# Most Important Prepper Barter Items



## Taboo_oh (Jan 2, 2012)

Water
Ammo
Food 
Gas
livestock
Tools
candy


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## acidlittle (Jan 24, 2012)

I think luxury items that we use on a daily basis will be good barter items, coffee, tooth paste, soap, socks, beer, alcohol, tobacco, and the such. there will always be rich people and poor people so if you have some luxury items you can barter with the "upper" class and potentially get more/quality products and perhaps make allies that way...


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## SurvivalFreak (Feb 20, 2012)

Beer! Seriously.... like AL said, luxury items will be like new TV's in today's crowd!


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## gitnready4it (Jan 27, 2012)

Alcohol and tobacco will be very good for barter! Also don't forget medical supplies. :!:


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## errorborne (Mar 16, 2012)

You want something that holds up in storage.

You want something that is legal to buy, possess and store.

You want something cheap.

You want something that there would be a demand for after the SHTF.

You want something that is not easily substituted for. 

You want something that would be dificult to produce after the SHTF.

Little plastic pants for babies or the cloth/cover combos fullfill all of the above demands. NO they aren't tactiCOOL. But people will still ahve babies and babies will still do what babies do. But with diminshed laundry capabilities and the destruction of the just in time disposable diaper supply chain, the demand for this item will justify keeping a case around.

22 LR is also good.


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## AnvilIron (Mar 1, 2012)

Lime and bleach are important sanitation commodities for any sustained BOL. They're cheap, available in large quantities and can ward off a lot of serious health issues. (ever use an outhouse that didn't have a lime can?)


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## C5GUY (Mar 22, 2012)

I am storing honey, sugar, salt and some spices for future barter items. They store for 15+ years to indefinitely which is one of my requirements.


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

It's going to depend on whether you're mobile, or sheltered in place. If you're mobile, items would have to be smaller and you would have to give serious consideration to size, weight and what you're trading for. Obviously if you're on foot, you don't want to trade for a generator. If you're sheltered in place, you have more latitude but you want to refrain from showing all your cards. A trade with strangers could be a recon of the location for a raid later. Start trading really good stuff, or too much of something, I'm going to ask "What else you got I might want?" Keeping them guessing is the key. Keep trade amounts small in quantity unless or until you start trading on a regular basis with someone.

For Trade Stock:

Ammo, but only if it's with a group you consider to be allies. I'm not giving ammo to a stranger for obvious reasons.

Tobacco/Rolling Papers/Matches would be a really good one.

I would stay away from any large quantities of Alcohol. I don't want them getting tanked then come back to look for trouble. Maybe a couple of the "Airline Bottles" at a time, at most. 

Salt/Sugar/Flour

Medical Supplies

Small amounts of canned food, maybe tools or building supplies.


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## errorborne (Mar 16, 2012)

bigdogbuc said:


> ...
> 
> Small amounts of canned food, maybe tools or building supplies.


Building supplies is an excellent point. Especially locks, hasps, and small hardware. I wouldn't set aside many more tools than I needed for my own use.

As a side note, having some nonelectric handtools will make many tasks easier if not feasible.


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## Berks Mom (Mar 26, 2012)

What about silver and copper US coins for trade? I am going through our coin collection and figuring that the time is approaching where the face value won't mean squat and if melted, these metals could be of value. Any thoughts?


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

Berks Mom said:


> What about silver and copper US coins for trade? I am going through our coin collection and figuring that the time is approaching where the face value won't mean squat and if melted, these metals could be of value. Any thoughts?


Ah! I can't believe that acidlittle and thomasdangerpowers missed this part! Wake up guys! Just kidding. Just saying that because they are huge into the silver/gold arena.

Berks Mom, you are exactly right, this is one of the biggest trading since it will be your next currency.


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## acidlittle (Jan 24, 2012)

I guess I missed that because, to a silver hoarder like me, it's clear as day, you know hiding in plain sight.

Yeah precious metals are great, I love collecting silver, because it is also a nice tangible "stock" if the dollar doesn't crash you can still hold on to it for silver value, if the dollar crashes you can trade it because it is silver. Win win!


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## SurvivalFreak (Feb 20, 2012)

Yes on silver. Small coins, not big bricks of gold, you can not shave a slither of gold off for a bag of rice.


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## errorborne (Mar 16, 2012)

Gold is a store of wealth but as surviavlistfreak points out, it isn't practical to shave off a sliver of gold for a bag of rice. Silver has value that can be identified easily if it is minted. It can be kept in denominations small enough to make trading practical and people who may not need it will still be willing to trade because they can trade it to somebody else. Having a total of few ounces in a bug out bag might be a good way to go.

But with silver and gold at record prices, this is not the time to buy in in any significatnt way. Use the money to pay down debt or purchase things you need or may want to trade. Batteries are heavy, somewhat bulky and need to be rotated so they are fresh. But in a minor emergency you will have a lot of power to trade.


