The History of the Trade and Barter System

The History of the Trade and Barter System
Learn more about how humans used to trade and barter.
by Square Jan 01, 2017 — 4 min read
The History of the Trade and Barter System

Items that are used as money often have little value in and of themselves. For example, the paper used to print money is not particularly valuable. Money has value because it is an exchange medium that people understand and accept as such. When everyone accepts that a bill or a coin has value, people can use it as a form of payment to purchase goods or services. Before money existed, people used other systems to perform exchanges.

Bartering involves a direct trade for goods and services. Although some aspects of this transaction are similar to the exchange of money, bartering required time as people hammered out the terms of the deal. Utilizing money as the medium for trade simplified transactions significantly. Trade and barter were precursors to the monetary system used in today’s society. Although trade and barter may seem almost archaic, they were the business solutions for people who lived before the convenience of credit card processing.

Bartering is the process of trading services or goods between two parties without using money in the transaction. When people barter, everyone benefits because they receive items or services they need or want. Bartering also has an advantage because even people without money can get something they need. Bartering might involve trading a service for an item. For example, you could agree to perform yard work for someone in exchange for a bushel of apples from a tree in their yard. When people choose to barter to meet a need, they can save their money for other needs.

 

Mesopotamia tribes were likely the starting point of the bartering system back in 6000 BC. Phoenicians saw the process, and they adopted it in their society. These ancient people utilized the bartering system to get the food, weapons, and spices they needed. Because of salt’s great value, Roman soldiers bartered their services for the empire in exchange for salt. In Colonial America, the colonists used bartering to get the goods and services they needed. Even after the invention of money, people continued to barter.

 

The simplicity of bartering is one of the main advantages of this system. Issues with international trade, foreign exchange, and unbalanced economic power are virtually nonexistent with a bartering system. However, some disadvantages also exist. For a bartering transaction to occur, both parties’ wants or needs must coincide to lead them to make a deal. Without a standard measure of value of goods and services, parties in the bartering transaction will need to spend time agreeing on the terms of the deal.

It’s common for both parties to place a higher value on their own goods or services and a lower value on the other party’s items. Trust is also a component of bartering, because the representation of the goods or services offered must be accurate. If something is misrepresented in a transaction, the other party will have little recourse when a problem ensues. When bartering, people may need to store their accumulated possessions to preserve their purchasing power. Depending on the types of items, this might be difficult and inconvenient.

 

Because bartering does not involve the exchange of money for goods and services, it might seem like an ideal way to avoid paying taxes on transactions. However, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service informs taxpayers that the fair market value of goods or services received via bartering is considered taxable income. Parties who engage in bartering transactions must report this value as income on tax returns. The IRS requires reporting of bartering for the year it occurs. Failure to report bartering activity could lead to tax penalties.

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