Bartercard Australia

If I could I would give less stars. I was a member for nearly 10 years and paid thousands and thousands of dollars in fees and marketing. I was never promoted. When it was time to unfortunately close my business 3 months ago I was given the biggest up yours by them. They did not support my business in any way to promote or sell items to bring a resolution. They said their policy is not to respond to any enquiries for 7 days! Imagine your business where you did not bother contacting your customers for 7 days when they need a speedy solution. I had 28 days to wind up my business and was charged, again, thousands of dollars to close this account. They are rude, non-communicative and have no sense of business. You cannot spend your Bartercard dollars on reasonable business expenses to offset the fees. It is useless and I would encourage no-one to apply. They are all over you to sign up and then nowhere when you need them. Would recommend every business to stay far far away.

When I signed up I was told stories that sounded almost too good to be true, I thought i give it a try. Most of them turned out to be lies.
Once signed up I quickly realised that it's not bartercard that will promote my business it's me who will have to do lots of free work to make bartercard work for me, there is little to no support coming from them. Once I questioned this with their staff I got no sense full answers. Using your credits is another challenge and I ended up wasting hours on phone to find someone to accept my credits and you fi nd someone you get generally overcharged and end up paying more than entering them through the open market. All you find is left over trash people try to offload.
My experiences with bartercard was very very bad. Due to the nature of my business I spend one on one time with my clients and I heard of none of any barter card users hahkng anything possitieve to say about this sevice. The general feedback was that they are very delighted to use their credit for something decent as rejection for proper services of other users seems to be a huge thing and that the special offers mainly consist of left over products that other members try to offload at top end prices. I struggle to understand how such business model can survive in today's market. This device is a total waste of time and only focuses on their own business using your business like a leach that sucks into you and bleeds you

I feel ripped off by Bartercard who misrepresented quality of suppliers to me. do NOT join. I am so angry I can't be bothered writer a 1000 word essay. Lets start with the fact that very little of any use could be bought with barter dollars and are worth approx 30 cents. Secondly most of their " suppliers" were rubbish and got rid of old stock or did not provide what they said they would using barter dollars. Apart from this, I believe BC are incompetent in every way

We recently saved $14,000 on a store relocation and fit out using Bartercard. We offset the cost of moving, new flooring, painting, electrical work, plumbing and security systems all by using trade dollars. We’ll use the cash we’ve saved to add a new espresso bar to the shop next, though we do have the option to cover the cost using trade dollars too. Bartercard has supported our vision and provided an additional channel of advertising, leading to more referrals and a higher-end customer experience.

If used correctly it can help your business cash flow, we use it on restaurants, accommodation. we use bartercard as a marketing tool we buy products and services on trade and use it to sell for cash.

www.butterfly-galleries.com
Melbouurne and USA
Member for 20years
Did very well
I started with Ibex

I have been a Bartercard member for many years and continue to enjoy the benefits of enhancing my small business in practical ways. During slow periods Bartercard helps close the gap with monthly sales targets and every now and then a surprise purchase comes our way. Bartercard is my first stop to purchase personal and business goods and services.

I've been a Bartercard member now for 18 months and have found it invaluable to my business. Any empty room is an expensive room in our beauty salon, so being able to offer Bartercard members the chance to unwind and relax using their Bartercard trade dollars, or to purchase gift vouchers to their staff as incentives, not only keeps my rooms and therapists busy, but I'm also able to then use the trade dollars that I would not have had, on necessities for the salon. From printing, signage to even a spa cover, it's really helped my cash flow. I can even take my staff out for meals to brainstorm on Barter. Great!!!

