(Hartford Advocate) - You may have cruised Craigslist's ''barter'' section lately, either because there's something you've wanted but don't actually have any money to buy, or maybe you have a bunch of stuff you don't want, hoping to trade it for stuff other people don't want.
The barter thing is gaining popularity fast, as Debbie Lombardi, owner of Bristol-based Barter Business Unlimited, will tell you.
''We have calls every day for people who want to join, for all types of services,'' Lombardi said in a recent interview.
Lombardi, who's actually been in the barter industry for over 22 years (she started after high school), opened her barter-business doors in September and has since picked up more than 700 clients nationally, most of them in Connecticut.
''We decided it was time,'' she said. ''The people were asking us for it.''
Lombardi made bartering sound simple — and it is, almost suspiciously so. The business's biggest downside might be that it's not ideally set up to help individual consumers. Lombardi's company works better for those — like dentists, lawyers, veterinarians, restaurant owners, painters and landscapers — who can offer services for trade.
If you're a house-painter who wants to get his teeth cleaned, you can hook into the BBU network. They appraise your services (at market value) and offer you a list of providers who also deal in ''barter bucks.'' So you may find yourself painting your dentist's house after you spit out the fluoride.
Some companies are even taking this route in an attempt to handle collections, trying to trade off debts or to help clients trade their debts in exchange for barter bucks.
''Rather than send patients who own businesses to a collection office, [some medical businesses] are sending them to us,'' said Lombardi. ''Think about what a nice resource that is. No one wants to put people into collections.''
And how does BBU profit? Lombardi said there's a transaction fee, a small one, comparable to the one most businesses pay for debit and credit-card machines. Only, debtors pay in barter bucks instead of money.
Though BBU's setup works best for businesses, there are ways pedestrian consumers can reap the benefits of bartering.
BBU has a retail store in Bristol, where customers or clients can come in and exchange things (like DVDs or even items as big as a Harley Davidson) for barter bucks. (''It can be anything, as long as it's legal,'' Lombardi said.)
Then people can take those bucks to other businesses in the network, or they can purchase anything in the store itself. (There's no money exchanged in the store.)
''We're currently working on a consumer-based product,'' Lombardi said. ''It's too early to say right now what it is. But we get calls every day.'' People are anxious to start using their skills as currency.
''Our focus is really to do whatever we can to keep Connecticut people working and in business. We are so passionate about that. It means a lot to us to keep them working. Money is secondary to us.''
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