10 of the Best Bartering Items if the grid goes down

[Miker12]

what would you add for either stay in place or survive as you go?

What am I trading for?
Now, we know what bartering is and how it’s done, but before you start stocking up on items you intend to use for barter, you have to ask yourself what you want to barter for? If you have barter items, the implication is that you would trade these for something you don’t have. If you are already planning to trade for something you don’t have, wouldn’t it make more sense to get that item you want instead of purchasing bartering supplies?

http://www.theprepperjournal.com/2013/11/12/10-best-bartering-items-grid-goes/

 

[brandyspaw]

I'm not much of a fan of SHTF bartering unless its with somebody I really know and trust. Otherwise I feel its too much of a risk for somebody to come back later and steal your stuff once they know about your supplies. That said, I think simple things are often overlooked in preparations and they are some necessary additions.

So I'd be sure to have items needed to clean up and repair in a SHTF situation. Things like safety pins, nails, screws, duct tape, trash bags and adhesives are all items needed in the here and now. But they will quickly get used up to do repairs/modifications to our gear and living areas in a survival situation.

 

[MTURBO]

.22 ammo, cigarettes, toilet paper and small airplane sized bottles of whiskey come to mind.

 

[xerts1191]

Canned peaches

 

[Miker12]

....and small airplane sized bottles of whiskey come to mind.

You will want to buy cases of something that will age well and that can also be used for medicinal uses like vodka, Everclear, tequila or gin. Clean the wounds, decon the tools or if strong enough, clean the crude off your daily use tools.

Usually during Christmas the mini bottles can be found in bulk. Hint don't buy anything that may spoil for long-term storage. Opened some Kahlua from two years in the basement, had some green specks and too thick.

 

[AZ Husker]

Just like in the Army...cigarettes and booze.

 

[underw0rld]

For Bartering:
-Ammo including reloading components
-Salt
-Fuel(Diesel, Gas, Alcohol, Propane etc)
-Anti-Biotics
-Potable Water

For Repairs:
-Duct Tape
-Bailing Wire
-Rope
-Screws, Nuts, Bolts and Nails

Have a Still to make Alcohol which will give you fuel, antiseptic, disinfectant, and an antidote to barter with. Build a charcoal and sand water purification filter system to have potable water to barter with. Have all the reloading components to barter ammo.

 

[Steve_In_29]

For Bartering:
-Ammo including reloading components
-Salt
-Fuel(Diesel, Gas, Alcohol, Propane etc)
-Anti-Biotics
-Potable Water

For Repairs:
-Duct Tape
-Bailing Wire
-Rope
-Screws, Nuts, Bolts and Nails

Have a Still to make Alcohol which will give you fuel, antiseptic, disinfectant, and an antidote to barter with. Build a charcoal and sand water purification filter system to have potable water to barter with. Have all the reloading components to barter ammo.

You have enough corn and sugar to use for the still instead of eating it?

Charcoal and sand will filter taste and sediment but do nothing to make contaminated water safe.

 

[zold]

I'd say that TP would be an item of value after someone had to use and wash rags a few times. In most of AZ, clean, drinkable water would probably be the first item to be needed, though. 5 gal cans of gas would be towards the top of the list as well.

 

[Ranger1]

1 porn
2 cigarettes and Tabacco products
3 batteries
4 toilet paper
5 tampons
6 hand tools
7 soap
8 lip balm
9 shoes
10 sharping stones for knives and axes

 

[Aztrails-rider]

Knowledge. Plain and simple. We are by and large several generations removed from so many of the basic skills needed to actually survive a catastrophic setting back of this civilization. Who among us keyboard warriors actually knows how to gather and identify foods from the wild? How can you make food from things like the humble cat tail? Or the Mesquite beans the ancient natives ate? Do you know how and where to get WATER in this dry climate. I like to think of these scenarios more in terms of a long term state.

After we have all sat on the piles of ammo and guns and beer we stored up .....after the reality of the entire communities food supply from groceries is depleated and NOT returning since there are no further movements of freight and goods.....then what?

How does one feed themselves once there is nothing left to trade. How many of us have actually grown and preserved our own food stuffs?
Anyone remember when their grandparents used to can and dry and freeze food for the following year? Do you know how to do it your self? The tools and KNOWLEDGE to do these things will prove far more usefull then smokes and ammo. All the things listes will indeed have a place in the post disaster scenario....even porn! Lol but basic knowledge is all but lost on the last three generations.
It takes up damn little room. Its affordable and not everyone will have it or even know what to do with the raw materials without the proper knowledge.

Its also portable! And damn hard to steal or even see for the purpose of pilfering

 

[Rock Hardson]

Beer, bitches, and beans

 

[The Box]

I suppose if I had a couple of cases of Life Straws or some other portable filtration, I would feel pretty wealthy compared to those who don’t. The problem with bartering with finite items is that if the shit hits a big enough fan, eventually I may need all of those Life Straws. With that in mind, I agree with Aztrails. Knowledge is power...and it’s reusable.

Wasn’t there someone on the Walking Dead that had a bunch of how-to manuals to trade? Seems like a good idea.

 

[rgregory1965]

Radios. Ham or other

 

[Java Junkie]

1-TP (obviously)
2-paper towels
3-anti-bacterial hand soap
4-pasta
5-dog food
6-bread
7-spaghetti sauce
8-hamburger
9-ammo
10-gold

I'm just going by what is missing at the store right now.

 

[laserguy]

If the situation is lasting long enough that I would need to barter there are a few items that most people dont think about that might be very valuable

1) vegetable seeds
2) tampons
3) sewing supplies
4) oil lanterns or even just the wicks (can be used with any cooking oil for light and heat)
5) powdered milk and powdered butter (it is incredible how much we crave butter if we dont have it)
6) Tins of chewing tobacco (I made a small fortune in the marines by carrying these in the field and waiting for the guys who used tobacco to run out, they cussed me but were always willing to pay triple price when they had none)

 

[toepopper]

1. batteries
2. knives
3. ammo
4. flour
5. matches/fire starters
6. canned goods
7. spare parts kits for AR-15's
8. dry beans
9. meat
10. clean clothes

 

[shooter444]

Hmmm, sorry, but I just have to ask,... do you new guys even look at how old the posts you are resurrecting?

Or, are ya'll just blinded by your need to create enough posts to get into the classifieds?

 

[Miker12]

Last trip to Safeway in Prescott shows the lack of:

Tylenol
Ranitidine / Zantac (antacid)
rubbing alcohol
paper towels
bathrooms wipes

In ammo: we had a bunch last weekend then the scourge came in from Phoenix and bought cases. Only really expensive, higher quality ammo remaining.
Lots of ARs on the walls, seen a lot of lever actions and revolvers get bought up.
No large 5 gallon red gas cans to be found anywhere.

 

[laserguy]

Hmmm, sorry, but I just have to ask,... do you new guys even look at how old the posts you are resurrecting?

Or, are ya'll just blinded by your need to create enough posts to get into the classifieds?
[/quot

I didnt know they had an expiration date. What is the socially acceptable time limit on how old a post can be before it is offensive to reply to it?