# Virtual Bartering Services Trade Skills and Other Items Using SwapSity By Salman Abdulaziz | Published 2011-04-26 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/consumer-bartering References: [swapsity](http://www.swapsity.ca) Trade DVDs, services, furniture, books, used phones and anything else absolutely free with SwapSity. This site is where a $300 massage was exchanged for [children's story books](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lets-match-mums)! It is amazing how much stuff we own and skills we possess, yet hardly use. What if they could be turned into purchasing power? The owner of SwapSity was driven to revolutionize how Canadians acquire goods and services, creating the ultimate [online barter destination](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/youtribe) where users can exchange virtually anything. A long weekend at your vacant Muskoka cottage can be swapped for a [wedding planner](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/invitin), home renovations for a dental check-up or gently used DVDs for rides to work. The concept saves money and extends the life of pre-loved items. More importantly, barter transactions forge bonds between people and build community. As one member aptly puts it, “Swapping puts a sense of warmth and humanity back into transactions.” ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.6/10 - Popularity: 9% | Activity: 31% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [New Ventures](https://www.trendhunter.com/newventures) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Virtual Bartering:** Opportunity for businesses to create online platforms for bartering goods and services. - **Community Building:** Potential to create platforms that foster connections and build communities through barter transactions. - **Extending Product Lifespan:** Opportunity to encourage sustainability and reduce waste by promoting the exchange of pre-loved items. ### Where This Applies - **Online Bartering Platforms:** Disruptive innovation opportunity to develop user-friendly platforms for virtual bartering. - **Shared Economy:** Opportunity for businesses to capitalize on the shared economy by enabling the exchange of goods and services. - **Sustainability and Circular Economy:** Potential to promote sustainability and circular economy principles by facilitating the trade of pre-owned items. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Hyper-Local Gifting Communities](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/buy-nothing-project.md) - [Connective Economic Travel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/swapper.md) - [Local Sports Marketplaces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/waresport.md) - [Community Borrowing Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/community-borrowing-apps.md) - [Cost-Effective Housing Exchange Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/house-exchange.md) - [Peer-to-Peer Sharing Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shapp.md) - [Parent-to-Parent Marketplaces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blossoms.md) - [Peer-to-Peer Rental Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rax.md) - [Redesigned Online Property Marketplaces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/online-property.md)