What are your barter items?

[Bobby]

Rightly or wrongly I can't stop myself thinking on the lines of barter items. I know being self employed probably makes me think on these terms, but hopefully once I've collected my essentials (food/water) making a profit (especially on those corporate b'ards) must be a good thing?
I've bought silver, gas, coal, batteries, toilet paper, sweets, booze etc and think come the big depression/ WW3 these will be a great investment. What would you buy? Is my thinking not in the Prepper spirit?

[Prep Girl]

Well! so far the items I've put away to barter with are
Tea
Coffee
Salt
Batteries
Female stuff including tampons, make up, shampoo, body lotion , hair die( would you believe lol ) all kinds of stuff that a woman would give her right arm for post shtf to much to mention I have boxes and boxes of it
Wine
Seeds
Every time I see a bargain it's some for my stores and some for the barter boxes, as for food? as yet I have enough to last me n mine a year, when I get to 3 years, I'll start storing some for barter

[Tartar Horde]

(25 January 2012, 21:48)Prep Girl Wrote: Well! so far the items I've put away to barter with are
Tea
Coffee
Salt
Batteries
Female stuff including tampons, make up, shampoo, body lotion , hair die( would you believe lol ) all kinds of stuff that a woman would give her right arm for post shtf to much to mention I have boxes and boxes of it
Wine
Seeds
Every time I see a bargain it's some for my stores and some for the barter boxes, as for food? as yet I have enough to last me n mine a year, when I get to 3 years, I'll start storing some for barter

Knowledge

[Prep28]

I read an account from a guy who was trapped in Sarajevo during the siege. I think he said cigarettes & high end spirits (whiskey etc) were the most valuable barter items. I haven't put anything away for barter but I'd probably stock up on small pouches of tobacco & papers.

[Skean Dhude]

I think the best items to put aside are non perishables that are everyday items. Toilet Paper, Wimmins stuff, Soap, Coffee, Booze, Cigs, Matches, Seeds, Tools, Ammo, Chickens, Ducks. Beware perishables as they may not be such a good investment in five years.

I'd rather just add to my non perishables and build up my supplies beyond what I need to give flexability.

In saying that cigs, booze, drugs and equipment to grow and make more must be on the list.

[Reality Jones]

I've got a nice amount of alcohol (whiskey/brandy), tobacco, tea bags, I think the things people can make most use of quickly will be the instant barter successes but the long term barter items (tools, seeds) will be needed more later on and so rise in value at a later date.

I still don't understand the need to stock up on gold though. A room full of gold is going to be useless post SHTF surely? And how do you work out how much it is worth? I'd rather have a handfull of seeds than a bar of gold that I can't plant or eat!

[uks]

Current money will have no value in a post SHTF situation, while gold will it is something that will be able to buy anything.

[Scythe13]

Okay, this is going to be the cold heartless, but honest answer of the best things to barter. Think of it as an amoral mental exercise.

The first things that will be most valuable, post SHTF will be medicines and first aid. Imagine if your leg was broken and some guy said "I'll save your life if you give me your backpack and everything in it." You're not going to say no to that. It is basically a threat, but this is an amoral look at the situation.

Next thing to think about, addictions and coping mechanisms. People will want things that will numb the paid of TSHTF experience. What kind of things would people want? Addiction wise, illegal drugs, legal painkillers, alcohol, tobacco, sleeping tablets. That kind of thing. If you have a horse, I would highly recommend storing Ketamin, but not necessarily for the horse.

Next would be basic sanitation. Imagine 1 month after 'the event'. Women's sanitation products would have ran out. So tampons and sanitary towels would be really important. My girlfriend would take her knife and slice someone if she really needed tampons that much. Another sanitation item to think about.....showers. Oh yes!!! Think about it, water would be boiled in small pans and people would not be able to fit up a good enough shower system. Damn, how many tins of soup or beans would you or your misses exchange for a nice hot shower? Hell yeah!!! Buy a solar shower festival kit.

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Think about products that people will always need. This is how Warren Buffet invests. One of his main ideas that caught my mind was "Hair always grows". It's blindingly simple, but imagine if you had spare razorblades to shave with. Imagine if you had a store of womens razors! Men shave their faces, women shave their armpits, legs, and another area. That's a lot of shaving! What....she wants to moisturise? Shaving foam, razors, aftershave balm and that kind of thing. People will always need it.

Other sanitation would be soap and the alike. But if you can, think about the things you can use time and again, and share. Like a solar shower. Perfume would be great as well. But you should buy some extra bottles and water it all down! Make it last.

