What tradeable goods do you have stashed, or plan to?

[mcprepper]

Whiskey, eggs & painkillers!

Sounds like a normal Saturday night for me.

[bobble]

Vodka, aspirins, boiled sweets!

[ForgeCorvus]

Vodka, aspirins, boiled sweets!

Kiwififer wrote: ↑Thu Sep 11, 2025 8:37 pm

mcprepper wrote: ↑Thu Sep 11, 2025 7:41 pm
Whiskey, eggs & painkillers!

Sounds like a normal Saturday night for me.

This

[Kiwififer]

Ignore please. Daft post.

[jennyjj01]

I have a useful amount of petrol and quite a reserve of coffee, Could make quite a lot of wine/cider, especially on a 'you supply some fruit' basis. Plus we have some skills. But trading/bartering would be something to do carefully and reluctantly.

[Frnc]

The way to go about it is to start small, eg talk to neighbours you know, ask around, is there anything people want to swap. If I wanted to trade puri tabs I would only offer 8.5mg tabs (which purify 1 litre), maybe one or two, four at the most. You can start a weekly micro-barter group with them, in a neutral place, where people bring things to trade. Establish trust and word will spread. You can also go to places where people gather, and ask around. Never do it in your own home, and try to do it where other people are present. Stick to small quantities and never reveal your full stock. Keep a record of who you trade with and how much you exchanged for eg 1 puri tab for 1 tin of beans. Avoid the trap of someone asking you for a big exchange. If safety deteriorates you might have to go over to hidden messages and drop-trades. Timing can be staggered or simultaneous. This is a method used in conflict zones. Staggered is safer but requires trust.

[grenfell]

I have a useful amount of petrol and quite a reserve of coffee, Could make quite a lot of wine/cider, especially on a 'you supply some fruit' basis. Plus we have some skills. But trading/bartering would be something to do carefully and reluctantly.

Carefully and reluctantly I would fully agree with. Of course it all depends on the type and duration of any event. Petrol as we have discussed has a limited life so best to trade that early on, doubt you'd get many takers for 3 year old petrol ( although it would still be ok for primitive things like Bengazi cookers. Some people would have the chance to get rich in these situations , something we have seen histrically. At the moment the thought of trading a gold ring for a loaf seems unimaginable but if you and your family are starving it might seem a bargain and the person who has traded that loaf has potentially a lot of wealth when things start to go back to normal.

[jennyjj01]

Carefully and reluctantly I would fully agree with. Of course it all depends on the type and duration of any event. ...
At the moment the thought of trading a gold ring for a loaf seems unimaginable but if you and your family are starving it might seem a bargain and the person who has traded that loaf has potentially a lot of wealth when things start to go back to normal.

If it came to trading my jewellery for a meal, then we've hit the end-gam. Where would 'The Next
Meal' come from and next week, next month?

Only real scenario for trading to come early in the game is if some essential was unexpectedly out of stock, such as medication.

[grenfell]

Kind of highlights the flaw in bartering. People still tend to "convert" to a monetary value which I suppose is understandable. A loaf might have a monetary worth of a few pounds but it's value is that it keeps us alive. The gold ring has just it's monetary worth. We'd have the same problems with offering labour . In the past I've bartered my time for the someone else's time . I needed help with some accounts and she wanted some gardening work done. It could be argued that an accountant's time is worth more than a gardener's and I came out better . We felt we both came out on top as the work we both wanted doing was done quicker and perhaps better by using each others services. I've also bartered my time for goods which is perhaps harder to quantify. For example I did some work for a customer and was paid in oak worktop offcuts. To her they were just something gluttering up the garage so next to worthless but to me they were the right size for a job I was doing that saved me having to purchase a full length. We could probably have worked out my hourly rate verses the linear cost of the oak but we were both happy with the arrangement. I doubt all transactions would go as amicably but perhaps trying bartering now could be a useful prep "just in case".

[ForgeCorvus]

A good deal leaves you both happy.
If somebody offered me a loaf for a gold ring, I might take it if I was desperate enough...... But that guy would go on the naughty-list and heaven help him if the positions are ever reversed.

I hope I wouldn't enough of an a5rehole to force people to give me a gold ring in exchange for a loaf........ But I might charge that if I built them an oven or a handmill