Cohousing-L Mailing List: bartering

[Kim Van Dyke (CV252]

Dennis: There's a barter facility in downtown Albany. Businesses pay
a certain amount per year to belong, and they can "shop" there for
office supplies, furniture, computers, etc., etc. Individuals can also
belong, for I think about $25 a year, and buy heavily discounted stuff.

Of course, there's the recylcing center at the Boston Children's Museum.
I was there a couple of weeks ago; I was thrilled to find a barrel of
CD cases, not to mention the barrel of Monopoly pieces--we have an iron
again. It beats the toothpaste cap we were using before.

The Albany facility is The Commerce Exchange, 19 Aviation Road, Albany,
NY, 12205; 518-438-7711

I know some local businesses were talking about a regional bartering
(for services) system, but I haven't heard much about it recently.
It would be sensible to do it among households. We have a sports mart
every year at our local high school, where people trade their old equipment.
(There's a $5 admission charge--it's a fund raiser). Garage sale are a system
of bartering, I suppose. I'd love to see something on the Net along the
lines of the Yankee (magazine) Trader--for items in addition to computers,
which are traded and sold now via email, and for services, too.

Kim Van Dyke, cv252 [at] albany.albany.edu
University at Albany, State University of NY
518-442-3098/478-7845 (fax)