| What Does It Cost To Join? |
There is a one-time cash membership fee for small businesses (under 20
employees) of $250.00 There is also a one-time initial trade fee of $100, by
which we simply debit your barter account $100 trade dollars. This means you
agree to provide $100 worth of goods or services to the other members of the
exchange. The reason we do this
is to provide liquidity within the trade exchange. We must have trade
dollars to operate and to offset the cost of mixers and the Holiday Trade
Show, etc. You may easily earn those dollars back when we bring you new
customers, or by providing referrals to our sales staff.
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| How Do I Get Paid For My Products/Services? |
Each barter member has a trade account (similar to a combined checking
and savings account). Each time you make a sale, we credit your account
for the full value of the sale (at your customary retail price). When
you make a purchase, we debit your account for the corresponding
amount of the purchase.
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| Do I Need To Buy From the People I Sell To? |
No. One advantage of the barter exchange is that it allows members to
use trade dollars with any of the other members in the exchange. This
gives you the opportunity to get what you need and to shop
competitively. We encourage members to look for the best value the
same as when they pay cash.
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| Are There Monthly Fees Involved? |
To keep your account active there is a small monthly administrative
charge of $10.00 cash and $10.00 trade. We simply debit the latter
amount from your trade dollar account balance. These fees help cover
monthly administrative costs for newsletters, new member updates,
internet maintenance, etc.
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| How Is A Commission Charged? |
We only charge a commission when you spend your trade dollars. In other
words, we must bring you customers and then help you purchase the
things you need in the barter exchange. Only at that point do we
earn our performance based commission. Your monthly statement clearly
details the 12.5% cash commission charged only for items you purchased.
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| What About Taxes? |
The IRS treats a barter transaction the same as a cash transaction. We
provide an IRS Form 1099-B to each member at the end of the year. The
1099-B lists the total dollar value of all products and services you
sold during the year. Although your year-to-date sales is considered
taxable income, when you make business related purchases you offset
the tax liability.
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| Is Credit Available? |
Yes. Credit worthy members can purchase goods & services in the
exchange above and beyond the balance in their trade account. Depending
on the size and type of your business you may qualify for a "line of
credit." There is no interest or other charges - it is just another
one of our many valuable benefits. You simply agree to earn those dollars
back by actively selling to other barter members. The extension of credit
is a valuable tool that benefits all members by promoting a higher level
of trading activity throughout the entire exchange.
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