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Thread: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

  1. #21
    Mystery Tour Guide k-os's Avatar
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    Thanks, agnut. Well-written, sound advice. I didn't participate in the Bartering and Horsetrading thread at GIM, but I look forward to following along this time, and I am grateful for the opportunity.

    I visited a drugstore (CVS) yesterday and noticed they have a green sticker for items that are 75% off. I bought a handful of nail/toenail clippers for about 47 cents each, and they are going into storage for bartering when TSHTF.
    The more you live, the less you will die. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ If you want to be somebody else, change your mind.

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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    Quote Originally Posted by k-os
    Thanks, agnut. Well-written, sound advice. I didn't participate in the Bartering and Horsetrading thread at GIM, but I look forward to following along this time, and I am grateful for the opportunity.

    I visited a drugstore (CVS) yesterday and noticed they have a green sticker for items that are 75% off. I bought a handful of nail/toenail clippers for about 47 cents each, and they are going into storage for bartering when TSHTF.
    Hi k-os and thanks. I borrow a lot of my wisdom from my Cuban uncle Ponce.

    I’ve been remiss in sending all of the bartering and horse trading archives. My older son said that he could help me; I’m still a computer idiot. These archives are quite long and may take you a couple of weeks to slog through.

    Good deal on the nail clippers. Maybe nail files would be a good idea too. Neither age or go bad.

    Best wishes,

    Agnut

  3. #23
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    I’m writing this long post because the summer buying and selling season lays ahead like a financial banquet.

    Lately I’ve been thinking about the changes in what I’ve been seeing at sales in the last year. I’ve dropped in on several that were more garbage than garage sales. Lots of Chinese junk floating about too.

    So what to do.

    Well, there are garage sales, moving sales, self storage auctions, estate sales and auction houses. Each one has their own characteristics (not to mention the characters milling about). You won’t see a grizzly bear waiting for a salmon run in an Arizona dry wash. He’s doing the right thing but in the wrong place. Not to mention the wrong time. So with this, let’s look at the various types of sales to determine the best for you.

    Garage Sales

    As mentioned above, garage sales appear to be trending toward folks trying to sell anything, even for a nickel. Items so sad that the sellers appear as though they are too lazy to take it all to the dump. Most of these sales are not advertised in the papers but have a sale placard on the corner with directions. However, these sales are not always a waste of time. There may be one or two items of value. They are at the bottom of the food chain for us barterers and horse traders.

    The next step up are the garage sales listed in the classified ads. You can sort through these in the comfort of your home and set up a plan of attack. Always be aware that the first 8:00 AM sale you attend will preclude your attending other 8:00 AM sales. In other words, you can’t be in two places at the same time. However, you may find a prime sale starting at 9:00 AM with a less promising sale beginning at 8:00 AM. So attend the earlier sale as long as you can finish up and be there for the 9:00 AM prime sale. Just part of the battle plan.

    Lately I’ve been seeing more people who are buying for the purpose of reselling at their own garage sales. A natural response to these dire times of high unemployment, high inflation and black swans coming home to roost unexpectedly (Ya like the way I mix metaphors ?).

    Moving Sales

    Moving sales are often better than garage sales because the sellers are motivated to lighten their load as well as need extra money for their move. For example, a riding mower for sale would be more likely at a moving sale due to its weight and size. Also a piano, boat, extra car, etc. Large and heavy items. Think of what the soon to be moving seller is thinking.

    And the prices are usually lower and more flexible. If someone has to move in 10 days and they have a boat they want $2000 for, you may want to put in a lowball bid of $800. If they haven’t sold it before they move, they have the options of either taking it with them (maybe impossible), leaving it behind (foolish), or accepting your lowball offer. It isn’t your fault that they are between a rock and a hard place so don’t feel guilty. It is THEIR guilt and fault for not planning ahead.

    The technique on such a situation is to get their phone number and call them a few days before they move. You can give them you phone number as you let them know you are interested but DO NOT at this time give them your lowball offer. Let time and events work for you.

    You may not get the deal but isn’t it better to consummate half as many deals at lowball prices rather than twice the deals with a much lower profit potential ?

    Yesterday my sons happened to be driving about and saw three bulls standing on a hillside looking down at a herd of heifers. They were laughing as they told me since I had earlier told them the joke about the young bull and the old bull standing on a hill. The young bull said “Let’s run down there and make love to one of them”. The old bull said “Let’s walk down there and make love to all of them”.

    Patience is a virtue that pays off handsomely. Pace yourself. Be anxious for nothing; this is a business, not a roller coaster ride.

    Self Storage Auctions

    A few weeks ago I attended a self storage auction. There were the contents of 12 storage containers up for bid. There were about 25 bidders in attendance, three of whom I recognized as professional bidders. These three were buying for resale profits and set the tone for the auction.

    Bidders are not allowed to handle the merchandise but only to briefly look into the container and guess at what all the boxes contain and estimate the value of what else they could see. It is like buying a pig in a poke. The other bidders usually enthusiastically bid like they’re gonna win the lottery. And bidding usually goes so high that you may laugh inside at the insanity of human nature.

    I bought nothing but learned that this was not where I want to invest my time and money. Years ago I bought many storage containers’ contents. Overall, the work and money yielded at best a small profit. Sure, you may hit the jackpot. But not often enough to be worth the time. I do recommend that you attend such an auction, if for nothing other than the experience. Just don’t get swept up in the excitement.

    By the way, these containers have usually been picked over by the last owners as well as the staff of the storage company. You are bidding on what they didn’t want. And worst of all, it may be a setup container. That is one that is made to look like it holds promise of lots of valuable items but ends up with broken down furniture and empty boxes. I know, I was once suckered into one by my inexperience. You see, the highest bidder price is used to first pay the storage bill against it and then the previous owner receives the rest. A profitable scam. Be careful.

    Estate Sales

    There are basically two types of estate sales. The first is where a professional has priced all of the items, usually at no or little profit for you.

    The second type is where the still breathing family members are getting rid of some old geezer’s possessions. Hey, I’m getting to be an old geezer myself but the difference is that my family knows what my things are worth. They are all proficient barterers and horse traders. So don’t expect any screaming deals after I croak (That salmon mousse DID taste funny. Was it supposed to be green ?)

    Last Saturday I attended an estate sale; it was listed in the local Saturday paper. Only problem was, it had also been listed in the Wednesday edition and the sale actually was for Friday and Saturday. I can only guess at what I had missed.

    Anyway, there was still a house and garage full of items. I got a new in the box ½ ton trailer for $40, about $240 retail. A Yamaha keyboard with a heavy box of sheet music for $40, retail well over $200. A leather computer chair for $20, retail $130. My old plastic carpet pad was shot and I had priced a new one; it was $54. So being the cheap bastard that I am, I had been dragging my heels in getting a new one. Well, guess what showed up ? Yep, a new heavy duty pad. I casually asked the seller what she wanted for it and she said, “How about a dollar ?” My heart skipped a beat; a 54 bagger. Think about it; I saved $53 of after tax money !

    I got a new in the box 500 watt surround sound audio receiver for $35. I can only guess at the retail price (an eBay ad said that it had cost $1000 new). There were scores of smaller items I also got like a power meat slicer for $2. And there were several boxes of free items such as scrap aluminum, wiring, coffee cans of nails, screws, etc. Honestly, I haven’t had the time to go through it all yet.

    Soon after I arrived at the estate sale I found an area to put all of the items I wanted. That way, all of the items wouldn’t have other buyers taking my bargains. I told the seller that I wanted to buy a truckload of items and asked her if she would make a package deal. She brightened up at the prospect and said that would be fine. When I was done, she discounted the total price about 20%.

    I loaded the truck and headed home. I had been there about 3 hours and all that time there had been other buyers aimlessly poking around, buying little. Not a professional buyer in the bunch. I think I spent $240 and my 1 ton truck was loaded; even the passenger seat and floor were piled up with goodies.

    Auctions And Auction Houses

    When I was at that storage container auction, a professional buyer let slip that the best deals were at an auction house in a nearby town. I looked at their coming auctions online and will have to get there when time permits. Might be a goldmine or a bust. At least it would be educational.

    I don’t have much experience with auction houses with all the garage and estate sales going on. Besides, my favorite dealing situation is on a one on one basis. Having to outbid someone, possibly with an ego problem or brain dead, could raise the winning price too high. So be very, very careful; we are not hunting rabbits, ya know.

    Best wishes,

    Agnut

  4. #24
    SHTF2010
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    maybe i just haven't noticed before, but i'm noticing now
    more people seem to be putting out items by the roadside

    today i brought home a bamboo 60 inch wide blind, works fine
    went back a couple hours later, and the other items out with the blinds were already gone


    the fact that something was thrown away has no bearing on it's worth to it's finder

    The Scavengers' Manifesto

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    Palladium agnut's Avatar
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    Hi SHTF2010. So true; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Many of the garage and estate sales have a box or area of free items. Scrap aluminum and scrap copper are sometimes in there too.

    Best wishes and keep on pickin' the bargains.

    Best wishes,

    agnut

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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)


    Sorry I haven’t posted for a while. With the oil mess I’ve been feeling like a deer frozen in the headlights.

    What to do, what to do…

    Somehow reminds me of a Stephen Wright story. Seems there was a guy who had an itch in his brain and the only way he could relieve it was to THINK about sandpaper.

    With news being so limited, it is hard to get a clear picture and therefore how to react/prepare (or scratch that itch). I’ve been watching the oil spill every day since it happened on April 20. I believe that it will not stop and will even become much worse as the pipeline ruptures even more. I also believe that its continuing to spread will have life changing consequences on everyone. Doesn’t matter if you are in the arctic or South America or a tropic island. If this continues, no one will be immune. There is direct damage and there is collateral damage. We are all living on the same Earth.

    Now this oil leak continuance isn’t a 100% certainty but whenever I am faced with a problem I ask myself what it will take to remedy the problem. I don’t see the relief wells currently being drilled as a solution. In fact, they may only increase the problem. I have read that about 40% of what is coming out is methane, a gas. Okay. And the other 60% is oil, a liquid. Now I’m no scientist but isn’t a liquid compressed to 100,000 PSI only a tiny bit compressed in volume ? But how about methane gas under 100,000 PSI ? How many multiples does it expand when released under our normal atmospheric pressures ?

    In other words, released methane gas weighs almost equivalent in comparison to our atmosphere. But what does a cubic foot of methane weigh when under 100,000 PSI ?



    It is said that nature abhors a vacuum. Well, we who are living above the ocean level are the vacuum relative to the tremendous pressure below. The oil and methane and God knows what else spewing out is nature equalizing that pressure. How long and how much is unknown but the sheer volume under pressure down there implies that this leakage has the capacity to destroy sea life on an epic scale. I have read that about 70% of our oxygen comes from the ocean. I look around at all the tall pine trees and other plants and am suddenly appreciative of their ability to produce oxygen.

    In my shop I have a 20 ton hydraulic press. That’s 40,000 pounds per square inch. And THAT is its maximum capacity. I can squash copper pennies with this press. Now imagine 100,000 pounds per square inch; that’s 50 tons pressure. That is one amount of pressure I have read that the oil and methane gas are under in the oilcano in the Gulf of Mexico.

    So do you really believe BP or the government will be able to stop the flow ? As Dirty Harry said, “Do you feel lucky, punk ?”


    A thought provoking thread about bartering :

    What About Bartering?
    Apr 26th, 2010
    Timebomb2000

    Bartering. As the economy has worsened, there has been more talk of bartering. Bartering always grows in popularity in tough times, and there’s no doubt bartering will have a role in a post-collapse situation.

    Bartering isn’t complex; it simply represents trading of goods and services where there is no common medium, such as money. You barter when you want or need something that someone else has. A lot of survivalists think that bartering is bad, because you should prepare to have everything you need and thus never be in a situation where you need to barter.

    Well, that’s simply nonsense. No single family, let alone an individual, can possibly prepare themselves for an indefinite period of survival and anticipate every need, let alone wants. By all means you should prepare as well as possible, but pretending that you’re fully prepared is even worse, because then you’re turning a blind eye to opportunities that will arise that you can capitalize on for the benefit of yourself and your loved ones.

    Food and shelter are the most basic necessities, and thus they are at the top of any preparedness list. It also means that in an emergency, these will be the items most in demand, and therefore, the best items to barter with in terms of getting an advantageous exchange.

    Bartering shelter is a risky proposition. Let’s say you have lots of room and someone else needs it, but unless you know that person well and can gauge how they will act in a crisis, AND unless they have something that you want or need, bartering for shelter can be an extremely difficult proposition.

    Bartering for food, on the other hand, is easy. Everyone needs it, and not everyone will have it. Just look at the crises around the world, be they man-made or natural. Getting food to survivors is always a top priority. It will be no different when the collapse happens here, and because so many Americans are woefully unprepared, there is going to be substantial demand. (Keep in mind how far most of us are from food sources and you can begin to imagine how severe the food crisis will be.)

    Perhaps you have done a great job of stockpiling food and you have an excess, and you come across a family that is going without. It would be great to simply be charitable and give them food, and perhaps that’s what the situation will warrant, but in survival situations you have to be extremely careful with charity. What happens when the food runs out? If the family has something to exchange-even their labor-then you should seek to find a just exchange of goods and services. (For example, an individual might benefit from having the combined work force that a strong young family can add to a retreat location or safe house, or even just in the garden).

    Of course, if you have a survival garden, livestock or another replenishable source of food that exceeds your personal needs, then you’re in a great situation because you have an unending supply of tradeable goods that will be in demand. However, be discreet with this because anyone who is perceived as having surplus in a time of need could be a target for theft or worse.

    On a related note, some Christian thinkers have taught that storing excess while others suffer is immoral. The idea of having years worth of food stored away in your garage while children and the elderly are starving at the front door does present a challenge. On the other hand, I’m reminded of the instruction Joseph received to prepare Egypt for the coming famine by storing up the bounty from the seven years of plenty. Remember that in Genesis people (including Joseph’s family), came from all over to buy the grain that Egypt had so prudently stored up. I think we can conclude that there is nothing wrong with preparing for a coming disaster and even trading for goods with those that are in need. When it comes to charity, each person must decide what he is capable of doing.

    Of course, you can trade all sorts of things. Many of your emergency supplies will be in demand, be those books, tools, communications equipment, medical gear, tools and basic supplies. Most of us are probably not making preparations to store things specifically with barter in mind, and very few of us will likely have enough of these items to last indefinitely anyway. However, I do know people who are now adding to their core survival stockpiles with luxury items, such as alcohol and tobacco, because of their barter value.

    Finally, don’t overlook the skills you have or could acquire as a source of bartering. The wonderful thing about bartering a skill is that once you have traded it for something else, you still have it! On the other hand, you can’t store up your skills like you can a commodity. If you have a skill that will be useful in a survival or post-collapse situation, then give some consideration to how you might be able to employ that to help others and receive in exchange something you want or need. If you don’t have a skill, perhaps you should work on developing one or more that will be valuable. If you’ve been working at a desk, pushing paper around all your life, now might be a good time to develop a hobby or interest that could prove valuable later on.

    Of course, those with medical, agricultural, mechanical, carpentry and construction skills will be in great demand. It will serve you well to develop some skills in these areas, and possibly another area. For example, I recently visited a third world country where they are making permanent water filter systems out of locally available materials, principally rock, gravel and sand. These water filters can take the nastiest water from a creek or river and turn it into potable water, using materials found virtually anywhere in the world. When the city water stops flowing, knowing how to produce drinkable water will be an extremely valuable skill.
    Posted by ElkHollow

    http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=364875

    =================================
    There has been much written about a one world currency and a cashless society. In such an environment bartering may become a necessity rather than an optional benefit.

    With this oil spill catastrophe, most are not aware that the Atlantic bluefin tuna spawn in the Gulf of Mexico. You know, where that canned tuna comes from. So, do you think the price of tuna will go up or down with what has happened ?

    How long do we have before the prices begin to rise ? And the quantity available lessens ? I can only guess but even if this oilcano hadn’t occurred, the price of a can of tuna would have gone up anyway. I believe that this catastrophe will accelerate price rises and possibly limit availability.

    Canned chicken and canned beef probably won’t accelerate but only rise in price as the fiat dollar loses purchasing power. Personally, I would buy cases of tuna first and the canned chicken and beef second.

    Remember what happened with the rice shortage and the consequent price rises and lessened availability ?

    Ponce told me that he had read that in the past in Cambodia (I think), a can of tuna was traded for an ounce of gold. Now before you go screeching out of the driveway to the local supermarket, stop and think about all the ramifications of such an action.

    In the first place, that was an extreme time with its own set of unusual circumstances. Don’t count your cans of tuna as if they were ounces of gold (Silver ? Well, maybe).

    In the second place, you probably won’t be trading your cans of tuna for cash or other items. Why ? Well, you want to keep on eating and living, dontcha ? However, trading for other food items may be feasible. I just don’t think that trading food for nonfood items would be wise in many cases.

    Food inventory is potentially special, a highest and best use item, and to be set apart from normal bartering and horse trading. Hmmm…how can I make it more clear ?

    Food and toilet paper have I neither.
    Can still wipe my ass but can’t eat grass

    King Midas would have agreed. All the gold in the world and can’t eat makes Jack a dead boy.

    In the third place, bartering with food could get you killed if the circumstances were extreme. Just the rumor that you have food for sale could spread like wildfire. And you could have a hungry mob at your doorstep. So think about what others are feeling and thinking before you act.

    Obviously the above possibilities are ones that we are most reluctant to ruminate upon because they force us to consider actions that go against the grain of all we have believed normal and just. The fact is, we are facing a world in which the good guy doesn’t win and the guy doesn’t get the girl and he doesn’t ride into the sunset and he doesn’t live happily ever after.

    No, this is and has always been a world in which the most adaptable to change will have the best odds of survival and prospering. It is just that we who live in the developed world have had it too easy for too long and are now in the process of being thrust into the world on a more level playing field. Competing with others who have had to live on less than $2 a day will be devastating for many. Maybe a new TV show for the masses called “American Idle Meet The Reality Show”.

    Anyway, there are some good ideas in the above Timebomb2000 thread. A desirable profession and the ability to grow food will be more important in the future than we have ever known. So having these along with bartering and horse trading skills will make the difference between penury and prosperity.

    Best wishes and JMHO,

    Agnut

    P.S. Went to an estate sale Saturday. Had mixed feeling when I left. You see, the sale had started on Friday morning and I was only seeing what others had not wanted although many items were at giveaway prices. I did get a Proto torque wrench for 6 cents. That’s not a misprint. I also got a couple of Crescent wrenches for 6 cents each. One was a Craftsman and the other was made by Proto. Twenty new carbide cutters of various sizes for a total price of $5. Probably cost $6 to $8 each in a hardware store. Not sure; I just needed them.

    There was a double axle trailer for sale for $700 that was the best construction I have ever seen. I am considering buying it and selling my smaller single axle trailer which is probably worth $600 and nowhere near as good as the new trailer. See, this is a potential trade up for a $100 cost plus registration. These trade up deals work in cars too. I have worked up into a nice car from a couple of fixer uppers.

  7. #27
    Iridium
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    Hope you don't mind this addition to your thread agnut:

    21 Things You Should Never Buy New

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/21-Thi...62080.html?x=0
    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

  8. #28
    Palladium agnut's Avatar
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    Quote Originally Posted by MNeagle
    Hope you don't mind this addition to your thread agnut:

    21 Things You Should Never Buy New

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/21-Thi...62080.html?x=0
    Hi MNeagle. Ya beat me to it. I was going to post your article and had already copied it. There is an additional article that ties in :

    20 Things You Should Never Buy Used
    By Amy Lu


    http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/...never-buy-used

    Should make for some interesting thoughts. I've never bought used underwear but heard that Hillary donated some of Bill's for a tax writeoff. I have to wonder who the heck would want them (or to handle them without a pair of rubber gloves. Probably in a glass display belonging to some sickie).

    Best wishes and your posting is most welcome. Thanks,

    agnut

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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)


    Hi all. This is a continuation of my post #25 where I ran on and on about the oilcano in the Gulf of Mexico. What is happening is a process and I feel that we have to watch it as well as prepare for its possible consequences.

    This relief wells tapping into the main pipelines do not sound feasible to me. With that, here is a thread addressing it (particularly note post 5 and 7 by LoupGarou, a long time member of TB2000):

    BP containment cap is bouncing and wobbling

    http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=365272

    I just refilled my diesel truck and filled another 20 gallons into 5 gallon cans. I have 9 of the 55 gallon drums and have been slowly filling them. Why slowly ? Well, that costs over $1,300 and I’ve been buying more food preps and may be facing having to pay for a couple of steers (preps on the hoof; however I don’t look at my dog as a prep as some macabre person once wrote).

    So my money is being allocated to what I feel is most pressing for the next few months. It is NOT precious metals. Even cash is, although I hate to say it, preferable to acquiring more precious metals at this time in history. I would have to say that food comes first, fuel second, cash third, and precious metals a distant last. Funny how time through the years has changed my thinking. But this oil catastrophe has greatly accelerated my focus on what may well become scarce or unavailable in the near future.

    We have but to imagine gas and diesel becoming expensive or God forbid, unavailable in the coming months. How much do we have stockpiled and how long will it last ? How many miles do we anticipate driving for our necessities. Additionally, I have been thinking of buying a Detroit diesel generator. How much will it consume per day ? Even running it for 2 hours will use 2 gallons of diesel. That’s just to run the freezers and recharge the batteries (that I don’t have yet; or the inverter either).

    So after all these years, I’m still not fully prepped for where I want to be. My heart goes out to those who have done their best and are still woefully inadequate to face a collapse.

    I feel that there is some time (until there ain’t, of course) to make a concerted effort to fill in the prep gaps I see. I hope you who read this will take this advice to heart and act on it.

    After all, what have you got to lose ?

    Do you think that fuel will become cheaper in the coming months ?

    Do you think that food will become cheaper in the coming months ?

    Do you think it is going to get any better in the coming months ?

    Fuel and food are powerful investments. Ponce’s saying “If you don’t hold it, you don’t own it” applies here in the way that if you hold cash or precious metals, that means that you don’t hold what they MAY buy in the future. And I say MAY because in a calamitous time, you may not be able to get what you assumed you could get when you were living in peaceful times.

    Remember, I wrote a while ago that we are in WWIII right now, but it is an economic war. A battle for winning a future for yourselves and loved ones.

    By the way, I have extended an invitation for 6 people living in Florida to stay with me if they need to evacuate. I don’t know if any of them will act before it is too late. And I don’t know how bad it will be. I just cannot for the life of me see how this oil gusher will stop without immense damage to the southeastern states. If what Ponce has told me is true that only 1% of the oil spilled is on the surface of the ocean, that 99% lurking below the surface will have to be dealt with in the future.

    If 100,000 barrels are gushing out each day, that is about 4,200,000 gallons. And 4,200,000 gallons divided by 24 hours is 175,000 gallons per hour. And 175,000 gallons per hour divided by 60 minutes is 2,917 gallons per minute. And finally,2,917 gallons per minute divided by 60 seconds is 48.6 gallons per second.

    Hey ! 48.6 gallons doesn’t sound like much now, does it ? Wouldn’t even fill one of my 55 gallon drums. But THAT is PER SECOND !

    And this 48.6 gallons per second isn’t going into a storage tank; it is going into the ocean. Can you imagine what the govt would do to you of you dumped even one barrel of oil into the ocean ?

    Yeah, it’s that bad !

    Be aware that those few who see a potential danger and act upon it preemptively will face ridicule in the beginning but become regarded as prescient afterwards. It is merely learning to think in terms of future possibilities and weighing their likelihood against the cost of acting or not. This is why we prep in the first place, isn’t it ?

    Bartering our cash for fuel and particularly food preps may be the most valuable passive deal in our lifetimes. I don’t know for sure but am not willing to take the risk of being wrong.

    This post is a heads up that I hope will help us all in putting into perspective the magnitude of the ongoing catastrophe.

    Best wishes,

    Agnut


  10. #30
    Gold BabushkaLady's Avatar
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    Re: Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

    Thanks Agnut!

    I thought I'd post an upcoming Huge Yardsale for anyone in the area. It is 675 miles from Hudson, Michigan to Gadston, Alabama. It's always the first weekend in August. This year is Aug. 5-8. The sale includes entire towns, big fields, any open spots. Some of the route is much better then others. You can find almost anything at this sale.

    www.127yardsale.com

    I also thought I'd mention a few tips from a Seller to all you Buyers out there. This goes for any paid booth, gunshow, fleamarket, yardsale, or consumer trade show. Take what you like, it's just from my experience:

    • Don't approach a vendor with a low-ball offer if another Customer is standing right there. I may sell you that item for that price, If we're alone. Be patient for deals.

    • Don't offer a ridiculously low price and then only want One of them. If I have 500 of them, I'm more likely to give you a Deal on several. If you see a specialized booth or table, not a bunch of random stuff, this is where you can get some good quantity Deals. Get on your cell phone and find your friends to share with, to get your price way down.

    • Think before you talk with the vendor. If you "used to" make your own and tell that to the vendor, they'll immediately think "So? (assole)". If you're thinking of buying some of what you "used" to make, then compliment them on the Quality while you mention making your own.

    • Nice goes a long way. I'm more likely to cut a deal to someone that really needs/wants/likes something then someone that walks up and throws cash and growls. Sometimes someone darts in with a low offer, gets a no and darts out. We call them Kamikazes. Stand there, talk and negotiate!!

    • Talk in a low voice when you're asking for "no tax" at some of these venues. The tax people are all around actually checking the vendors. Of course it's negotiable!

    Have fun at the summer sales!


    "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." --Mae West


    Yes! My avatar is always a photo from my adventures.

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