BARTER & SKILLS

Bartering is such a common manner of exchange worldwide that in some places it is an insult if you don’t haggle. Regretfully, here in the U.S., many folks don’t know how to haggle. They have never tried. Some are so rich they don’t bother, some want to pretend to be that rich. Some folks are too prideful or embarrassed. Some probably don’t even think about it. Many have never been in a situation where haggling is a common practice.

Bartering takes many forms - goods for goods, services for services, goods for services, etc. The most important thing a prepper can do to excel at bartering is to first develop a skill set that can be bartered. Bartering has its share of problems. You run the risk that the product you bartered to get is no good - i.e. infected; or, you run the risk the service is shoddy - i.e. a repair that won’t last.

Goods for goods are the worse prepper barter. Why? Because in a SHTF world you have to have goods, and have them in excess of what you need, and you have to protect them, and find someone who wants them, and who has something you want, and they are willing to part with what they have, and they know they can’t take your goods away from you. Plus, you take a chance when you expose what you have whether it is excess or not.

Some goods for goods transactions may be simple. You want sugar for coffee, someone wants coffee for sugar - you each have extra, so you trade or you don’t. Others may be more serious: physically - your daughter is seriously ill and needs antibiotics; someone has antibiotics they will only trade for your weapons or food; or morally - they want you to help rob or kill some else, or for sex or etc. Survival may have no morals - surthrival does. Don’t just survive. Preppers interested in surthrival need to get mentally ready for these types of issues.

Though all bartering has these dangers, good for services are a little different. If you are the one offering the goods try to watch the skill you are bartering for, so you can learn it. Conversely, when doing services for goods try to protect your skill from being learned unless you are teaching the trade as part of the barter. Once someone else has your skill they no longer need you and they are potential competition. If your skill set has specialized “tools of the trade” make sure to be very diligent in their security.

Service for service is best if you can get what you need done first; although, all of the above still applies. The advantages of services for goods/services are that you won’t run out of skill, skill is usually easier to protect, and you can share skill with loved ones without losing it yourself.

The best skill sets are those that are needed, not common, can still be done, and don’t require specialized tools that are hard to make/maintain. For example, a general MD doctor will probably be much more useful than an oncologist or a neurosurgeon in a SHTF world. The oncologists probably won’t have the specialized cancer meds or the neurosurgeon the tools; and, neither will probably have access to PET scans, MRI’s etc.

I am no swami predicting the future but most of history shows that some skills and jobs never go out of vogue. Some good ones are combat skills (strategic and tactical), armorers, chemists, medical skill at the EMT and paramedic level, veterinarians, dentists, etc. More recent history also shows that industrialized, technical skills are good too - i.e. engine mechanics, welders, etc. Of course farmers and builders are needed and have a historic claim too - but usually as forced laborers. Much of the modern farming and building methods may be gone due to a lack of power, manufacturing, material, etc. If, nay when, computerized society ceases, such old fashioned skills as creating power from wind, water, and steam may hold sway. Even such skills as canning, tanning, etc. may be highly prized.

With my swami hat on I will say that since thousands and thousands of car batteries will be around for years to come that the ability to maintain DC systems and appliances will be a good bet. So too the ability to maintain and repair communications systems that don’t depend on towers or satellites - i.e. Ham radios, CB radios, and walkie-talkies. Finally, the ability to make good eyeglasses by hand would be very rare!

Much of the white collar crowd will likely become the bottom rung. The blue collar (and/or green - military) workers with skill may take the upper hand. The great danger here is that history has shown that sheeple will often follow a ruthless person no matter what collar he wears. Sadists and bullies never run out of work it seems and the current activities of law enforcement in the world do not bode well (that’s why I got out of law enforcement - the U.S. is no exception). As much as I hate the analogy a guy like Marx would love a TEOTWAWKI world. Again, surthrival has morals.

If you don’t know how to barter you should start learning before your life may depend on how good you are. There are a lot of ways and places in the U.S. to do this. Although you may be using cash as your “goods” many places will still haggle on price - i.e. thrift stores, flea markets, etc. Another way to practice is thru private sales - i.e. garage and yards sales.

Regretfully, in the U.S., since the IRS is picky about bartering services, I won’t go into that. If they catch you bartering services they want cash for themselves. For some reason they consider it as income yet won’t let you pay them with services. I guess you have to be a politician or government employee to barter services without paying taxes on it.