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## Dreams (Mar 27, 2012)

Honestly, when SHTF I believe the last thing law enforcement is worried about is stopping someone from trading liquor and tobacco items to survive. They will be kept busy enough with looters and killings im sure.

individually wrapped cigars
packs of cigarets or packs of 4 vacuum packed for smaller trades...
sm liquor bottles.. (we dont drink but Im putting 1 blackberry brandy in each of our bug out bags for help in the colder months)
small hygiene packs, 
first aid packs,
Pain relievers or over the counter meds needed for different ailments.

I agree with the infant items.. I have a 6 month old, so stuff like that is on my mind as well... 
infant Mre's...= formula stick packs, pedialyte stick packs, water, infant cereal, etc.. maybe a few cloth diapers and safety pins, small pack of wipes and a small pack of detergent so they can clean the diapers, and soap to wash the baby. 

Not sure about putting disposables in there.. Not all babies are the same size.. cloth diapers can be folded etc... and disposables only last so long.. at least they can wash the cloth ones and reuse them.. 

My son is breast fed, but Ill still carry the formula sticks and a few bottles.... they also have those disposable bottles you can add to the pack .. but in my honest opinion, if someone with an infant doesnt have a bottle with them... thats just flat out stupid.. (unless they breast feed and something happens where they cant.. then I can understand a little... but still ..)

I wont be packing chocolate products.. saw someone do the liquor filled chocolates.. I think it depends on the time of year.. if your bugging out .. and its hot, that stuff is going to be a big mess and a waste of space in your bob if it melts. 

remember that its best to cater to peoples vices.. when someone is addicted to something and there is no way for them to get it, they will trade.. course then again, you have to be careful that they are not crazy enough to do anything to get at your stock .. catch 22 there..  glad i got my husband to stop drinking and smoking..LOL

fact is...although i will work on having things like this on hand...id like to make sure first and for most that whatever situation arises... i am fully prepared to keep my kids and husband safe, fed , clean, and healthy and not relying on others to have things I might need down the road. my slight ocd will make sure of it..lol


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## C5GUY (Mar 22, 2012)

This might have already been listed but here is one that my wife thinks would be gold someday. Toilet paper...yep a good old roll of TP. You can buy it cheap in bulk at Sam's Clubs or Costco and it stores forever. We have 4 cases of the Pom 40 count which comes in a box all sealed and stacked in the attic. So when SHTF you can use this to help clean some off of your fans. :mrgreen:


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

Some great posts here but everyone forgot toilet paper steak sauce :lol:


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## Dreams (Mar 27, 2012)

ya toilet paper is a great idea....and as far as steak sauce, I have a case of A1 packets and heinz depending on their taste...lol


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## RuDown (Apr 16, 2012)

I spent 2 months buying alcohol that was on sale. I now have a nice little stash. It has multiple uses and great bartering power. I refuse to support the tobacco industry so I won't have any of that. I will have a extra stock of tampons and baby stuff on hand though. But thanks to you guys I now will have other items on hand to trade. Thanks All


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## C5GUY (Mar 22, 2012)

RuDown said:


> I spent 2 months buying alcohol that was on sale. I now have a nice little stash. It has multiple uses and great bartering power. I refuse to support the tobacco industry so I won't have any of that. I will have a extra stock of tampons and baby stuff on hand though. But thanks to you guys I now will have other items on hand to trade. Thanks All


I keep stocking up on alcohol but my stockpile keeps disappearing. I need to stop bartering with myself. :mrgreen:


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## swt9779 (Aug 9, 2012)

Vegetable Seeds would also be a great barter item! My prepping buddies had overlooked the value and importance of having a meaningful supply of quality seeds on hand until last year. We had experimented with planting a survival garden and got decent results. And then took a hard look at how having a survival seed cache could offer us a bit of security. This year we added a greenhouse planted two acres and did months of research on seed types. Discovered the differences between hybrid and non-hybrid seeds. And then started looking for some suppliers. Most of what we found were really expensive and what we did find that was reasonable offered horrible service or poor products. So we started our own business with the mission to supply fellow preppers with high quality survival seed banks for just about cost @ $15 each. The survival seed banks we sell offer just about everything you would need to get a good garden started and we trade them all the time for other goods fellow preppers offer. Our website is My Seed Cellar » Survival Seed Banks - non-gmo - non-hybrid - heirloom seeds We are looking for help getting the word out and make customer service our top priority. They way we see it is that we are all in this together! We also run monthly specials for past customers to build their stock and wholesale bulk lots too. Anyone interested in purchasing can visit the website. Barters and trades are accepted via email.

When the canned food and MRE's run out, survival gardening and hunting is all that will be left.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

I agree with all of the trading and "sweat equity." In fact, when the panic starts, I intend to stay working. I have a little four-vessel mold that's good for pouring soft metal into ingots. My sharpening stuff never gets puts away *now*, so why should I change my patter for something else in the future?


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