barter transactions as you would cash.

If you own a business and trade $500 worth of goods in an even trade, the $500 worth of goods/services you supply counts as a sale and the $500 worth of goods/services you receive counts as an expense. That's it.

There is no tax benefit, the benefit is your expense has your profit built in and this is probably a customer you would have not done business with through normal channels. Treat it just like a cash transaction when doing your bookkeeping.

If you're from a country that has a Goods & Services Tax, that amount is collected from the other party and remitted when doing your taxes.

A person has a $500 bike and they trade it for a $500 computer, again treat the transaction like cash. If you sold the bike in the local paper for $500, would you claim it on your taxes? No. The bike was purchased new for $800 and applicable sales taxes were paid at that time. The bike was also purchased with "after tax" dollars.

Now Lucky Mary is out at a garage sale and picks up a painting for $25. She then gets it appraised and finds out it is worth $5,000. She then trades it for a car. Does she pay taxes on that trade? Yes. Treating the trade just like cash Mary has a $4,975 capital gain on which taxes are applicable.

If you follow that simple rule you'll be well on your way to successful bartering.

John C. Moore