It’s the height of irony: the oldest system for exchanging goods or services, bartering, is finding a new lease of life on the internet, especially in women’s ready-to-wear clothing. And it’s changing dimensions since it connects thousands of people! To take full advantage of the system, it is advisable to follow a few steps. Here are what they are.
Step 1: I find the right clothing from the swap
I’m tired of seeing this Promod dress in my wardrobe even though I know it by heart. No point in keeping this pair of pumps: they belong to a completely outdated fashion that is no longer old school but vintage. I could find out about exchanging it. I’ll probably find fans of this collection or the material!
Before joining an online swap site, you still have to find the right clothes to exchange. So I can start with my cargo of women’s clothes to pass on in exchange for another or look at the requests already registered on the platforms.
Of course, I can think of bartering for “small” fashion accessories to exchange for others like bracelets, and headbands. But bartering sites are full of things that we imagine more on classified ad sites: offers of home lessons for makeup for example or fancy clothes…
Step 2: I evaluate what I want in exchange for my property
Even if it is an exchange of one good for another, bartering requires a counterpart. It is not in classic currency but it does exist! I must therefore have as precise an idea as possible of what I am prepared to accept in exchange for my object.
To make up my mind, I don’t necessarily have to look at the concrete value of the object I want to pass on. I must above all be sure that the good I am going to recover will be useful to me. I don’t get rid of things I don’t need to take other things!
If I don’t know exactly what I want in exchange, sites can find it for me. Algorithms allow for “matching” supply and demand. Other platforms rely on a credit system as if I were exchanging my item for a virtual currency. Which will then allow me to “pay” for another item by giving back my points in return. Clothing exchange sites like simpletroc.com or pretachanger.fr fit perfectly into this logic.
Step 3: I pay attention to costs and scams
If there is one word that has no place in an article on bartering, it is “cost”. Indeed, barterers exchange one object, one item of clothing for another, and, at worst, use the credits provided by the site. However, sometimes you have to plan to pay some fees. For example, if I get in touch with an exchanger located far from my home, I will have to send him my item. With postage costs to boot, even if it is just for stamps!
Also, beware of disappointments! A photo highlighting a trendy jacket can hide an old zipper that no longer works. Once the transaction is launched, it is generally impossible to withdraw. We are not on online sales sites! In some cases, it is sometimes more reasonable to use the internet platform to get in touch with an interested swapper. Then to go and have it exchanged hand to hand. In case of a problem, I will always have the possibility of running away!
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