In the last five years alone the world has changed enormously in terms of digital. A traveller from just a decade ago would marvel at the incredible technology we now take for granted. As just one example, with smartphones becoming an everyday device, almost everyone is online almost all the time. With the internet playing such an important role in our everyday lives, it’s sometimes hard to see what an enormous impact it has on services we take for granted, especially the ways in which it can bring people together.
Contra dealing is a uniquely personal form of trading, one which is inevitably associated with old-fashioned haggling and one-on-one negotiation. When putting together a contra deal, traders must work hard to find the right deal for them – it’s no good taking advantage of contra dealing if you can’t find the goods you need. With the growing popularity of digital platforms, though, contra dealing is becoming exponentially more appealing.
Making a deal online
The beauty of contra dealing is the sheer flexibility which the platform offers. You can swap anything from cars, spare parts, seeds, machinery and computers, and you can request anything you want in return.
Before computers became so commonplace, the scope of contra dealing was restricted to the partners you could find in the close vicinity, so it could be tricky to track down the exact deal you wanted, because you could only contact a limited number of people.
The scope of the internet allows contra dealers to access a vast marketplace full of hundreds of traders, and makes it all the easier to find the perfect swap.
Online Contra Dealing Tips
Much like with any sort of trading, the first step in any contra deal is to establish what you’re offering, and what you want in exchange. A good, solid description of the goods you’re offering is essential, as is an accurate valuation of their worth.
Because a contra deal must be a swap between two products of equal value, your potential trading partner must know how much your goods are worth.
In addition, you should familiarise yourself with the basic rules of contra trading so you know what to expect as a deal moves forward, and check that you’re properly accounting for your contra deal in your business’s balance sheet.