Next on our barter list, food and water. These are longer term items Food and water will run out after a few weeks. Most people won't think about the water in the top of their toilet, in their boiler/heating system. Even the water in the car radiator is okay to drink. But people don't want to drink water. They want fruit juices and that kind of thing. In which case, they are all perishable. Unless you can manufacture your own. Think about a lemon tree. You don't need many lemons to flavour water. Also lemons can be used to wash with, treat wounds, and sanitise things. So a lemon tree would be a huge asset to have. But as well as that, powdered cordial mixes. They are smaller and will make you so much, because people will be sick of drinking water time and again. Which brings us back to Warren Buffet, who invests in Coca Cola. You really can't go wrong with it. People want to drink more than just water.

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I shouldn't have to mention the importance of food. But think about the Lemon Tree principle. You want to get something that will replenish itself. Grown food will always have a good value, but you only want to barter food for things that you desperately need. Don't short-change yourself.

People are all too often short sited. They exchange the greatest things on earth, for a momentary pleasure, so why not manipulate that? After all, it's survival.

How much do you recon someone would give you in exchange for charging their iPod? It might not be much, but it is another non-perishable. A small solar charger, like the FreeLoader Nano, or the regular FreeLoaders, are small enough to be mobile, but also powerful enough to charge an iPhone or any other MP3 player. It's a small one, but it would be useful shortly after TSHTF.

When it comes to things like shelter and petrol, don't barter that. You'll need it for yourself. Don't be as short sited as the people you're ripping off haha.

Lastly I will discuss the 'nastier' side of the coin. It's apparently the oldest profession in the world. I'm not sure how that was determined, but that is what everyone seems to say. As the expression goes....sex sells.

I understand this is an almighty post, but I hope the information is useful.

Remember, if you're going to need it, don't sell it.

[Skean Dhude]

(26 January 2012, 09:21)Scythe13 Wrote: Remember, if you're going to need it, don't sell it.

If you are going to need it get more than you need.

I had a look at some items I have put aside. As well as the above;
Knives, various strength reading glasses (the £3 at stores type), cheap general tools, paper, notepads, pencils, solar calculators, measuring tape. Basically, cheap enough stuff to buy now, even Chinese junk, but even Chinese junk will be a good item to have. Probably last longer too as people will look after them.

All stuff that I can use as well and doesn't perish.

[Tartar Horde]

Scythe13 brought up a good point about drugs in a SHTF situation. Rightly or wrongly all of us use drugs in one way or another, be it the humble Aspirin or "recreational" types, and to be honest we take them for granted. It's very easy to go to the cabinet and get a cold remedy etc. In a serious breakdown where manufacture stops they would become hugely valuable. In this situation I think it would be very unwise to make it known you have supplies. When the local smackheads & crackheads can't get their government supplied drugs they will do whatever it takes to get what you have. They will sell their own mothers for whores to get a hit, you will be nothing to them. Imagine the OPSEC risk of having to meet them to barter! there will come a day when they have nothing to barter and will simply try ro rob/kill you for what you have, or they will make efforts to find out where you live and do the same.
I would keep my own supplies for my family/community, as in the long run given a total breakdown you can gaurantee you will need them. There will come a time when someone needs pain relief for a seriouse injury or disease, and that item you bartered for it will seem cheap when one of your family/community is in agony. A good selection of pain relief drugs would be a definate advantage to the health of your group.
Stressfull situations can have a detrimental effect on sleep paterns, this is very bad for survival chances as an individual, and effects the whole group if you are a member. I would not trade any type of stress relieving drug as getting a good nights sleep is priceless. From a group perspective having one of your members fresh and awake after a good nights kip is a huge advantage. That bottle of booze, or the pack of valium your Aunty had for "sleeping" will benefit you or your group far more than being traded.
One thing I would consider trading is the Inhaler type devices, Ventolin, Salbutamol etc. Many of our population have Ashtma and would need these when production stops. If you or your group do not need these a supply would be a valuable trading resource. You would of course run the same OPSEC risks, but would the people who need inhalers be junkies? that's your call.
What about the prospects for drugs/medicines when eventually everything runs out? any person or group that has a knowledge of botanical drugs would have a definate advantage in a post SHTF world. If you knew how to grow
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis, Valerianaceae) for example and had the knowledge to process the root you make your own "sleeping tonics" you would have a very tradable item. In Medieval times this was controlled by the monasteries who had a great knowledge of medicinal plants and their uses. The reason for its control was simply profit, the plant products they made were hugely valuable and served the whole community. I would definately look into medicinal plants that will grow in our climate if i was faced with the prospect of total breakdown.