Bartering! How to Barter on Facebook 101

What has been occupying your time during this long quarantine period?

Even though we are already in GCQ, I still see posts from health frontliners asking people to stay home for their sake. The virus is still here, and our health workers are getting overwhelmed.

I’ve been out less than 5 times since the lockdown started in March and I really miss going out, but we will continue to stay home for the meantime.

Many of us who are able to stay home during this time have been following the new trends — it started with Dalgona coffee, then came Ube Cheese Pandesal, then Sushi Bake, becoming Plantitos and Plantitas, and now, I’ve started on bartering!

In between endless cooking, cleaning, watching kdrama and blogging, I’ve been able to do some decluttering as well. I have joined at least 10 bartering groups on Facebook, too!

FIRST, START JOINING FACEBOOK BARTER GROUPS

Sometimes, getting approved to join Facebook barter groups can take a while, so do this first.

Search for barter or swap groups on Facebook that you think match you. Many barter groups are location-specific. For example, there are Sta. Mesa barter groups, Manila barter groups, San Juan barter groups, Mandaluyong barter groups, BGC barter groups and so on. Just type in “barter” in the Facebook groups search and search results should pop up.

Pick the active groups (those that have new posts every day).

The Facebook limit to how many you can join is 6,000 groups, so join away, I highly doubt you’ll reach that limit ?

DECLUTTER

I am actually quite happy that bartering has become a thing now. It’s a perfect way to dispose of items that I don’t need or want anymore or have never even used, but are “nakakahinayang” to just give away or throw away because they still have some value.

That is actually the number one reason why we have a lot of clutter at home. Everything is kept because it’s “sayang” to let them go, because we spent money buying these things, someone spent money gifting it to us, because these things might be useful someday, or even simply because some items are “branded”.

So identify the items that you don’t need, use, or want anymore, and set them aside.

DO A QUALITY CHECK

Although many barter groups don’t have any rules against it, I try to pick items that are still in good condition to barter.

I also avoid posting used makeup, skincare or anything like that. I generally avoid posting something that I would not want to receive in return. Check expiration dates.

As for used makeup or skincare that I want to declutter, people are generally okay with receiving such things from family members, but not from random strangers. So for things like that, I just put them in a pile and ask family members and close friends to get what they want. I don’t post them for barter anymore.

For used moisturizers and face creams, unless the product is really bad on my skin, I just use them on my hands and feet instead para maubos. Most of the time, the only problem I have with the face creams is that they don’t moisturize my face enough. But they are good enough to use as hand creams that I can just reapply every time I wash my hands.

As for old, used perfume, I just use them as potpourri / air freshener instead para hindi sayang.

Also, don’t post used underwear. That’s just totally unhygienic. I’ve seen people post used swimwear / bikinis in barter groups…

GET TO KNOW THE BARTER GROUPS

Read the group rules. Many of the barter groups have their own rules. Some want posts to be in a certain format.

Some common rules that I see are:

all communications should be done in the comments, no PMs
No cash deals allowed
Indicate Open Barter if barter is still open, and Closed Barter if a deal has already been made

Post Approval. In all the barter groups that I joined, every barter post needs to be approved by the admin. Some groups are fast, some groups are slow in approving posts.

Some barter groups have predominantly better quality items and some groups have predominantly lower quality items. Browse and familiarize yourself with the groups so you’ll know which groups are more appropriate places to post your barter item. For example, BGC Barter Community usually has better items, and they let people who don’t live in BGC join, as long as you are willing to meet-up or pick-up the item in BGC (or pay for the Grab delivery).

Some admins are block happy. Yes, they exist. I’ve been blocked from one group just because one person was bitter that she didn’t get the deal.

It was my first ever barter post, so I was still trying to get to know how how to do things. I posted my first item to several barter groups. Manila Barter Community was very quick to approve my post and people were already trying to close the deal on my item. Within an hour, the barter was CLOSED and we had already made a deal.

Meanwhile, Barter Group Who Shall Not Be Named approved my post after 5 hours. By this time, the deal had already been closed in the other group. I saw the post approval notification an hour later because we were having dinner. As soon as I saw it, I updated the post from #OpenBarter to #ClosedBarter, based on what I read from the group rules.

And then one angry woman asked why the deal was CLOSED. Where was the comment thread daw and who closed the deal? Kaka-post lang daw bakit closed na? I apologized and informed her that the deal was closed in another group. Boy, was she angry. She tagged the group admin and the admin insisted that I should barter the item to the angry woman because she was the first one to say DEAL in the comments. If I don’t barter with her daw, they will block me.

Needless to say, I was shocked. This was my first barter post and these women were like angry harpies who were very bitter that they didn’t get my item. Honestly, I had no idea that my item was in such high demand. It was a Van Gogh painting of Starry Night bought in the Greenhills tiangge years ago that I used to hang in my bedroom.

I apologized and explained what happened to the admin, and that I was new to bartering and was still learning, but she still insisted that I barter with the angry woman. How could I though? It’s not like I had two to barter. And then she told me that I should have deleted my post from Barter Group Who Shall Not Be Named when the deal was closed in the other barter group. I was thinking about arguing how I could delete my post when it was still in approval limbo (remember, it took 5 hours before it was approved). Also, I didn’t know that I had to delete my post since it wasn’t written in the group rules naman, remember, this was my first barter. But then I thought that it wasn’t worth fighting with her about and to just let it go and just deleted my post as she said to do.

