FAIR TRADE: BarterPays! Brings Basic Principles of Exchange to the Modern Economy

The “barter system” is the most basic of economic principles—I’ll give you this, if you give me that.

In the contemporary economy, with a dizzying array of payment options, sometimes the most simplistic can be overlooked. But as Lisa Vitale from BarterPays! explains, it’s that simplicity that makes it so attractive…

How does the barter system work compared to your typical business transactions?

Lisa Vitale: We are business matchmakers! BarterPays! is the organization that introduces barter friendly business, and refers you new customers. Members of BarterPays! sell to one member, and this is the important part – buy from other members in the Network. A business earns barter dollars when they sell, and spends barter dollars when they buy. Members would rather buy from another barter member than pay cash outside of the barter network, so we drive new customers to your place of business more effectively than any other marketing or advertising that I know about!

How long has the company been in business?

LV: We are proudly celebrating our 25^th year in business! My mom, Faye Alba, started BarterPays! originally on her kitchen table, servicing primarily Central New Jersey. When I joined the firm a few years ago, we added Hudson and Bergen Counties. We have over 2,000 network cardholders, many of them charter members. Because BarterPays! is well-established in New Jersey, we are small business experts and can recommend just about everything for a local business, which saves members valuable time and energy. 

How did you choose Hoboken as a new target to expand your business?

LV: Hoboken has been my home for more than 10 years. I realized there are so many small business owners here who want to grow their companies, but have limited time or cash resources to accomplish everything they want to achieve. Running a business in this town is expensive! I am always excited to introduce BarterPays! to business owners so they can save their cash reserves, and barter countless business and personal expenses that they need and want!

How do you see the business climate in Hoboken so far?

LV: There’s great energy here! The Hoboken business community is warm and friendly, just like BarterPays!.

What would you tell a client who’d rather simply take cash in hand instead of barter?

LV: Barter is not a replacement for your cash business… it is in addition to your cash customers. We say: Cash is king, and barter is queen! You will generate new clients simply by joining BarterPays!.

Trading in a successful barter exchange gives you more flexibility, availability, and security than doing a more-common direct trade with another business. And it is 100% free to join, so every business in Hoboken ought to give it a shot! As long as your business has the capacity to take on additional business, barter is right for you. A restaurant with open tables, an attorney with available billable hours, a clothing store with excess inventory, can all get new customers and buy at their own wholesale cost of doing business when they trade with BarterPays!. Then you take your newfound revenue and put it right back into your business… or use it for personal expenses such as dental care, restaurant meals, or fine jewelry, so you can save your cash!

Are there plans to expand beyond Hoboken in Hudson County?

LV: We are really busy growing and managing our current territories of Hudson, Bergen, Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex and Mercer Counties. Maybe we’ll expand when my daughter, now 10 months old, is ready to become a third generation barter gal!

To learn more, visit:  http://barterpays.com/.