Bartercard gives us access to lead the life we want to lead!
Being an serial entrepreneur with multiple business ventures going on at anytime the last thing we ever do is plan a holiday.
A few years back we purchased a holiday in Vanuatu with Bartercard. The best holiday ever! We stood on a active volcano, dined in exquisite restaurants, snorkelled in turquoise waters and danced with the local villagers.
They are the happiest people in the world.
I want some of that! :)

The thing I love about Bartercard is the opportunity to work with other members who in turn can offer us their services on Bartercard. We have done work for many local members who continue to provide their services to us on Bartercard as well as leading to repeat work with several of them and recommending us to other customers.
This means we can use our trade dollars for holidays, which have been fantastic, we have take trips to Vanuatu twice, Samoa and bought our kids trips to Fiji and Thailand and we are all going to Fiji in May and planning another trip to Samoa later this year.
Bartercard has been great for both our business and personal life but the holidays are the icing on the cake and take all the stress of running a small business away. Thanks Bartercard and especially our great team.

*****

As a platinum member for many years I can say with some experience that used properly Bartercard is an amazing tool to enhance your business. Of course the perks you can get at a greatly discouned value for your personal life are great, but where Bartercard comes into its own is when its benefits are directly translated into helping your business. Here your excess products or non productive available time or resources can be exchanged for Bartercard dollars. Then these can be exchanged for goods or services from a list that extends into thousands of options. A tip; use your BC adviser to chase up what you need. Let them do the work. And at tax time spend your BC discounted dollars to save your expensive tax fee.

I have been a member for many years now and even thou i am quite a small business i love the extra freedom Bartercard gives me to do thing i would normally be able to achieve. By giving my business extra clients that become long term customers/friends and passing on the best form of advertising by word of mouth to other members and friends that in turn bring cash also to my business.

Just before Christmas we found termites in our house which is devastating at any time but being just prior to Christmas and having business closure for 2 weeks cash funds were low. So i got onto my Bartercard app and found a pest control business that was more than happy to help me out. Really don't know what we would have done if it wasn't for this amazing networking system. Thank you Bartercard

I have been a bartercard member for nearly a year, during this time we have directly increased our sales by nearly $500,000, this has been a direct result of being involved in bartercard. This is additional business we would not normally have received otherwise. Bartercard has provided a growth path for our business that we would not have previously considered. We are now expanding our business throughout the country and with bartercard, we can do this because we can purchase office items, consumables, do our printing and marketing, uniforms, accomodation and meals when our staff are travelling etc. all through bartercard members. It has made it possible to increase our business reach and income far easier. Neil. Peak Energy Australia

This type of financial institution is very good if you know how to use it to your needs. We've opened up to extra business in our idle time and we use the extra income instead cash for regular car servicing, marketing materials as well as some good restaurants. It's been fantastic so far and I hope it continues this way. Mike, Falx Mobile IT.

Bartercard is a great way to network with like-minded clients and grow partnerships and long-term relationships.

In the 5 years of partnership with Bartercard, I've saved six figures of expenses whilst utilising excess inventory and making long-term networks.

Bartercard has helped me purchase what I need for my business which I could not have done otherwise from flyers, posters, shirts and so much more with essential items such as car mechanics. It also enables us to enjoy entertainment that we would not normally have the spare cash to spend on eating out, the hair&beauty and even stage shows at the casino.
I LOVE BARTERCARD and I cannot see how anyone can have trouble spending their bartercard dollars it's a fabulous way to look at another marketing tool with very minor commission compared to other companies that take 25% of your takings ............PLUS with the introduction of Bucqi dollars we now have more opportunity for cash customers.
If you need more customers it's a no brainer and if you need more money to spend interest free and you have a good business brain to manage your cashflow.....WHY WOULDN'T YOU TRY IT?.....No joining fee, more customers, more money to spend on your business AND YOURSELF and effective cashflow management.......SIMPLY THE BEST....I'm singing by the way lol

My small retail business occassionally has stock thats hard to move and bartercard helps that process - also we hire equipment and the barter customers are excellent to help use up our capacity. I spent barter dolars from old stock on my telephone bill saving me AUD. Winning!!!!

