Barter

Barter is a type of trade that doesn't use any medium of exchange, in which goods or services are exchanged for other goods and/or services. It can be bilateral or multilateral as trade.

Barter and money are different means of balancing an economic exchange. Barter is recognised as trade in societies without monetary systems. Although it can be argued that barter exists in most societies parallel to monetary systems. Barter crosses over to the spheres of trade with money when economies are suffering from a very unstable currency (as when hyperinflation hits). Barter is also used as a concept in regard of intercultural exchange between craftsmen or artists of different countries, especially when the exchange is passing the gap between "the rich world" and "the poor world".

Swapping is the increasingly prevalent informal bartering system in which participants in Internet communities trade items of comparable value on a trust basis.

While swapping is an excellent way to find and obtain items that are inexpensive, it relies upon honesty. A dishonest participant might arrange a swap, and then never complete their end of the transaction, thus getting something for nothing. This practice is called swaplifting,[citation needed] a pun on shoplifting. The victim's recourse is often limited to shunning the swaplifter, or taking him to small claims court.

Complex business models based on the concept of barter is today possible since the advent of Web 2.0 technologies.

In the other word Barter means: The act of trading goods and services between two or more parties without the use of money. Bartering benefits companies and countries that see a mutual benefit in exchanging goods and services rather than cash, and it also enables those who are lacking "hard currency" to obtain goods and services.