BlytheLife.com opened in July 2010 and is a blog and resource hub for all things Blythe!
Blythe On A Budget: Bartering…?
Written on May 23, 2012 at 12:00 pm by MichelleFiled under: Article with tags: blythe on a budget
Bartering is a great way to get what you want. Sometimes I have something that I can definitely live without, sometimes someone else has something that I want. Before Blythe, bartering wasn’t as much of a common occurrence in my life. Now that there is Blythe, bartering has become much more common.
Things you should keep in mind when asking if someone would like to barter with you:
- Be polite! You’re more likely to be successful if you’re nice to other people.
- Offer something of similar or equal value. I wanted a pair of dolly pants once and I offered a cute top for it. Similar value means the other person is more likely to accept your offer.
- Be willing to accept ‘no’. Sometimes people don’t want more stuff, and sometimes they’re just in need of funds and can’t take a trade at that time. Be willing to accept ‘no’ for an answer.
Some things to consider making sure that both parties know before shipping things out:
- What method of shipping should you both choose? Tracking? Insurance?
- Knowing when to ship out, come up with a date (or dates) that work well for both of you.
- Let the other person know when you’ve shipped, send them the tracking information (if applicable) and let them know when you’ve received the package.
I’ve bartered for a bunch of things before. Tops, bottoms, shoes. No dolls (as of yet), but bartering (trading, swapping) is a fantastic way to directly get something for another thing without needing money to change hands.
How often do you engage in bartering/trading?
I’ve traded things on several occasions. It has its good and bad sides. For example, the first trade I made was a real learning experience. At Christmas I was approached by a fellow etsy seller who wanted to trade some of her soap for one of my outfits. After I sent out the outfit, I waited patiently for the soap (which was to be a gift to a colleague). Several weeks passed – NO soap. Fortunately when I contacted the lady, she was willing to send me another batch. I’m not exactly sure whether or not she ACTUALLY sent the first batch (I have my suspicions), since she never provided me with a tracking number, but the end result was that the trade was successful. Ever since then, I’ve asked for a tracking number BEFORE I will send out me part of the trade. Trading can be a great way to NOT spend money! 🙂
I’ve become a huge fan of bartering. I took it to the next level though and started to barter online and I was positively surprised! It really works and the possibilities of things you can trade are endless! Try barterquest.com.
I love trading! I recently swapped two of my Blythe girls for two new customs. It was fun, easy, and a great experience. I’ve also done sundries swaps at meets and between my Etsy shop and other Etsy shop owners. I’ve only ever had one bad trade experience where I sent out my part of the trade but the other person did not. I try not to let that one bad experience sour me on future trades though.