I am currently trading services with a client and
considering doing it with another. Over the 26+ years of being in business, I
have had the opportunity to trade with a lot of people. It does not always work
out to be an even trade, and it doesn’t always end well.
So, trade or no trade?
Personally, there have been things that I could not afford
that I really wanted. Every now and then, I found a situation where I could do
work in exchange for whatever it was. Sometimes my clients had the same issue.
They needed someone to write a newsletter or create a logo or for their
company, but didn’t have the money to pay for the service. Usually, these were
fledgling companies, like my own at the time.
Back when I first started my freelance business, I could
almost always work a trade to my advantage. I traded for veterinary services,
pet supplies, baseball tickets and plumbing work. Once I traded for maid
services for about a year. That was beautiful, except the woman was always
complaining that my house was dirty. Really? Isn’t that why you need a maid? I
admit, I definitely got the better end of that deal!
Once I traded typesetting work for restaurant gift
certificates. I used one gift certificate to take out a friend for her
birthday. I used another to take another friend out to dinner. In exchange, she
gave me a tv, a garden hose caddy and a tetanus! Yes, she was fully qualified
to administer a shot (I had no insurance at the time). Things were a lot
simpler back then. Ah, those were the days…
Not sure if trading organizations still exist, but I was a
member of a one in the early ‘90s. The problem was, the monthly fees were due
in cash and there was a cash charge for each transaction. I never did very well
within that organization. I had hoped to trade for a chain link fence, but that
didn’t work out for me. Direct trades worked better for me. The IRS says you
have to pay taxes on any income, including trades. You are supposed to declare
the value of the traded item.
Trading is a little different for me now. I rarely do it and
only do it when I really want or need something. You might considering trading
for your business, it can be a way to buy something when there is no cash
handy.
