The Best Items to Use For Barter in a Post-Collapse World

There are a lot of different opinions as to what items will be best for barter in a post-collapse world where the underground economy may be the only viable economy for the passing of goods and services. That said, consider this a starting point as you begin to acquire goods for barter.

There are plenty of reasons and economic collapse could happen. A lot of people assume that this is political but there are plenty of other reasons a collapse could occur.

What You Can Do To Be Prepared

There are a lot of items that people are very used to having. What we take for granted, as being the basics can seem like major luxuries during an economic collapse. Here at Backdoor Survival we want you to be educated and prepared for such circumstances so we have compiled this list of supplies that we feel are worth it to have on hand for bartering for the items you don’t have.

Food is important but water is first on the list of concerns during any type of collapse or economic distress. While you can live without food for quite some time, no water for a few days can be the end of anyone.

While it is impractical to expect to be able to put back expensive backpacking water filters, Lifestraws are a remarkably good deal. For $20 you get a filter that fits into your pocket and can give you 1000 liters of clean water. At this price, you could put back 10 of these for $200.

Besides the trade value, these straws could literally save the life of a lot of people. Even if someone is drinking 3 liters of water a day, a Lifestraw would last 330 days.

Some businesses such as Camping Survival offer discounts if you buy more than one Lifestraw at a time so you can cut your costs a bit.

Extra Food and a lot of it

A lot of people have never known what it is like to do without food for more than 12 hours and that is a fact. During an economic collapse, most grocery stores will have bare shelves within 2-3 days with some items being bought up even quicker than that once people have even the slightest clue what is going on.

You need to have your food ahead of time and some extra for barter. If you plan on helping out a family member then you need to tally them in when determining how much food you need.

During an economic collapse, it is crucial to have calorie dense nutritious foods available. Those on special diets can have an especially hard time getting what they need during a crisis so if you are in this position you need to plan your emergency food accordingly.

Ready to eat items are good to have on hand for those times when cooking is not practical or even possible.

Just remember to take care of your own food needs first and then put back extra for trade. Food is the most important thing you need to put back as it will be in the shortest supply.

As stated before, grocery stores only have enough to keep food on shelves for a day or two at most without regular delivery. Panic and crisis can cause shelves to be bare within a few hours.

NOTE: To Stock up on long-term survival food, check out our top recommend brands here.

Medical Supplies

Antibiotics

As a society, we are very reliant on antibiotics to fight infections. The problem is that not all infections respond to the same antibiotic. Gathering some information about what each type of antibiotic treats is crucial to have during any crisis.

That being said you need to have a variety of antibiotics on hand for you and your family as well as for trade. That $20 bottle of antibiotics is priceless in a real collapse because it can literally be the difference between life and death.

I suggest getting a mixed pack of antibiotics or possibly two mixed packs so you have one for your own self and family and a whole other pack for trade and barter. Camping Survival based in North Carolina offers very good prices, free shipping, and mixed packs that make putting back these essential antibiotics quite easy.

When buying antibiotics they will be labeled for fish or even birds but they are the same drugs given to people. The main thing to pay attention to is the exact milligrams of each pill. A 250-milligram bottle of pills is going to be cheaper than the 500-milligram bottles but you will have to take twice as many to get the same effect.

Disinfectants and Bandages

Triple Antibiotic Ointment such as Neosporin, Curad Silver Solution, and Bacitracin ointments are all recommended. Silver gel might not be as well known to some readers but it is worth mentioning that it is effective against some antibiotic resistant bacteria like the dreaded MRSA.

Amazon has a good deal on this but you may be able to do just as well at a local store. We have a small chain pharmacy and misc. store called Fred’s nearby that has it for a mere $4 a tube.

Colloidal Silver works the same way as the silver solution but is more concentrated and in liquid form so you can always put back some of that as well.

Bandages are important for protecting against infection and further injury. You should have everything from Band-Aids in various sizes to rolls of gauze and tape. I speak from experience when I say you can never have enough gauze and tape. For most wounds this is all you need barring the use of blood stop powder.

Vitamins

During difficult economic times, it can be hard to keep diets balanced. Multi-Vitamins can fill the gap in nutrition and ensure that someone doesn’t suffer vitamin and mineral deficiency that can lead to medical conditions.

Any multivitamin is better than not taking one at all, but if you can include high-quality brands it is ideal over the generic options. Cheaper vitamins don’t always offer the highest quality ingredients so your body can have a harder time absorbing them.

On Amazon, a 150 supply on vitamins is about $40 or a mere $8 per month. For trade purposes, I suggest getting some smaller 30-60 day supply bottles.

Further Reading: You can learn more about the best vitamins and supplements for hard times here.

