Barters have been written about throughout history, some more lopsided than others. Manhattan was acquired for beads, gold has been traded for salt, and Babe Ruth was traded for what a minor leaguer gets paid today. None of these trades were fair, but then again, fair is in the eye of the receiver. Throughout history, bartering has always been the means to get what one wants, especially prior to the invent of currency. Using a bilateral or multilateral system, goods and services of equal value are exchanged between the parties therefore satisfying all the wants and needs.

While certain societies still use bartering as their main means of commerce, developed nations have long lost the art of the deal. Before the Internet became a household necessity, bartering was ineffective. Usually done in small organized groups, the quantity of items was lacking, and so were the trading possibilities. There were no means to expand the trading community beyond your local city. However, the use of the Internet changes everything. No longer were people trapped searching for trades locally, when they could now look nationally or world wide. The possibilities were expanding at a rapid rate and sites like Craigslist and eBay were taking advantage of the surge.

While society had embraced this reinvigorated means of commerce it never quite reached it potential, and that was due to the booming economy. In good times, people like to buy new. They store the old, or possibly sell it for pennies on the dollar, but bartering is seen as a dirty business, and no one really wants to use second hand items. However, now with the recession having taken hold of much of the world, bartering is gaining popularity again.

On Craigslist, bartering has grown significantly during the current recession. Last month, there were 126,710 listings in the barter category, up 80 percent compared with May 2006. People are looking to get value back for their unwanted goods again, and their options are better than ever. Commuto.com helps its users find people locally, in their city, school, workplace or anywhere else, with whom to trade with. By keeping the trading on a micro level, Commuto has minimized the fraud normally associated with online commerce and eliminated expenses such as shipping and commission. Commuto’s community approach allows users to join or create communities where they can meet, make friends and barter with people with common interests such as art, clothing, books, or anything else. There are communities being created daily in cities all over North America.

To some this recession has barely started, to others it’s in its decline. Regardless of what stage this recession is in, and how long it’s bound to last, people now have a way of getting some financial help by scavenging their closets and attics and putting technology to good use. Hopefully this means of commerce will continue to grow even after the economy has righted itself. People owe it to themselves to commuto. They might even make some friends.