Yes, Tarlaquenos. There is a Tarlac Barter Community like the one we saw in the news and it is the best way to gain new things and say bye to our unused possessions.
As someone who is in the path of minimalism here in the Philippines, barter community is definitely a win-win situation for everyone! You get to let go of things that are just collecting dust and at the same time gaining something without spending!
But before we dive into it, let’s find out first what’s barter is all about.
Barter trade by definition is defined as the system when participants transact to acquire goods or services by giving out another type of goods or services without the involvement of money.
According to history, barter trade has been on even way before our country was known to be what it is now, the Philippines. For example, back then someone would trade chickens, cows, or other farm animals in exchange for someone else’s knife, hammer, or silk for clothing. The barter trade exists because of the fact that during those times there are no coins or paper money- there is no currency at all.
In modern-day, we called it ‘swapping’ and it’s actually the same.
How did I discover Tarlac Barter Community?
I only discovered that Tarlac Barter Community groups existed last week.
Actually, when I heard the news of the bartering community in the Mindanao part of the country I immediately search on Facebook to check if we have similar groups here in Tarlac but ended up empty-handed. I heard the news before it was broadcasted in the national TV news since I am part of Buhay Zero-Waste group, a group for people who are trying to live a zero-waste lifestyle, and it’s been posted there by some member for inspiration and commendation.
When I realized that there’s still no barter community group in Tarlac I was tempted to create one but let the idea go. I have too much stuff on my plate already with all the work-from-home scheme and pandemic going on, I can’t handle creating one even if I wanted too.
Aside from having too much on my plate, I don’t think there’s a market or audience for that kind of thing- I actually wanted to create a Buhay Zero-Waste Tarlac group for a long time now but I don’t think there’s an audience so I was hesitant for the nth time again!
After a few weeks, or maybe a month, I search again if somebody finally created one and upon searching I found out that someone did-finally! As it turns out, few people finally decided to create one of their own since I found out that there are five (as of writing) Tarlac Barter Community online!
How to join and what is the process of a barter exchange?
Joining Tarlac Barter Community groups is easy and a lot of you probably know how; just request and wait for the approval of your membership, right now the admins are not that strict with their member requests so you can probably go on without much hassle.
Some barter groups are even public so you can browse through the member’s posts while waiting for your membership’s approval.
Rules differ from one barter community group to another, but aside from the nicety and courtesy rules that need to be observed, it is encouraged to transact through comments.
It is strictly dissuaded to carry out your transactions privately unless it is about the meetup details already. It means that if you have offers for a certain exchange, you have to lay it out in the comment box publicly. Also, adding cash to top up your exchange deal is discourage as well to retain the real essence of barter trading.
When someone posted something that interests you, just comment down your offer or you can ask for their preferred items, some usually write theirs on their post, so you can think of the things that you can offer.
When posting an item, the general rule is to attach the photo(s) and describe it. It is also advisable to write down your preferred items or the things you’re gonna have to say pass by default.
In my case, my default pass is clothes and shoes while I preferred baking tools and plants. It is better to broaden the things or the theme that you prefer since you will never know what others have that might be very handy. For example, instead of putting baking molds, hand mixers, etc. I put the general term like baking tools or equipment since I might never know what others have that I forgot like rolling pins, measuring spoons, and sifter.
My barter deal.
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| BM-800 condenser mic and V8 sound card. |
After getting approved to be a member of the Tarlac Barter Community groups, I instantly uploaded my BM-800 Condenser Mic and a V8 Sound Card since I am decided to finally let it go. I was shocked to find out that a lot of people were actually taking an interest!
Just a few hours after posting, I got numerous offers and someone even asked if they can just buy the condenser microphone.
Some offers I got for the BM-800 Condenser and V8 Sound Card that I remember are brand new blender, washing machine (this is true, but it’s probably not brand new), pocket wifi, and a Siamese kitten.
It was a tough call to make but had to say pass to all of them. We already have blender, washing machine, pocket wifi, and I am not yet ready to take care of a pet. In the end, I closed the deal with someone I knew but I can’t disclose the offer yet since the exchange wasn’t done yet.
No, I didn’t get my first ever barter transaction from the condenser mic and sound card that I posted. On my first ever barter transaction I got a digital voice recorder in exchange for a hair product.
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| My first ever barter snag, a digital voice recorder. |
The digital voice recorder has been a great snag for me since I actually planned to buy a voice recorder early this year but postponed it, I’m trying to practice intentional and responsible buying as a minimalist. I record everything on concerts, workshops, press conferences, and other gatherings that I do on the side. Sometimes using my phone is a bit of a hassle since it limits my phone capability to multitask, hence the want and need of a small voice recorder.
In exchange, I offer a hair product from a well-known company which I got as a promotional perk since I’ve worked for them on a campaign on my other website. The product was a complementary product that’s not for sale and has been stuck at home and collecting dust since I still have the first one that they gave to me.
I was able to connect with the creator of one of the groups (group #1 in the list below) and I found out that the creator itself was originally from Davao but has been living in Tarlac for some quite time already. Upon discovering that there’s no barter group in Tarlac, and since she has friends who love to barter, she decided to give it a go. When the group was created she first invited her bisaya friends that also resides in Tarlac. After that, she sent an invite to the chat group of Tuscany Online Market and it started to grow from there with seven hundred plus members as of writing.
Here are the barter groups online that you can join.
Tarlac Barter Community #1:
Tarlac Barter Community #2:
Tarlac Barter Community #3:
Tarlac Barter Community #4:
Tarlac Province Barter Community: