What you got to trade punk?

[RobRAF]

Imagine a SHTF scenario. Eek - not good and hope never happens hence we prep... Then when you are comfortably (as expected) in your bug in/ out place you fancy some chocolate or your wife fancies some pickled onions or some of those exotic crisps with the bloke looking smug as he Phileas Foggs his way around the world... How much is that Rolex on your arm worth exactly in the new world order?? Perhaps 5X can's of dog food or some frozen bacon? (not been around in a year etc)... Is a Yorkie bar worth 5lts of gas? Probably.. I think it's worth having a stash of 'swapsies' as fair trade is as we know no robbery as they say... In the Gulf War Pilots carried gold coins for bribes hidden in their belts. Sure gold is always king - but if you are cold thirsty and hungry - it might get you a pint of water, a snack pot and a bed plus not being slotted that night... Just musings.... Speak soon RobRAF

[Deeps]

I guess it will come down to what you can spare.

While its not an attitude I'd push, surely being a prepper will give you the whip hand in most of these scenarios. If you were so inclined you'd be able to build up a great collection of Rolex's in exchange for food and water. Prepping should be about making sure you have plenty of the important things for YOU. While trade could potentially be important if things go seriously wrong, any prepper worth the title should have all the goodies they need in the short term. Having good people around you will count for a lot so its entirely feasible that you'd end up keeping your friends and neighbours sweet by supplying them with any excess anyway, no point being besieged and having all your gear taken off you by people who will most likely have a shared common interest in looking after your immediate area. While I have plenty of food and gear, I also have plenty of booze which could be traded although I'm rather fond of the stuff myself so no plans to barter although sharing it with friends and neighbours wouldn't be grudged. I guess it depends on your approach to these scenarios.

[sion_1990]

in the short to medium term I'd just do without the luxuries rather than trade my stockpile, and the only expensive stuff I have is my tools, and I need them... lol.

I think if my supplies ran out I could trade my skills for enough to survive, I'm very good at fixing things, and I know there's a lot of people these days who struggle with even the most basic home or vehicle maintenance...

[sethorly]

I've researched this and believe we can see what'll happen in a slow-burn SHTF by looking at today's Greece or Venezuela: eg.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinio ... -0014.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... is-deepens

http://readynutrition.com/resources/bar ... 05102016/#

In brief, food and a very wide range of services are bartered within an informal bartering network that is created within a community.

These countries show the importance of getting as much cash as possible out of the bank before the SHTF. Perhaps even more important than the supermarket sweep.

On gold and silver, I know this is big in the States but I just can't see it being profitable; no-one seems to care much, from the articles and videos I've watched, for valuable metals in Greece or Venezuela, but I may be wrong. Better to buy lots of mini-Sawyers, stoves, or freeze-dried food to use as barter I reckon. Cigarettes and alcohol and maybe other substances to take advantage of the addicts is also a good idea if you're morally flexible - personally I'd stay well clear of this as these people may become highly dangerous.

Security is an issue that goes hand in hand with this. From what I've read it doesn't matter how many crossbows, air rifles, catapults and axes/knives you've got, the only thing that will repel a murderous gang is high thick walls and a guard with a proper gun. This is a major obstacle to my bug in plans, as it is natural to look at bugging out in winter and realising it's foolish in the extreme, but then the reality of these SHTF situations is that even with high op sec you're probably going to get murdered - perhaps before those with less or no preps. Perhaps the answer to bugging-in is to plan for a communal approach, but that's for another discussion.

[Warpigs]

I'd happily do what they do in many areas of the world still and trade food for goods & services in my particular case. Whether you are an expert trapper/hunter come fisherman, have leatherwork skills, engineering skills or whatever; those that are surviving well are going to want to form relationships with others and trade to survive and rebuild.

So my trade would be meat and skins/pelts. Badger, rabbit, deer, foxes and squirrels are plentiful if you can trap them, as are seals around our coast and we can farm animals on our lovely lands assuming you are not holing up in a bunker.

A pheasant shoop on the stove right now, I bet i could trade that for most things.

[Deeps]

I'd happily do what they do in many areas of the world still and trade food for goods & services in my particular case. Whether you are an expert trapper/hunter come fisherman, have leatherwork skills, engineering skills or whatever; those that are surviving well are going to want to form relationships with others and trade to survive and rebuild.

So my trade would be meat and skins/pelts. Badger, rabbit, deer, foxes and squirrels are plentiful if you can trap them, as are seals around our coast and we can farm animals on our lovely lands assuming you are not holing up in a bunker.

A pheasant shoop on the stove right now, I bet i could trade that for most things.

I've just noticed your tags, can you remove them please mate, we're not here to advertise your business. Feel free to get in touch and we'll look at it.

[grenfell]

On gold and silver, I know this is big in the States but I just can't see it being profitable; no-one seems to care much, from the articles and videos I've watched, for valuable metals in Greece or Venezuela, but I may be wrong. Better to buy lots of mini-Sawyers, stoves, or freeze-dried food to use as barter I reckon. Cigarettes and alcohol and maybe other substances to take advantage of the addicts is also a good idea if you're morally flexible - personally I'd stay well clear of this as these people may become highly dangerous.

I've thought about this before and can't help thinking that for the morally flexible as you put it there could be a considerable profit to be made . PM's will of course hold their value more or less if there isn't a crash and will still be traded if the world does go to pot. I base that on history more than anything else , gold especially has held it's allure for thousands of years. However , come an event PM's will still be traded but will lose their value , by which I mean an once of gold will purchase more now than it would in a serious crash. That premise is again based on history. Looking at the ghettos that grew up in the Second World War we see people trading coins or perhaps a gold ring for a couple of loaves of bread. Many people outside the ghettos that took advantage did amass considerable wealth and if one has dubious morals ( and perhaps a crystal ball to gauge when normality returns) it would be possible to do similar.