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Thread: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

  1. #1
    Palladium agnut's Avatar
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    Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)


    This thread is a continuation of the over three years that it was running at the GIM website. Also, madfranks has graciously offered to sticky an archive of all the previous material. That’s coming but is a huge load to download.

    So here we are on May 21, 2010. If you have been reading a lot of articles on the internet, you may have noticed that some writers of late have mentioned bartering as a necessity in the future. Actually, bartering and horse trading has always been a skill that has provided extras, or luxuries if you will. I believe that as time passes, it will provide necessities much more than luxuries. Hopefully, we are all pretty much aware of what the future holds. It ain’t gonna be pretty. However, there have always been opportunities throughout history and I see no reason why there will not be opportunities on the future. No matter how bad it seems to get. In fact, difficult times offer great bargains to those aware and prepared.

    This thread is no armchair warrior advice. It is here, offered freely in order to enrich and empower lives. Your lives. If you read this thread and archives and do not change your life for the better, you have wasted your time. I am not altruistic but rather believe in what Ghandi said “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

    I believe that the world cannot be changed from the top; it must begin at the bottom. That’s us, you and me.

    So let’s get started.

    My first personal observation in the last few months is that my customers have been increasingly asking if I had any good used transmissions rather than the higher cost rebuilt ones. This has been a fast developing trend that I anticipated years ago. I have been saving good used parts over the past 5 years. My cost has been nothing except for the storage space, of which I have plenty. This is an example of futurist thinking which by the way, Ponce is an absolute expert.

    A few weeks ago I attended a garage sale where the owner was a carpentry specialist. He had a yard and house full of desirable items. I asked why he was selling all of these items and he said that there was no work and he had to move soon. I asked the price of a few items and learned that he was practically giving them away.

    It was then that I set up a plan. I took the items I wanted and set them on the far side of the front porch deck. When done I must have had 80 or so items set aside. Other buyers wanted to look at my items but I told them that they were all sold. So they moved on. At the same time I was guarding my stash, I was going over the other for sale items a second time for anything I had missed.

    When I finished I had the seller give me a price for all of the items. The price was so good that I paid without haggling. There is a sound reason for not haggling in some circumstances. When a purchase is already very cheap, it is unwise to try to get it for even less. You could create ill will; very expensive in the long run. Also, have some compassion for a seller who is in a financial bind. Sure, it is a judgment call. In this case it paid off handsomely. I asked if the seller had anything else he was going to sell later and he said that he had a storage container full of items that he was going to sell the next weekend.

    I got his name and phone number. This is important. I called him on Thursday and confirmed that he was to begin the next garage sale on Saturday and not on Friday as he previously mentioned as a possibility. Nothing like getting to a garage sale to discover that the sale had started the day before and all that was left was what nobody wanted.

    I was told that the sale the next Saturday would start at 8:00 and I made sure to be there when it was supposed to open. However, the seller had listed the sale in the papers at 9:00. So I was there an hour before others would arrive. By the time most buyers arrived I had already filled the porch with everything I wanted. Once again I went over the remaining items for anything I had missed. I asked the crucial question “What else do you have for sale ?” He took me in back to his garage and back yard where I picked up several more items.

    At the end I asked him for his total price and he said “How about 50 bucks ?” I replied with “How about 60 ?” He smiled and said sure. Why did I offer more that asked ? Call me crazy. It felt good to be generous back to the seller who had been so generous to me. If I were to see him in the future, I would feel good about our dealings. What is 10 dollars in the whole scheme of things ? In this instance, it was powerful in my opinion. See, that’s one of the beautiful things about bartering and horse trading. We have the power to express ourselves in positive ways and spread goodwill toward our fellow man. I have always said that business is bad where anybody loses (except for the competition). Good buying and selling takes place without coercion or fraud.

    So what were these bargain items of which I speak ? Picks, shovels, rakes, brooms, saws, pry bars for a dollar. Stanley and Craftsman chisels, pliers, wire cutters, tin snips for as little as a dime apiece. A roll of new three lead copper wire weighing over 60 pounds for $2. Forty pounds of heavy tow chain for $2. A new come along for $2. An 8 foot fiberglass Werner ladder for $2. A 6 foot fiberglass Husky ladder for $2. A tool box with 100 sockets, ratchets, extensions and more for $5. A 100’ extension cord with roller for 1$. A 12” Diamond brand Crescent wrench for $1. Ten table saw blades with two portable holding units for $2.

    I also got 5 big boxes of nails for $2 each. They had been opened and didn’t weigh the original 50 pounds each but were still mostly full. I also got lag bolts, specialty items, etc. I still haven’t looked at it everything but I know that if I had to buy all of the items new from the store, it would have been well over $3,000. I spent about $140 in total. Looking back, I know I missed a few items. This always happens in a sale with so many items offered. If you didn’t get the seller’s phone number, be content with what you did get. There will always be more sales in the future.

