I don't even know where to begin. There has been an explosion of new websites where people can trade, borrow, lend, share, and barter all kinds of stuff and services. I started to browse them tonight, landing first on BarterQuest, where you can post things that you have and things that you want, and look for a suitable exchange. I clicked the first category of goods, "Agriculture," and much to my delight, the first barter offer that I saw was for alpacas! I think it would be wonderful to raise alpacas, for many reasons. The listing offered to trade an alpaca for a 40 horsepower tractor with a backhoe attachment. Darn! I don't have a tractor to trade.
But my disappointment faded as I explored deeper into other swap and barter sites. I'm especially thrilled to know about Neighborrow, where you can create "Neighborrow-hoods" and borrow and lend items with people who live near you. Probably no one in my neighborhood will lend me an alpaca, but that's ok.
Next, I explored:
- PriorAttire, where you can trade in children's and teens' clothing
- Swap Baby Goods, which includes baby clothes and other gear, like strollers and toys.
- Zwaggle, where you can share, trade, and swap kids gear, and receive redeemable points (or "zoints," as Zwaggle calls it).
- SwitchPlanet for trading DVDs and Books
- Swap a DVD, an "Online Movie Club"
- SwapStyle, a "fashion-savvy website is for women who want to keep their wardrobes fresh and stylish, without the large price tags."
Add to this list sites I discussed in a prior blog post, including SwapTree and LendAround.
There are plenty of other exciting websites to discuss, including sites that go beyond simple trades, and foster deeper community-building at the neighborhood level. I'll have to blog about these another time, but in the meantime, take a look at rBlock and Bright Neighbor.
