In Chicago, there's a new online company called "Art of Barter."
"It is an organized bartering system," says Art of Barter founder John Hora. "The owners buy and sell, except instead of using cash money, they use a barter dollar. It stays within the system as a negotiable currency so it's a way to pick up new business and save cash using barter dollars instead of writing checks."
Dr. Adrian Codel, a Chicago-area dentist, has been bartering his services for several years.
"In the office I've had my floors sealed. I've had my dental equipment maintained. I get my ink and toner cartridges through that, some of my networking for my computers," says Dr. Codel.
"In our system, the dentist doesn't have to fix the mechanic's teeth," says Hora. "He can fix the accountant's teeth and earn barter dollars to spend with the mechanic."
In Seattle, Dominic Canterbury started a Web site called "Dibspace."
Small businesses can gain credits, or dibits, by offering or performing a service.
"There's about 250 things on the site that you can spend your credits on," says Canterbury.
If you want to give Dibspace a try, click here