Approximate cost: $100

We have been with Bartercard for almost six years. To be honest we have used our Bartercard dollars for so many things, we love it. We are constantly finding new things to buy. We first of all found a commercial property which we were able to pay half of our rent for a few years. We then made an offer on the property and were able to pay the full deposit of the property on full barter, which was $40,000. We bought our beautiful little Mia, a ragdoll kitten on Bartercard some four years ago now. Not only that one of our favourite holidays was to Sinalei Resort in Samoa, it was full barter for a beautiful over the water fale, which was spectacular. My hairdresser is on barter, my beauty therapist, and I always go to the Christmas markets to stock up on pressies, but to be honest, usually come home with a stack for myself as well. Dealing with the Bartercard team has been a pleasure they are always looking for ways to help us.

We are Bartercard members and have been for nearly two years. In this time we have been able to earn extra money for our electrical business and then use that to buy TWO properties. We will be able to convert nearly $150,000 in trade back into cash when we sell these properties. It was also easier to get our mortgages as both deals had over 20% trade in the deal which equates to our deposit.

I have been with Bartercard for 12 months now and it has changed my business for the better! I have been able to tap into a market I didn't have access to before as well as met many amazing suppliers and influential business men and women. Utilising Bartercard in my business has been a wonderful tool, I have made huge cash savings across not only my business but personal lifestyle as well! You won't regret joining Bartercard! I tell all business owners I meet to see what Bartercard is about and how it can truly change their lifestyle. I love Bartercard!!! :)

Bartercard is what you make of it. I have been a member for a few years and enjoyed the networking. Meeting likeminded is awesome and sharing stories from the battlefield of business. My finest moment working with one of Australia's greatest comedy talents then using the trade dollars for a super break in a great exclusive resort in Thailand.
So make of it what you wish, I am happy to recommend.

It has allowed me to sell old stalk...& pay for family vacations and I wouldn't have been able to do that otherwise.

Barter card has brought much joy to us and the friends we have made because of it makes doing business much sweeter. We have saved quite a bit of money so far and have used it for mainly business purchases but we have also made personal purchases and gone to places where we never could have afforded without it.
Thanks to Troy, Iva, Riaz and Shaz for welcoming us into the bartercard "family" and for showing us that there is another way to save money and build our business as well as promote us within different companies and other areas of Melbourne.
We haven't looked back since we started and are excited about the future and what Bartercard will do for us. I call it our little "fairy godmother" of business.
We thankyou all sincerely, Helen and David - Nanotek Frankston.

Here is our success story of how Bartercard helped save us close to $10k in cash!
The timing of taking on new staff can make or break a business. Wanting to reserve cash flow in the process was crucial for us. Knowing that the appointment of a sales manager would also mean we would need to replace our company car so the new sales manager could utilise it. At the time we were unsure how we would do this. As it happened we saw an Alpha Romeo advertised on full T$ on the Bartercard auction site. We made a phone call to the owner to inquire about it and then decided to purchase it all on the same day. Additionally the Bartercard member who sold us the vehicle was also able to arrange to have the vehicle transported from Canberra to us on the Gold Coast, saving us in total around $10k cash.
The vehicle arrived, and it is as described and runs beautifully.
This has been such a blessing for us. Perfect timing and such a great little vehicle. We couldn't be happier. It is so nice to have kept our cash in our bank and to have traded through Bartercard our vehicle and at a reasonable price.
Thanks so much Bartercard and the fantastic traders.
Couldn't be happier!

Approximate cost: $9800

Absolutely shocking. Sign up, then they completely ignore you from that point on. They don't answer phone call or emails. Total waste of time and money.
Had to fight hard to get my money refunded even when they admitted they were at fault.
This was a Melbourne based Barter Card group. Not sure what the others are like, but no one from any of the Barter Card offices in Australia would return my calls or emails.
Terrible. Don't sign up.

The first thing I used Bartercard for when I joined over 15 years ago was to put on Christmas dinner, gifts and entertainment in a castle for the homeless on the Gold Coast. Kids that had no hope for presents on Christmas day suddenly had more than they could carry. Adults who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, were adorned with more than they could eat in a week. For entertainment there were bands, comedians and even Santa Clause. There is no end to what Bartercard can do for your business, your personal life and even for those who have never heard of it.

