Barter Items for SHTF.

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Tank-Girl

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I looked for a similar thread to bump but couldn't find one so...Here it is! LOL.

I tend to think outside the box so here are my picks....

Canning lids. People will be wanting to store their harvest in greater quantities so canning lids will be in high demand.

Clear lighters. If they are clear the person interested in them can see how much lighter fluid is in the lighters when you show them the lighter actually works. You can buy them in bulk off ebay.

Seeds. Seeds are tricky because they def. have a shelf life. If you seed save from your own heirloom
fruit and veggies then fresh viable seed will be in high demand.
 
I think there are going to be a million items folks are going to want and need. The cycle / phase of the SHTF event is going to determine a lot of what is needed / wanted. Food, water, addictive items alcohol, tobacco, opioid, etc. Then long term items, seeds, clothes, shoes, ammo, weapons. So many things will be missed and wanted and needed. Stocking just about anything is going to have a buyer / trader wanting it.
 
Canning lids. People will be wanting to store their harvest in greater quantities so canning lids will be in high demand.

Anything canning related would be in high demand; jars, rings, BWB and pressure canners.

I have around 2k jars, 3 pressure canners and 5 BWB canners. The jars were acquired at estate sales for a few pennies a piece. I have them split between home and the hunting camp.

There's something that is easily overlooked. While seeming inconsequential in the heat of a bad event, shoe/boot laces would be sorely missed if there were to suddenly become unavailable.
 
Toilet paper will be a big one, as will other hygiene products. Condoms could be another. I stock several bottles of liquor, some for use (not consumption) and others for trade. Otherwise I have a large amount of surplus or foreign steel case ammunition in popular calibers that I can use to trade. Another strong area for me will be the training and ability to repair firearms. I have a lot of guns but I also have a lot of gun parts. I don't throw a gun related spring, screw, pin or part away. They all go on the shelving units. I have bluing kits, stock repair kits, etc., etc.
 
barter will only be possible in a short term/slow burn event, in a fast burn long term event bartering wont be safe for a long time, and I mean years not months or weeks, if you really require something for long term survival buy it now don't expect someone to hand it to you afterwards.
 
barter will only be possible in a short term/slow burn event, in a fast burn long term event bartering wont be safe for a long time, and I mean years not months or weeks, if you really require something for long term survival buy it now don't expect someone to hand it to you afterwards.
Yet in the Balkans and Argentina, both long term events, bartering was prevalent.
 
Also being handy can come in handy. What will be needed the most for long term will be knowledge about growing, fixing for most of todays society can't fix much of anything.
They don't know a spark plug from a toilet plunger. Much less knowing what to do if they get injured. Probably have to knock em out to help them. I had to slap one of my friends who was in hysterics once to calm her down.
 
I saw a video about NY city losing power. It lasted 30 hours and there were people trapped in elevators and subway cars. Looting and rioting was common. Thugs roamed the streets doing whatever they wanted. It was a short term example of what will happen.
And 9 months later, there was a baby boom.
 
LOL, probably forever. Back in the 50s that was the only menthed for birth control. [ darn I can't spell that word ]
Actually they had diaphragms at least back into the 20's.
 
Women often have many skills that men do not possess. Canning and sewing come to mind right away. Clothes wear out and if you can barter food with a woman so she can sew on patches that is beneficial to both parties. Even if you have a bunch of food it would keep longer if it was canned. Many woman have this skill that they could barter for some of the food. Some know how to make soap or fix your car or fix other mechanical items.
 
Women often have many skills that men do not possess. Canning and sewing come to mind right away. Clothes wear out and if you can barter food with a woman so she can sew on patches that is beneficial to both parties. Even if you have a bunch of food it would keep longer if it was canned. Many woman have this skill that they could barter for some of the food. Some know how to make soap or fix your car or fix other mechanical items.

This is true ,imo.
 
Women often have many skills that men do not possess. Canning and sewing come to mind right away. Clothes wear out and if you can barter food with a woman so she can sew on patches that is beneficial to both parties.
don't bank on it in the 21st century, we live in a throwaway society, when something wears out they throw it away and buy new.
sewing is a dying art.
 
@Weedygarden the expiry date should be printed on the condom packet and you are right rubber ones perish a lot sooner. Not to mention they had a faulty batch of them with holes in them in Australia and the company got sued by many families for additional unplanned children too.

Just as a side use for condoms make sure you have some unlubricated ones in stock as you can put one inside another one and use it for a water carrying.
 
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@Weedygarden the expiry date should be printed on the condom packet and you are right rubber ones perish a lot sooner. Not to mention they had a faulty batch of them with holes in them in Australia and the company got sued by many families for additional unplanned children too.
not my problem.
post SHTF infant mortality will be high.
 
I read a story in one of our Ensigns where food was being dispatched during a world war and one person gave out oranges to women as they were a rare commodity. One woman saw the speaker pull out a needle and thread and humbly asked could she have that instead of the orange , he said yes, as she walked back to her chair all the other women said '' Oh you will share with us all won't you".

I agree with @Tank-Girl disposable lighters are a good trade item along with refillable ones and lighter fluid.

Other trade items could be anything that people regularly use such as -
- food, fruit and vegetables
- toilet paper.
- knives, forks, spoons and all hunting filleting knives.
- fishing rods, line, hooks, sinkers, hand fishing reels.
- tissues.
- mini sewing kits.
- thread.
- fabric and haberdashery items.
- clothing, shoes, boots, socks, leather gloves.
- sewing needles and safety pins.
- firewood.
- tents and tarps.
- hand tools.
- fuels, lighter fluid, windproof matches, ferrocerium and magnesium flint lighters rods .
- soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, shavers disposable and others, perfume, men's shave sticks, shaving brushes, women's hygiene and personal care items.
- Antibiotics, pain medication, vitamins, minerals.
- Medical surgical masks, N95 masks etc.
- Alcohol and coffee and any other illegal substances (not legally available at least in Australia so far).
- Any skills that you have that another person wants.
 
I don't think in the techno addicted 21st century the survival rate will be high, certainly not in the UK, and any bartering if at all possible, which it wont, will be doing any more than "nibbling at the edges".
my philosophy is to buy anything I think I will need post SHTF, and if I cant buy it then learn to live without it.
 
I shall see if I can find the ex military guy who went through the Bulkan war story for you. He said the same thing but said he eventually ran out of the basic necessities and did eventually have to barter, although he was well set up prior compared to most. I wouldn't be trading straight after a SHTF scenario and would live off our supplies and trade later only if necessary by which time things should have settled somewhat.

We also try and stock everything we need well in advance too so should hold out well in this situation for some time.
 
I shall see if I can find the ex military guy who went through the Bulkan war story for you. He said the same thing but said he eventually ran out of the basic necessities and did eventually have to barter, although he was well set up prior compared to most. I wouldn't be trading straight after a SHTF scenario and would live off our supplies and trade later only if necessary by which time things should have settled somewhat.

We also try and stock everything we need well in advance too so should hold out well in this situation for some time.
I think you are referring to SELCO, I have read some of his stuff, but that was a war situation and we are talking about a mostly civilian SHTF, you know who your enemies are in a war, you don't in SHTF.
 
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