Concept in Definition ABC

Barter is understood as a exchange of products or goods without the intervention of money. Although at present this type of exchange continues to be carried out, from an economic point of view it constitutes a marginal reality.

Main features of the system

Before the appearance of money or any other system of buying and selling, they resorted to the exchange of objects or products. However, it was necessary to previously produce a surplus of production.

Thus, if a farmer collected 50 potatoes daily, one part of them was used for self-consumption and the other was used to obtain other surplus goods from other producers. These types of exchanges were made in the context of everyday life. In this way, only things were exchanged in exchange for others, as long as some type of equivalence was agreed between them.

Barter as a system had and still has a reciprocal aid component, since the two parties that intervene benefit equally.

Exchange networks and social currencies

The barter system has become fashionable again in recent years. It is an interesting option, since it allows you to change something that is not used for another that is needed. However, it is not easy to find a match between what you want and what you want to get.

To overcome this difficulty, some groups that practice barter have introduced a social currency with no economic value to make the exchange of products more viable. This type of coin is normally virtual, it serves as Unit of measure to have a record of the different exchanges between users and is interchangeable with any member of the community that practices bartering.

This model is based on cooperation and aims to be an alternative to money and money. capitalismconventional. In these exchange networks, all personal abilities and skills are considered to be of equal value.

The barter or swap is a system that is used to carry out different economic transactions in the business environment

The International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA) is an organization that promotes trade throughout the planet. This entity promotes the use of the barter, that is, the exchange of products.

The Commerce Reciprocal is designed for exchange between companies. In this way, if a company you have a surplus of products in your warehouse, you can decide to exchange your stock for some type of service, for example a campaign of advertising.

Photo: Fotolia - Archivist