Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Blades for Barter



Many times people wonder what items would be the best to use for barter. One of the easiest items to trade is knives. Many times the absence of a knife of any type can be a problem. For those times when you need a good knife handy there aren’t very many substitutes that can take their place. Knives will always make good barter items.

A good quality knife is hard to find at an inexpensive price but when choosing knifes for barter purposes even a cheap knife can have significant trade value to someone that lacks a knife. You can easily find cheap knives at garage or yard sales that can be saved for barter purposes, as well as backups for emergency use.

I’m always on the lookout for inexpensive knives that are suitable for use as barter items. Granted, if I come across a good quality knife at a cheap price I will probably keep it for my own use but many times you can come across bargains that will work great for barter purposes.

In the picture above are four inexpensive pocket folders that I bought at a garage sale for $1.00 (25 cents each!); they may not be top quality but with a little cleanup and some decent sharpening they will give me extra items to barter with if necessary. I simply throw one in each of my EDC pouches or in the glove box of my vehicles and they are available if needed.

There is also a new site, http://www.garagesalestracker.com, that allows users to find or list their local garage or yard sale. This is becoming an every more prudent way for families to either raise money or find great bargains, purchase household items, clothes, and other miscellaneous items at what are sometimes a very negotiable price. They have also just implemented a large flea market and consignment store directory.

Cheap but useful to everyone will make these knives very good barter items.

Got blades for barter?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

18 comments:

shiloh1862 said...

dang good advice. guess I better get some more blades.

Pickdog III

Mayberry said...

Wal Mart had some serrated blade pocket knives in the camping section for a buck a piece! I bought 6 of 'em....

Anonymous said...

where are you going to barter them? http://www.barterquest.com is the best barter site I know so far.

riverwalker said...

To: shiloh 1862

Extra blades always come in handy to sell or trade. Thanks Pickdog!

RW

riverwalker said...

To: Mayberry

Extra items that you can get cheap work well also. Mrs. RW says I have too many knives already but I tell her I still could use a few more. Thanks Mayberry!

RW

riverwalker said...

To: anonymous 2:11

I swap, trade, sell and barter all kinds of things on a regular basis. Examples: 1)traded a food grade barrel for some ammunition I could use for one of my firearms, 2)traded a little fence work for a rifle,3) swapped an extra folding shovel for a gun case, 4)sold a handheld CB for $20 (cost...$5.00), 5) traded some old lures I picked up at an estate sale cheap for a new rod & reel and the list goes on. Swap,sell, barter and trade is an everyday thing for me. I'm always looking to swap or trade things whenever I can...all without using newspaper ads or the internet. Thanks.

RW

HermitJim said...

Sounds like a workable plan to me, my friend! I not only have extra pocket knives, but folks are always giving me their unwanted kitchen knives as well!

Can't ever have too many, like you said...

Anonymous said...

You are always getting great deals at yardsales RW. Great job.

matthiasj
Kentucky Preppers Network

Wyn Boniface said...

Into The West had tables full of knives in the movie for trade with the Indians. Who knows maybe you can buy the Hudson River Valley with a collection of those cheap Frost knives from Bud-K someday.

riverwalker said...

To: HermitJim

I'm always getting extra kitchen utensils for Mrs. RW. Knives, soup ladles etc. whatever looks sturdy and is in good shape. You've got it working in your direction too. I remind myself of how many people lose everything in a disaster and even little things like extra kitchen utensils can be needed. Thanks Jim!

RW

riverwalker said...

To: matthiasj

I go to a bunch and maybe 1 out of 10 or 15 sales has some decent stuff at a good price. All it takes is a little patience and some persistence to find some really great deals.

Thanks matthiasj!

RW

riverwalker said...

To: Wyn Boniface

I was thinking more like the Louisiana Purchase with all the knives I have on hand! LOL
Saw the mini-series, Into the West, on DVD. Don't have a lot of time to watch TV but good programs like that one was great.Thoroughly enjoyed it! Steven Spielberg did a good job on that one for sure. I have Native American ancestors on my mother's side (my grandmother was half Cherokee. My mother is originally from Oklahoma and I lived there for a few years in the Broken Arrow and Coweta area.

RW

Fletch said...

Don't forget to search "confiscated" or "lot" under the knives category on ebay for TSA and court confiscation knives. You can get 50 knives for 10 bucks.

riverwalker said...

To: ErnestThing

Great tip about checking confiscated items for sale! Don't forget to check barterquest.com that was mentioned by anonymous 2:11 also.Thanks.

RW

Ken said...

...color me one with 'extra knives',not obsessive,probably 20 last count,give or take,only a few straglers that are not part of 'another kit'...couple in the main bag,couple in the BOB,couple in/on vest,you know what i mean...but...all are open to 'barter',never trade down...lol

riverwalker said...

To: Ken

I think have a few more...LOL

RW

Unknown said...

I found website http://camping.dealsshoppie.com/black-ultimate-survival-knife-15-w-compass/ knife to be a useful resource for reviews on camping survival knife. Many users rated the product as a good buy. The average rating provided was pretty good. The ratings were useful and I got a good deal for the product from the same site.

Bill Allen said...

Riverwalker, Dont worry about can openers. Any sidewalk or a fairly flat rock will open a can in less than one minute by just rotating the can back and forth (wax on, wax off)....it wears off the ridge of the can and all cans will open this way. Caution must be used when you open the can to wipe any residue away, but in the minuscule amount of residue left behind, in an emergency it is a small price to pay. Bill

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