barter

Bartering for goods is as old as commerce itself, but the ingenuity and resourcefulness of a teen from California, who traded an old cell phone all the way up to a Porsche is a testament to the power of trade. And also possibly, to the current economy. Starting two years ago, Steven Ortiz took an...

And now, a true story of college smarts that really boasts bite: It involves Greg, a recent college graduate who, a few years ago, found himself neck-deep in college loan payments -- and couldn't afford the dental work he needed (his insurance had limits). When his dentist mentioned during one...

Cash is hard to come by these days. So it's not unusual to see barter arrangements between taxpayers. You've probably even done a little of this yourself: You've designed someone's Web site in exchange for "free" handyman services, or you've done someone's taxes in exchange for a new Coach...

I was helping my second-grader with his homework; he was reluctant to read a the little copy-printed book on bartering, saying, with full eye-rolls, that he'd already read it. So we read it together, and worked through the questions at the end. Suddenly his eyes lit up. "You and dad barter!" he...

If you're anything like the average consumer you have shelves full of used media; books, games, movies, and music.It's possible that your collection even has a fine layer of dust settled across it in order to help you find your favorites faster. It's likely that a five-minute inspection of your...

TMZ reports that bartering isn't just for budget conscious ballers anymore.During a late night run for food, Snoop Dogg and Stephen Marley traded concert tickets, T-shirts and hats for 6 pounds of ribs, hot wings and several pizzas. It's rumored that as they pulled away a worker heard an impromptu...

My first barter was last month -- a friend asked me to re-write her resume in exchange for making a few dinners' worth of her delicious soup. Simple enough. Then a business associate asked me for a similar swap -- editing copy for his Web site in exchange for two ski lift tickets at Squaw Valley....

Three weeks later, the porcelain frog your cousin gave you for Christmas doesn't look so fun. Instead of hiding it away to regift next Christmas, barter it on the Internet for something you want. Coping With the Economy You don't have to just let unwanted gifts sit around in your...

Employers everywhere are tightening their belts in response to the current financial crisis. A good deal of employers are already past cutting travel and other expenses and are looking at payroll to keep costs in check. This complicates matters for any employee who is up for a raise right now,...

I've always been fascinated with how underground economies work due in part to my addiction to reading any story about prison escapes. I can clearly remember the mastermind doling out packs of cigarettes to keep someone quiet or acquire a critical piece of the escape plan. Indeed cigarettes were...