    You are probably asking yourself, “Yeah, a bargain. But what are you going to do with all that junk agnut ?” Well, some of it I need and some I will put away for the future. I don’t expect that a straight nail will be worth a dollar someday as Ponce says it is in Cuba right now. He was in Cuba a few years ago and had the money to repair his father’s house. Problem was, the materials were not available AT ANY PRICE. Will this happen here in the good ‘ol USA ? It could but I’m not counting on it. I’m buying with the belief that many things will dry up in time and the screaming bargains I get now will become in greater demand some day. That goes double for good quality American tools.

    The other day I was cruising around and saw a sign for a garage sale. I drove by and it looked like a lot of baby clothes and toys. But I stopped there just to see if there was anything interesting. There wasn’t. But I did ask “What else do you have for sale ?” The husband piped in with “We have a barbecue out back”. So I looked at it and it was a medium size unit with three burners inside and one outside. It had a propane bottle with an expensive cover. He wanted $5. The only problem was that the plastic wheels were broken. But since I don’t move my barbecue around, I will saw off the lower legs and make it level. A nice unit that is $200 at Home Depot (plus sales tax of $17) The way I look at it, I got the barbecue for less than a third of the sales tax had I bought it new. Oh, and almost forgot; a propane tank and cover thrown in on the deal. The cover had a huge decal of the Florida Gators, from the University of Florida. I mention this because my daughter is visiting us in July and she worked at the University of Florida medical center for several years. Sort of a karmic thing, I guess. As Voltaire said, “God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh”. I laughed when I saw the barbecue cover for the first time, knowing it was meant to be.

    Gotta go; please post any experiences you may have. This thread is meant to be for all of us to share.

    Best wishes,

    Agnut

    P.S. Always remember that you are a sane person living in an insane world. Rather than get upset (wasting valuable time and energy), get to understand it and make it work for you.

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  3. #2
    Iridium
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    Welcome back, again. Looking forward to those priceless archives. They were my favorite threads. Simply priceless!
    But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint - Isaiah 40:31

    Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ~
    Matthew 7:7


    geoengineeringwatch.org

  4. #3
    SHTF2010
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    welcome back, agnut

    :sun:

    TSHTF is close . . . . .

  5. #4
    Moderator madfranks's Avatar
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    This thread is going to be a great asset to this site, and I for one am really happy that agnut decided to continue his famous thread here. As agnut mentioned, I'm going to sticky this thread and help him upload the previous Bartering and Horse Trading thread from GIM1 so it's here for reference. Agnut and I have been in touch over the past few weeks, and as many of you know from GIM1, this thread is a true treasure trove of information, so much so that he could probably write a successful book with the knowledge he's shared with us. Thanks agnut for your work on this topic!
    "Liberty is so creative, and the government is so stupid, that Im very optimistic about the future"
    - Lew Rockwell

  6. #5
    Book
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    Quote Originally Posted by agnut

    Gotta go; please post any experiences you may have. This thread is meant to be for all of us to share.
    Whew! I have been saving this photo for weeks now waiting for this new Bartering And Horse Trading thread:

    o-->



  7. #6
    Unobtanium
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    Hey buddy, WELCOME.............

    Day before yesterday I went to my favorite store "The Senior "Thrift Store" here in town.........looks to me that someone very very rich bought the farm not to long ago because I found two coats with matching pans and one coat by itself with a western motive, I would say one set alone is worth at least $125.00 if not more and then five more like new pair of pants, I would say that the whole thing is worth AT LEAST $400.00 if not more.........all that for $6.00.

    All the clothing that I am collecting if for later because there will be very little in the way of clothing coming in from overseas and what there is will be very expensive.
    "If you don't hold it, you don't own it"... Ponce

    "I'll never stop learning because I'll never stop reading"... Ponce

  8. #7
    Administrator JohnQPublic's Avatar
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    "What Difference, at this time, does it make?"

    "What is 'is'?"

    "Because you'd be in jail"

  9. #8
    SHTF2010
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    i was in a dollar store a few days ago and picked up a belt for $1.25

    my new belt was packaged as a " Luggage Strap "

    i got it home, took it out of the package and it fit perfectly ( adjustable to 67 " )
    do i care what it's called, not really, i went back and bought 4 more
    and if i never use these as belts, i have 5 ft of material ( and clips ) for $1.25



  10. #9
    SHTF2010
    Guest

    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    opening a new GSUS quotes file with these two


    “What else do you have for sale ?”

    I’m buying with the belief that many things will dry up in time and the screaming bargains I get now will become in greater demand some day

    agnut




    futurist thinking

    what will have value in the future ? / what will become more valuable in the future ?

  11. #10
    SHTF2010
    Guest

    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    salvaging, scrounging, whatever one wants to call it

    don't be afraid to pick up roadside freebies
    just a few of the items i've picked up while out on my bike
    mainly along the roadway coming off the Ambassador Bridge

    i even go for an early morning bike ride on recycling day


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