Old-school barter thrives during pandemic

CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Marathon Olympian Mary Joy Tabal is running again despite the lockdown.

Tabal, who competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, couldn’t be happier after acquiring a barely used treadmill, worth about P70,000, by exchanging it with a new phone worth P25,000. The deal was sealed through an online barter group on Facebook called Cebu Barter Community (CBC).

“I’m so happy to finally [go] back to running because I was able to find a treadmill through CBC,” Tabal told the Inquirer.

In Iloilo province, former journalist Gerthrode Charlotte Tan-Mabilog bartered an Air Jordan 8-gigabyte USB drive for 5 kilos of mangoes from Guimaras Island through Iloilo Barter Community (IBC), also on Facebook.

SOIL AND PAN Members of the Iloilo Barter Community (IBC) meet up to complete trading three sacks of garden soil and a grill pan. —PHOTO FROM IBC FACEBOOK PAGE

The CBC and IBC are just among the online barter groups that are pushing for cashless transactions amid quarantine restrictions due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The IBC has more than 39,000 members since its creation on May 13 while CBC’s membership jumped to more than 80,000, 12 days after it was formed on May 14.

The administrators of IBC and CBC are strict against cash payments and bartering alcohol, face masks and other personal protective equipment, which are being used by the front-liners in the fight against COVID-19.

Their mechanics are similar: Post the item you want to barter with a short description, photograph and its estimated value, and the item you are willing to trade it for.

When a deal is closed, those bartering the items or services arrange a meetup.

PLANTS AND TEAPOT Household plants are welcomed by its new owner who offered a teapot set through the Iloilo Barter Community. —PHOTO FROM IBC FACEBOOK PAGE

Connecting, sharing

Bong Abella of IMC Creatives, a marketing consultancy firm, said CBC was formed because a platform was needed to “activate hearts to connect, share and build each other,” and “help dismantle fears, anxiety and hopelessness in this pandemic.”

Mabilog, one of the administrators of IBC, said they created the site out of necessity for cashless exchange of goods and items because many businesses were struggling and many lost their jobs, or were not earning.

TRAINING TIME Cebu’s marathon queen, Mary Joy Tabal, has resumed training through a used treadmill that she traded for a mobile phone through the Cebu Barter Community. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Both IBC and CBC have been helpful amid the pandemic and prolonged quarantine that have prompted the closure of stores and prevented people from going out of their homes.

Tabal, known as Cebu’s marathon queen, said she had not been able to practice long-distance running since Cebu City was placed on enhanced community quarantine on March 16.

She could not also buy a treadmill because sports equipment stores here were closed. While she ran inside her subdivision, the most she could do was a 5-kilometer run—too short for a marathoner who was used to running 42 km.

Then someone offered a hardly used, 1-year-old treadmill on CBC because it would not fit in the owner’s new condominium unit.

It turned out that the Velocity treadmill was exactly what she was looking for because it was considered “heavy duty.” Less than an hour after the offer was posted, the deal was closed.

The items were delivered through a delivery service provider. Tabal got her treadmill on May 24 and started using it the next day.

Abella of CBC described the response to their site as amazing.

It doesn’t only help people let go of the things they don’t need but can be of value to others, it has also become a venue to help the front-liners and those affected by the pandemic.

Abella shared that someone exchanged an expensive set of earrings to five sacks of rice that were donated to the less fortunate.

Another preloved wristwatch was traded with five trays of eggs given to children with cancer.

‘Addicting’

BOOKS AND CANNED GOODS Judge Haide Acuña (left) gets two books from a student for two cans of luncheon meat. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CBC’s analytics showed that it had more than 427,100 engagements in a week and had more than 2,500 barters posted for approval per hour.

Judge Haide Acuña of the Municipal Trial Court in Sibonga town, Cebu, has found the barter deals “addicting,” likening it to a matchmaking activity for the items’ current and future owners.

Acuña already had three successful barters.

The first was a brand-new Philips epilator (hair removal device) for women, which she traded for a Slimroast coffee.

The second was her daughter’s augmented reality storybooks and other children’s books, which she exchanged with Coke Zero, Yakult, San Miguel Apple and Surf Powder. Acuña only asked for these grocery items because many parents could afford these. But those who got the books were so happy that a leche flan was added to “sweeten” the deal.

For the third barter, it was Acuña who made an offer of two cans of Spam luncheon meat in exchange for two books. Since the books’ owner is a student who loved reading, Acuña decided to gift her with another book, “Our Rights, Our Victories” by Marites Vitug, to entice her to become a lawyer.

Variety of items

Items being traded in both IBC and CBC are varied.

One IBC member traded a used Volkswagen Beetle for an iPhone X. Another traded a Louis Vuitton bag for antique wooden statues of saints, while one bartered baby bottles for potatoes.

A member of CBC offered a house with a pool located inside a subdivision for a 2-hectare farm lot.

But what many looked forward to were the posts from people who decided to let go of the items given to them by their former lovers.

One was an 18-carat white gold engagement ring with half-carat diamond worth P35,000. The reason the owner cited for trading was, “missing na ang naghatag (the person who gave this had gone missing).”

LOVE SYMBOL An engagement ring is one of the items offered through the Cebu Barter Community (CBC). —PHOTO FROM CBC FACEBOOK PAGE

Then there was a woman who offered two teddy bears for barter.

One was a life-size white teddy bear, perfect for cuddling. The reason for barter: “Pinagtagpo pero di tinadhana (We met but were not meant to be).”

She also cited the same reason for giving up her brown teddy bear, but opened up a thought: “Naglibog ko guys, malas ko sa teddy bear or sa ikal (I’m confused guys if I am unlucky with teddy bears, or with men).”

Abella said the administrators had no control on the intention and reasons of people who offer items for barter. But he added that most members are enjoying the interaction and happy that they can let go of items that may spark joy in others.

For now, Tabal, Acuña and other members of IBC and CBC are busy rummaging through their closets and storage boxes for their next barter.