Trade Exchanges

Description

Bob Meyer:

Computer + Trade Dollars = Multi-Lateral Trading

"Whereas countertrade has always been used by Corporate America, this new form of barter evolved from the small business sector. Known as a trade exchange, it's a proven, effective way to conduct business without the use of cash. Now used worldwide by some 600,000 companies aggregately, it has recently taken on an international bent by increasing its availability from three countries ten years ago to a present 23 countries. This method of trading is more sophisticated and versatile than today's countertrade methods, because it's multi-lateral rather than countertrade's bilateralism. In short, why would one take canned hams as a countertrade payment, which entails remarketing, if one can instead acquire a unit of account (a trade dollar) which can be spent in a variety of ways for needed products and services? A trade dollar is easier, faster, and less expensive to use.

How A Trade Exchange Works

In 1960, "Mac" McConnell, then a 38-year-old unsatisfied president and principal stockholder of a Los Angeles thrift and loan, devised and developed a debit and credit system for barter which enabled traders to circumvent the cumbersome one-on-one trading.

McConnell, who studied accounting at Washington University and later earned a master's degree in econometrics--the statistical application of economics--at the University of Chicago, not only developed a professional accounting system for barter, but more importantly created a credit system that gave it liquidity.

The company he started, Business Exchange (known in the industry as BX), is one of the largest exchanges in the U.S. with 20,000 members. Shortly after his successful endeavor others followed, all emulating the McConnell model. There are now over 700 trade exchanges worldwide, with 450 of them located in the United States.

A trade exchange is a privately-owned company that provides its members a conduit to other like-minded members, who sell and buy from each other using a trade dollar as a medium of exchange (equivalent to one cash dollar for use of accounting purposes).

Each time a member makes a trade purchase, the exchange debits the buyer's account and credits the seller's account with trade dollars. Sales are normally made at the seller's normal pricing structure, whether retailer, wholesaler or liquidator. A cash commission of typically 10% is paid to the exchange for its services.

Under the Tax Equity & Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) trade exchanges are classified as third-party record-keepers, having the same fiduciary obligations as bankers and stock (securities) brokers. For tax purposes trade dollars are taxable in the year they are earned, and reported as such on 1099-B forms to the IRS. All members of an exchange get a 1099-B showing their barter sales for the calendar year.

Industry Associations Established:

In 1979, the first of two national trade associations was formed. Known as the International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA), its goal in those early days was to bring together trade exchanges to foster the common interests of a fledgling commercial barter industry.

Today IRTA members (barter companies) come from as far away as Russia, Iceland, Germany, Chile, Turkey, and Australia. A second association, the Cleveland-based National Association of Trade Exchanges (NATE) came into existence in 1984 and focuses on a domestic agenda for its membership.

Universal Currency Established Promoting Global Barter Business

It wasn't long after the first IRTA organizational meeting in California twenty years ago that trade exchange owners, newly introduced to one another, began trading among themselves so they could expand the goods and services offered to their respective networks--thereby helping their clients.

They did so on a reciprocal basis, owner-to-owner, inasmuch as their trade dollar currencies were inconvertible. However, given the inherent risks in providing extensive credit to one another, the potential for trade between trade exchanges was limited until a way of lessening the liability was created.

That occurred in 1996 when a proposal was made by IRTA's chief executive to establish and operate a Universal Currency Clearinghouse (UC). Instead of trading hard product between each other, a currency just for this purpose would be established. IRTA would administer and control the currency.

The idea was overwhelmingly approved by the Board of Directors, and the opportunity was immediately at hand to develop a worldwide system which would enable trade exchange owners, regardless of their size or location, to easily trade with one another by using this special currency. Transactions are processed by an automated 24-hour authorization center or via e-mail, with UC monthly trading volume currently at $1 million." (http://www.barternews.com/worldtrade.htm)

Discussion

Electronic Intermediaries

Bob Meyer:

"Ubarter.com in Seattle and Melbourne-based BarterExpress.com are expanding rapidly. On the horizon are two other venture-capital backed internet barter companies, which are in the pre-launch stage. Their backing reportedly comes from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Sanford Robertson, as well as Vector Capital.

Recently a new market-making service, TradeBanc.com, has been introduced by one of the industry's successful practitioners. Its computerized technology will enable members of trade exchanges to trade directly, online, with members of other trade exchanges--anywhere in the world--as long as their barter company is a TradeBanc affiliate.

Every barter company will continue to have their own front-end, operating as they do now. That's because TradeBanc (being the market-maker) is the facilitator or clearinghouse, rather than a third-party record keeper." (http://www.barternews.com/worldtrade.htm)