Then, the next day, as I was browsing the barter groups, I found out that they had already blocked me. No, not a warning. Block agad. I’ve never had a problem with other barter groups, just this one. To know if you are blocked: you can’t find it even if you search for it, but it shows up in other people’s FB accounts.

So, after a few more barter experiences, I have also learned some unwritten rules, which some kind admins told me to do:

When the deal is closed, turn off commenting on the post (just click the 3 dots to bring up that option)
After the exchange is done, go back and delete your post.

Some groups encourage members to post successful barters, but it’s not required.

ACTUAL BARTERING

So, you’re ready to barter.

Take clear photos of your item. It’s basically free, you don’t have to be stingy with pictures. Take photos of everything relevant so there won’t be any more questions. Take photos of all angles, tags, model numbers, defects if any, expiration dates, etc…

Compose your post. Include all relevant information like size, condition (used or brand new), included accessories, flaws, if any, etc… For branded items, please indicate if they are authentic or Class A. Be honest.

State your preferred items and what you don’t like. Never say “palapag nalang” or “Lapag lang kayo”. Be specific about what items you would like in return, and make sure you are not over demanding. It’s faster to offload your item if you ask for things that are easy to find. I usually ask for things like how many bottles of Coke, or how many bars of Anchor Butter, or how many packs of Lady’s Choice Mayonnaise, how many bottles of Johnny Walker Black, or Bailey’s, etc… and then just add that I am open to other home items, as well. It is better to specify the brands you are willing to accept than to tell someone who already said DEAL that you don’t like the brand they gave you and you have to cancel the barter, which might lead to accusations that you are a scammer, are very inconsiderate or what not.

Be reasonable. Research your item’s worth, but don’t overdemand. Don’t ask for a brand new cellphone when all you’re offering is a used rice cooker. Focus on getting what you want/need, rather than getting your money’s worth (what you originally paid for the item). Don’t try to make lamang others.

To save everyone else’s time, I also add that I don’t want kid’s items, makeup, clothes, etc… so they don’t offer any of those things anymore.

Personally, I am not that interested in receiving used items unless I am relatively sure that the item was taken care of properly and is not something that is very personal in nature. That’s why I don’t go for used clothes, used makeup, etc… But those are just my personal boundaries and I’m not telling you to do the same. You’re free to accept whatever you like 🙂

Include preferred availability, meet-up / pick-up location, or if you will be exchanging goods via Grab / Lalamove / Angkas. If you will be using delivery services, agree on who will be paying the fees during the negotiation stage.

Keep track of all the groups where you posted your barter. This is because you’ll have to check back and update / delete them when the deal is done. To make it easier on yourself, just pick a few favorite groups to post in.

Negotiating the deal. Do all the talking in the comments section. Ask for more photos of the items they are offering if you need to. This way, there is clear documentation of what you talked about. If any disputes arise, the admins can check the thread.

Avoid getting scammed. Before agreeing to anything, check the main Facebook profile of the person you’re bartering with. This should give you some idea if the person is reliable or not. If you are agreeing to a used item, it’s also a good practice to check their profile so you have an idea whether the item was taken cared of, stored properly, or used with care. Hopefully, you’ll be able to make a good guess if the item came from an acceptable environment (clean, smoke-free, flood-free, no pets in case you are allergic, etc…). Checking their Facebook profile might give you an idea if they are maingat or burara. If you don’t feel good about it, don’t accept the offer.

The exchange. After you’ve negotiated everything in the comments and closed the deal, it’s time to PM each other (usually via Facebook Messenger). This is usually delivery / meet-up / pick-up and cellphone info in case you need to call each other. Finalize the meet-up, etc… If using delivery services, make sure to send each other screenshots AND SHARE THE ACTUAL TRIP so each of you can keep track of the delivery. Grab and Lalamove both have share buttons for this. After receiving the item, check it right away and let each other know that you have received the goods.

A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER

Don’t force someone to barter with you. You don’t want anyone forcing you, so don’t force other people, too. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be. Accept it and move on.
Don’t DEAL if you don’t mean it.
Be courteous and kind in your dealings with others. Don’t just say “Pass” on an item you don’t like. At least, thank them for the offer and let them know that it’s not what you are looking for. If what they are offering is not to your liking, just keep quiet and don’t say anything bad about it unless you see something suspicious or scammy. There’s no need to be mean or to make fun of anybody.

ON BARTERING PETS

Believe it or not, I have seen people post their pets for barter. Like, to exchange for a cellphone or a PS4. It breaks my heart. I don’t know their circumstances and why they chose to do that. But pets are family and it feels like bartering away a family member. I can only imagine how confused, scared and heartbroken the pet would be! What are your thoughts?

I’M STILL LEARNING

I’ve only been bartering for a few weeks, but it’s been great! I was able to get rid of clutter that I had a hard time letting go of. It’s easier to let go of things when you get something in exchange, and letting them go doesn’t seem like a waste.

WIN-WIN! Other people are also able to get what they want/need. Things that were just clutter to me turned out to be wonderful finds for others. Since I’ve started, I’ve bartered away a Sony digital camera, a stand mixer, wall paintings, bags, clocks, etc… In return, I received a good supply of softdrinks, butter, peanut butter, Nestle cream in can, Scotch, a new 10-inch Tramontina cast iron pan, a Happy Call Double Pan, and pastries! Hahaha, I basically accept all the offers as long as I think I will use their items (basta good quality brand item).

I only make 1 or 2 posts at a time so it will be easier for me to keep track of. I post the next one after the current items have been bartered. Slowly, I’ve been able to make a dent in our clutter mountain 😀