@Rangie Well, if it were easy, I’d do it that way. But usually it’s not that easy. I’m not going to canvass the neighborhood to see if anyone will trade window cleaning for a vacuum. The only time I would barter is if the trade practically fell into my lap.
I think you can go online and semi-barter on Craigslist. You can list items for sale, and people can find them privately. I’ve never been able to sell anything there, though. I have a much easier time taking it to the local thrift store. Once I randomly asked someone on the street if they wanted a bed I was throwing out. They turned out to be members of a church that needed beds for a shelter they ran. They came and dragged the thing out and I didn’t have to lift a finger.
But noone wanted the futon couch. So, we called the furniture donation place and they came and carted it off.