I have been a Bartercard Member for a few years and I havnt really had a great deal of interest with using the system until recently having someone ring me out of the blue and ask me to sell the unit,so I thought ok why not and sold the property within 2 weeks with no difficulties,the clients were great nice to deal with & really happy with the service, so I have thought it would perhaps be nice to help a few other people with selling their properties should they require any assistance. I feel my greatest moment with Barter card would be to win the getaway tropical holiday, as life and work has been soooo busy it would be just fabulous to get a break. I have found that no matter who I'm chatting with at Barter card they have been extremely happy, cheerful & truly just a great help.
So thankyou very much for your assistance

Kind Regards

Rosemary Carroll
0421752656
Unified Real Estate Services

I have been a bartercard member here in Sydney since the mid 1980's. I'm told that I am one of the originals for Sydney Bartercard. In the early days I traded with gusto and built up a sizeable $T balance. After sometime of being unable to spend the $T on my business (as opposed to personal consumption) I became disillusioned with the whole system. I decided to relinquish my $T balance in its entirety (one downside of the system).

I subsequently rejoined bartercard with a new resolve to trade, and I did so for several years. Until recently my account has been dormant for sometime. Having come out of 'retirement' I am looking to trade again but am finding the same old difficulties as I did before.

I rely on the hardcopy directory because I've had a disgraceful time trying to find traders online. Just today I was using the Bartercard Phone Book (Directory) and found a service I wanted t0 use. Unfortunately the mobile number listed belonged to someone completely different. Hmmmmm. I went on to the internet and found another number. I called it only to discover that the business is no longer a Bartercard member :-(

I've been working with my new Account Manager in Sydney Head Office. It's a shame that my Managers are changed with annoying frequency. You just build a good relationship then a few days ago I get a call with someone else introducing themselves as your new Account Manager. My prior manager was only with me for a few weeks. I hope the new incumbent works as well as my last.

I think management needs to adopt the attitude of 'under promise and over deliver'.

My greatest 'joy' at the moment would be to find a member that I want to use, and then to have them accept my T$ business if not joyfully then at least with decorum.

I resigned originally because my wife didn't like being treated as second class citizen. We were fitting out a new nursery for our baby, went to a large baby goods store and chose about $3k worth of 'stuff'. The trader refused to accept T$

Looking at the latest mybc Directory I find that my company is NOT listed, nor am I as an individual. Interesting huh. That might account for my lack of inward business.

In conclusion I think the 'system' is great in theory but has yet to gain proper traction at the grass roots level.

We all need to 'pick up our game' if Bartercard is to arrest the shrinking that I have witnessed over the long years that I have been a member.

I remain positive and do my best to use members wherever possible. I am currently experiencing trading difficulties but am hopeful that these issues will be resolved soon

As a small business owner, I have times when I struggle to manage my cash flow. Bartercard has freed my funds in many ways. I have enjoyed using the services of printers and graphic artists to create marketing collateral for my business. On the home front (literally) I recently had to relocate and used a number of services offered by Bartercard members. The move was made so much easier to manage because I could use my Barter dollars to pay for removalists, gardeners, cleaners and even a service for shredding documents that I no longer required. My Account Manager is a fabulous resource. Whatever I need, I simply give her a call and she finds the best matches for me. So far Bartercard has saved me time and stress. I know I can provide great service to other members with my copy writing skills so my income and outgoing of Barter dollars is balanced. I'm very happy I joined the Bartercard community.

Bartercard saved me big time back in 2006, I had been with them for about 4 years in my mechanical repairs business when I had a major car accident that left me in a wheel chair for 12 months. While not been able to work and no income Bartercard still let me use it like a credit card with its suppliers and said no rush to pay it back. And not on once did they ask, in the following 12 months I started working again then started with small payments or sales to clear it up. Thanks Bartercard