“Initially, I didn’t really think Bartercard was for me. Even after signing up, there were days when I was thinking it’s not really for me. But how things changed!
With the regular contact I had from my Trade Broker with details of different promos, all of a sudden I could afford turkey for the doggies, get frozen foods for the masses that makes up my family, get facials for the girls, (something we could never afford since all my foster kids came over to live with us), and so all of a sudden I started to pay a little more attention to the listings that I was being sent. And then I was sent a promo about the possibility to go on holiday at a romantic resort in Fiji. Truthfully, I would have never even considered it, as we just couldn’t afford it. However, before I knew it, I was on my way to Paradise Taveuni. I was soon snorkeling and diving, something I thought I’d never be able to do again. For that, I want to thank my Trade Broker, Joe, and Bartercard. But... as my good friend would say ‘But wait, there’s more!’ While I was in Fiji enjoying myself, it suddenly becomes apparent the horrific abuse and neglect of the dogs on this very poor community and islanders. Thanks to this trip, I now have the charity, Animal Rehoming, on board to help send dog food out to these remote islanders. The shipping of the goods is still a bit of a headache, but I’m sure we’ll have that sorted in due course. Since this charity saw my postings of the dogs’ plight, we’ve received huge donations and we no longer have to buy our own pet food for our business. To date, $20,000 worth of dog food and supplies have been donated to us to pass on.
Thanks to Bartercard and the power of the network, we’ve hooked up with some fantastic people that not only affect our business and income in a very very positive way but are helping communities in remote islands and I’m sure it’s not going to end here. So, we might not have loved Bartercard initially, but now we absolutely LOVE Bartercard. A huge thank you, Joe, for making me really fall in love with Bartercard.”
CarolinePixies Pet Resort
“We’ve been with Bartercard for approx. 16 years. During that time, Bartercard has helped us to increase cash flow, attract cash business, and create customer loyalty. Just one phone call and Bartercard make it happen.”
Michael GrayBuzz Café
“One of the best business decisions we have made was joining Bartercard back in 1998. Being with the network for nearly 20 years, we’ve definitely experienced the rewards. Aside from helping us to secure more customers, we’ve been able to make the most of an advance on trade dollar sales and improve cash flow. Bartercard has given us the opportunity to source and pay for products on Trade, that we otherwise would have been paying for in cash. Coffee, alcohol, cleaning products, electricians, marketing collateral, meal ingredients, you name it, we can buy it through the network. We even utilise Trade for staff incentives and bonuses; a win-win. Thank you, Bartercard!”
Michael BennettTusk Thai Restaurant & Bar
“We’ve been a member of Bartercard for the past two years, and I can categorically say, it’s been the best thing we could have done. Being a part of the network has really opened up opportunities for the restaurant and allowed us to realise a dream sooner than expected. Having an advance on trade dollar sales meant we could use trade dollars to facilitate the building of the restaurant and pay for things such as plumbing services, furnishings, Eftpos terminals, and now we’re open, we use trade for purchasing wine which is a big expense for us (as well as other consumables, products and services). Being a part of Bartercard has expanded our customer reach into Palmerston North and also further afield to Wanganui – people are prepared to travel because we’re on Bartercard, but in turn they recommend us to cash paying customers which has helped our cash flow. Purchasing the wine in bulk on trade has significantly increased our cash profit return. One of our goals was to further expand by creating a purpose-built function room, and this has been made possible in a relatively short space of time and earlier than planned by using the cash we’ve preserved thanks to trade dollars. Thank you, Bartercard, the power of your network is incredible!”
Jenni MayAmayjen Restaurant, Feilding
“We have been a Bartercard member for 17 years. As owners of a food/confectionery manufacturing business, a gift basket business and a newly added café, Bartercard is and has been of substantial benefit to our business over those years. Rather than having to spend cash, we were able to utilise our trade dollars on a range of products and services which were usual cash spends, these included tradesmen for R&M, equipment, packaging and packaging supplies, gift baskets and contents for gifts baskets. Recently we expanded by adding the cafe and Bartercard was a huge benefit in helping with the fit out, we utilised trade dollars to buy kitchen equipment, furniture, crockery, water cooler, as well as other services such as our website, advertising, printing and products for sale in our café like gelato and high end chocolates. Over the years we have seen a steady increase in customer traffic with very little effort on our behalf – we put this down to being a Bartercard member and being exposed to a network we wouldn’t have had if we were just in a cash business. We make it work for us but being in this industry we haven’t found it difficult. Bartercard has allowed not only the business to thrive but it’s allowed us to grow. Our long-standing business had been a food & confectionery factory, manufacturing predominantly fudge and other associated products, with a small factory shop. The dream had been to grow the business into an integrated factory & café and retail shop with a higher profile, to increase our reach to a direct customer. Without Bartercard, we would not have been able to achieve this, we opened the new premises a few months ago. With the advance on trade dollar sales, we were able to pay for a large amount of the expansion costs on Bartercard. Thank you, Bartercard!”
Linda BryanRococo Café/Cottage Fare Ltd