Blood Stop Powder

Cuts and scrapes are common but when one is quite bad or if you just need to get it stopped quick, blood stop powder is a blessing.

You don’t have to get a jar of powder necessarily but there are a lot of Band-Aids and bandages or wound dressings that come with it. The Curad Blood Stop Packets take care of most minor cuts such as those you get when preparing food or similar.

Battle dressings are what you need for major trauma and they can be a literal lifesaver. They are not cheap medical supplies but they make a good trade item during a major crisis.

Gold Or Silver Chains Made With Links

This may seem like an odd one but consider this scenario. You need something but cash and cards are not worth anything due to an economic collapse. Fiat currency such as the dollar is just paper. Gold and silver have always had some value but with a single gold or silver coin being worth so much, it is more practical to do business with a small amount of precious metal. Gold chains can be taken apart a link at a time and be used to trade for what you need when your paper money is worthless.

Further Reading: What prepper’s should consider when buying gold and silver for survival.

Hygiene

Toilet Paper

While having some toilet paper on hand if you have space is a great idea, long term it is not the best use of space. Some survival minded types have suggested using bidet bottles to help toilet paper go further or to use when none is available. There is no question that toilet paper is going to be a very desirable thing, but don’t take up too much of your storage with it.

If you are going to put it back I suggest ordering the 27 roll packs of Scott Tissue via Amazon. You can put 4 packs of 27 in a fairly small space and the cost will only be about $70. Don’t waste money on the rolls that have little on them because they take up too much space.

Further Reading: Are you really Toilet Paper Prepared?

Toothpaste and Brushes

Dental health is important and toothpaste and toothbrushes may be cheap now but they could easily get to be hard to find during an economic collapse. Individually packed and multiple packs of brushes are good to have on hand. Even if there is no crisis this is something you are going to use regularly regardless of any crisis at hand.

Toothpaste is not expensive. A few dozen tubes of name brand toothpaste will cost $60-$70 if you are careful with your shopping practices.

Feminine Products

Us ladies are used to disposable feminine products and during an economic collapse. A pack of maxi pads or tampons is under $4 so putting back $100 worth of these supplies means 25 packs which goes a long way. This can be stored in a very small storage tote but be invaluable as a trade item.

Liquor

People love their vices and we all have them. Alcohol, in particular, is an item that always has outstanding trade value. Name brand liquor such as Smirnoff, Jack Daniels, Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Tanqueray Gin, etc. are all appealing and will fetch top trade value during difficult times. 750 ml or if you can get them at a reasonable cost 375 mL bottles are your best bet for trade.

Liquor is the best alcohol to put back from a space savings and practical standpoint. Beer is good but it is a lot of water and takes up a lot of space, making it more of a luxury and it doesn’t keep indefinitely like liquor will. During an economic collapse, any alcohol will be sought after and appreciated by a lot of people.

Salt

Although there is often a lot in the news about how a lot of people eat too much salt in their diet, an economic collapse can quickly turn the table on salt. During past difficult economic times such as the Civil War, salt was hard to come by. You have to have some salt to survive and it is essential for food preservation as well. You can even sanitize wounds with it although it is painful. That being said it is much better than suffering a catastrophic or even fatal infection.

The cheapest way to put back salt is either buying containers of iodized salt and sealing them in waterproof containers. If you want to put back a large quantity on the cheap for food preservation then go to your local hardware or home improvement store and get the 40 lb. or 50 lb. bags of water softener salt. These are only about $5 and you can do a lot with that much salt.

Dog & Cat Food

There are more dogs and cats in the United States than people. Everyone loves their pets but all too few think about how they will feed them in the event of a true economic collapse. Those of us with larger dogs have to put a lot of food back to do six months but those with small dogs can keep 100-200 lbs. of dog food on hand to get them through some tough times. Here is my method for dog food storage.

1. Get a 30-55 gallon barrel with a locking ring or at the very least a Brute trashcan.
2. Fill with dog food, but make sure to sprinkle some diatomaceous earth into the container with the addition of every bag and mix it around some. This keeps out bugs and it serves as an all-natural parasite eliminator and preventative, which is very important to your dog or cat’s health.

Further Reading: Pet Survival Kits and Products

Vacuum Seal Method

While it may not be the most practical for those that have larger pets, you can use a vacuum sealer device to make sure dog or cat food stays good for a long time. Those 3-5 lbs. bags of dog or cat food work best for this. You can also always dump out the contents of dog food and repackage with a vacuum sealer device and bags.

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Gold is $1,581/oz today. When it hits $2,000, it will be up 26.5%. Let's see how long that takes. - De 3/11/2013 - ANSWER: 7 Years, 5 Months