k0xxx
Mr. Sunshine
Good advice Free. Thanks.freemotion said:
Bartering, Do You Do IT....?
- Thread starter KevsFarm
- Start date
freemotion
Food Guru
I learned this the hard way....but now have very successful barters....need to have more!k0xxx said:
Ain't that the truth Freemotion.! I had to walk away from a bartering deal because we disagreed on the value of our bartering goods.I had extra large free range eggs , she had fresh local seafood.Anyway, bartering is very useful and i will keep doing it,but sometimes things can get out of balance..Like Freemotion says, in that cause its a good idea to start from a retail value of said goods and take it from there..
freemotion
Food Guru
My folks had a store years ago and friends would come in and ask for a discount "because we are friends." It was costing them money....and a wise and TRUE friend suggested that when someone comes to you and says, "You'll give it to me for half price because we are friends/relatives, right?" the proper reply is, "You'll pay me double because we are friends/relatives, right?" The street is a two-way street. Not one-way. I give to those less fortunate than me, but it seems like the ones ASKING for special consideration are usually better off than I am. 
Done with that, thank-you-very-much!
The retail-for-retail system really keeps everyone happy.
Done with that, thank-you-very-much!The retail-for-retail system really keeps everyone happy.
k0xxx
Mr. Sunshine
My best friend owns an Army Surplus and Outdoor store back where I used to live. I stopped buying from him unless he wasn't in and an employee was working. He would sell me things at his cost, and when I protested, he wouldn't hear it. I felt like I was taking money out of his pockets when he had two boys to send to college. Had I been hurting for money, it may have been different. I love the guy like a brother and I know he was only doing it out of friendship, but it always made me feel bad when he did.freemotion said:My folks had a store years ago and friends would come in and ask for a discount "because we are friends." It was costing them money....and a wise and TRUE friend suggested that when someone comes to you and says, "You'll give it to me for half price because we are friends/relatives, right?" the proper reply is, "You'll pay me double because we are friends/relatives, right?" The street is a two-way street. Not one-way. I give to those less fortunate than me, but it seems like the ones ASKING for special consideration are usually better off than I am.
The retail-for-retail system really keeps everyone happy.
Britesea
Sustainability Master
Some people have a lot of trouble asking their friends for a fair price on their goods. I think it stems from them having low self esteem and therefore they rate their goods as low too. They don't have any trouble asking for money from strangers, but when it's a friend, they feel as if they are ripping the friend off.
That is so true Freemotion....I have an eggs client, who pays for her eggs,( not a barterer) she recently installed a woodburning stove. I heat my home with wood, and we talked about that in the past and now she wants a really good deal on the purchase of seasoned firewood.I have enough for my own use, but i'm not into selling firewood. I forage enough for myself, i guess she somehow got the idea that i could supply her with firewood since i cut my own. She wasn't happy when i told her i really couldn't.Point is, as you mentioned, things can get out of hand.She's a fine person and i consider her a friend, but bartering or paying money, i can't supply her wood needs. She is disappointed, but what can i do..? I guess because she buys 7 doz. eggs a week from me,she may have figured i'd be able to hook her up with discount firewood, i just can't do it. I see a big increase in woodburning where i live, and its getting harder all the time to meet my own needs...!
freemotion
Food Guru
Boogity, you are what I would call a TRUE friend to your buddy.
R2, yep, I just got another call from the same friend I turned down before...she wants to buy basil and oregano from me. I keep telling her I grow enough for us and can offer her a division of my oregano plants....I also get people asking to buy all kinds of stuff I make. Cheese is the biggest....I just tell them that in order for me to make minimum wage, I'd have to charge around $30 per pound and I'm not willing to work for minimum wage....I say it kindly, and they generally get it. Some think I'm exaggerating....and I am. I'm only referring to my time to make the cheese, not the time and cost involved in getting the milk from the goats and into my cheese pot. And the cost of supplies. Many people view what we do as "free" so we should be happy to get a few bucks for it. Sometimes yes, mostly no.
I just saw an ad on craigslist for leaf lard from pastured pigs at $5 per pound....not rendered! Yup, we are eating high off the hog and no, I don't sell any of the meat.
I'm working on a trade now with my dog groomer.....since I am almost always in the kitchen working on something delicious on the day she comes to the house to groom the curly dogs, I was able to offer home-cooked meals in exchange for grooming services. I am working on a list with prices to send to her. She is a single woman and very busy trying to work full-time as a vet tech, groom dogs in homes on the side, and take care of the several rescued dogs she has....mostly dogs that the owners couldn't deal with their health issues anymore and brought them in to be put down. So she is NOT eating well herself! This could be very good for me, and save me a nice chunk of change....and get the dogs groomed a bit more often. I cook for leftovers all the time anyways, so I'll just pack some up for her and throw it in the freezer or can some extra jars of the one-dish meals in a jar I like to make for us.
R2, yep, I just got another call from the same friend I turned down before...she wants to buy basil and oregano from me. I keep telling her I grow enough for us and can offer her a division of my oregano plants....I also get people asking to buy all kinds of stuff I make. Cheese is the biggest....I just tell them that in order for me to make minimum wage, I'd have to charge around $30 per pound and I'm not willing to work for minimum wage....I say it kindly, and they generally get it. Some think I'm exaggerating....and I am. I'm only referring to my time to make the cheese, not the time and cost involved in getting the milk from the goats and into my cheese pot. And the cost of supplies. Many people view what we do as "free" so we should be happy to get a few bucks for it. Sometimes yes, mostly no.
I just saw an ad on craigslist for leaf lard from pastured pigs at $5 per pound....not rendered! Yup, we are eating high off the hog and no, I don't sell any of the meat.
I'm working on a trade now with my dog groomer.....since I am almost always in the kitchen working on something delicious on the day she comes to the house to groom the curly dogs, I was able to offer home-cooked meals in exchange for grooming services. I am working on a list with prices to send to her. She is a single woman and very busy trying to work full-time as a vet tech, groom dogs in homes on the side, and take care of the several rescued dogs she has....mostly dogs that the owners couldn't deal with their health issues anymore and brought them in to be put down. So she is NOT eating well herself! This could be very good for me, and save me a nice chunk of change....and get the dogs groomed a bit more often. I cook for leftovers all the time anyways, so I'll just pack some up for her and throw it in the freezer or can some extra jars of the one-dish meals in a jar I like to make for us.
Farmfresh
City Biddy
I experience the same thing with eggs all of the time. Friends from work, acquaintances and people who just know me - all want to buy eggs. When I tell them NO I just raise enough for my family to eat, some of them actually get really mad and snippy at me.R2D2 said:
So sorry folks, but I will be happy to get you started with your own backyard chickens. 
I guess those folks just don't understand how much work and effort goes into these things.They have never raised chickens, made cheese,cut firewood, etc.for some of us its a labor of love, for others a way of life and independence, for some both.I sell and barter eggs, but don't with my honey.People are always asking if they can buy honey from me, and are disappointed when i tell them, at this point i don't sell honey.I use allot myself and give to family members, and i like having a good honey supply on hand.I can easily get $10.00 a lb. but not interested in selling. I want to make some mead one of these days, and honey never goes bad.
