A. Simply click on the "Join" link at www.viatradebarter.com and fill out your details or call VIATRADE.Your application will then be reviewed and you will be notified as soon as your account becomes active. There is no long process to joining.

A. Every successful business has expenses in addition to cost of goods sold. Most businesses have significant marketing expenses (your time spent marketing and networking is also an expense).  Some businesses that sell on credit have additional expenses related to accounts receivable.
 

Business done on our barter network avoids a substantial amount of expenses:

• Marketing – is done by VIATRADE and your account manager – barter sales are largely generated for you by other members seeking you out rather than you seeking out customers
• Accounts Receivable Collection – there is no financing cost for waiting until you collect your receivables – we collect them for you as you do the sale
• Bad Debt Expense – this does not exist. We confirm the buyer has the barter funds to pay for all purchases when we tell you that you can sell to them. You have no bad debts – any bad debts are the risk of VIATRADE.

A. For the most part, doing business on barter is no different than doing business in cash.  The sales you generate on barter are included in your regular sales your accountant prepares  and the expenses you pay on barter are treated as any other expenses you pay with cash.

The only difference is that the barter transactions agree to your barter account and not your regular bank account. In this way – the sales are the same as if you sold in CDN. dollars and maintained a separate CDN dollar bank account.

At the end of the year, your accountant combines all the accounts you have (Canadian dollar, barter, U.S. dollar) into your regular income statement.   Doing business on barter is therefore no different than doing business in CDN dollars.

Barter and trade is not a tax avoidance system. A trade "credit" simply must be accounted for the same as cash. 

A. Paying with your product means spending less cash which leads to better cash flow. Let us say that again ...because you are buying with your product or service instead of cash you are leaving cash in the bank. VIATRADE gives your product / services much greater liquidity. This in turn gives you greater spending power - your purchases need not change - you simply use more of your product and less of your cash.

VIATRADE offers a barter line of credit option which allows you to buy a variety of needs now within agreed limits and pay later with your product / service. Effectively, VIATRADE offers you low interest credit and then generates extra business for you so you can pay it off! Know any credit cards that send you the business to pay off your debt? We think not. VIATRADE does...

A. Buying with your product / service means buying at a discount.
By using your product / service you automatically reduce the cash outlay and the net cost on those purchases. This is because your product / service costs you less to supply than its market value, the difference being your gross profit margin. Since VIATRADE charges a transaction fee of  only 6.5% on purchases and 6.5% on sales - this must be factored into the equation.

A. If you use the ScotiaBank business planner, they will tell you four important elements of marketing for EVERY business include:

• Good logo
• Good website
• Belonging to association
• Generating word of mouth

A. Whatever you choose to buy through your VIATRADE account, you will pay for them with your own product / service, through sales leads generated by VIATRADE trading department for you.

VIATRADE can state that all sales generated for you through your VIATRADE account will be to new customers who have never purchased from you before. Your regular cash or account sales are not affected by VIATRADE. They will not change whether or not you open a VIATRADE account. Your VIATRADE sales are generated only as a result of sales enquiries from the VIATRADE client base.

Remember, other VIATRADE clients will want to buy from you, not from your competitors because; Whether you want to increase sales generally, target a particular new market sector or have recently launched a new product or service, opening a VIATRADE account means opening a whole new target market for you, a market which is not open to most of your competitors

A. There is no typical line of products or services traded. VIATRADE, like any trade exchange will source any product or service for which there is a significant demand. The actual list of products and services changes literally on an hourly basis and is made up of % travel, leisure and home based products and services. All clients have full access to all products and services listed and advertised on the trading section of the web site, which is constantly updated and expanding.

The VIATRADE trading system has been specifically designed to integrate into most accounting systems with no additional hardware or software requirement and no modifications to the structure of your existing system.

Operating a VIATRADE account is just like operating a bank account - You receive monthly statements detailing all transactions and balances. VIATRADE keeps your staff updated on all trade activity on your account and any changes to the operation of the account. It is estimated that irrespective of the level of trading, managing a VIATRADE account requires no more than an additional four to ten minutes of time for one accounts assistant per month.

If your business is a multi-unit one with a number of cost / profit centers such as a hotel group or chain of shops or depots, VIATRADE will open as many sub accounts as you require ( at a nominal charge ) and apportion / bill each unit as you direct while maintaining a primary account for central processing.

A. No. Every day the VIATRADE trading department processes transactions from $25.00 to $60,000.00. Many clients run monthly overhead items such as stationery, advertising and courier bills through their VIATRADE account.

A. It is up to you. If your current priority is to reduce cash expenditure now and improve cash flow, then you should buy first. If, however, your immediate goal is to increase sales, gain market share, widen your client base or sell excess stock then you should consider selling first.

A. VIATRADE has built-in safeguards to prevent excessive imbalances on your account;

1. Like many clients, you can opt to have all sales enquiries channeled through VIATRADE trading department simply by having your product or service listed without listing your business name. In this manner you can immediately distinguish VIATRADE sales enquiries from those of your regular cash or account clients.
2. You can put a limit on the value of sales you wish to complete. Once you have reached this limit, you can have your product or service de-listed and no further sales enquiries will be passed on to you- until you have balanced your account with a value of purchases.
3. The VIATRADE Trading Department will send you a monthly statement detailing all transactions and balances. Also, at any time, you can log into your account and get an updated account statement, allowing you to monitor your trading activity on a daily basis.

A. As long as you make your product / service available subject to the terms and conditions of your VIATRADE agreement, the answer is ‘no’.  The basic rule is that once you and VIATRADE agree on a credit limit, the onus is on VIATRADE to generate the extra sales leads / customer base for you. But you are responsible for managing the sale to the client. In short, we send you customers, we do not sell your product. In some instances, trades do require cash/barter, particularly products where the gross margin is low (i.e. home electronics and computers).

A. A nominal monthly fee of $15.00 (only when you do not conduct transactions) plus transaction fees. This covers all administration related to your account, advertising and promotion of your product or service in VIATRADE publications, web page advertising, including ad design and alterations, and direct marketing to other clients who have expressed an interest in your particular line of products or services.

Note: All VIATRADE fees are subject to applicable taxes and these must be paid in cash at the time of purchase and sale.

Commercial Barter typically refers to an exchange or swap of goods and services between two companies, often among smaller companies. There are based on availability of services within the exchangeand a fee or commission is charged for brokering the transaction.

Corporate trade, on the other hand, is subject to different requirements and invloves much larger dollar values.  It is generally used by larger companies, many among the Fortune 1000. In addition, large quantities of products or assets are used in combination with cash to purchase media, goods or services that otherwise would have been purchased for 100% cash. No fees or commissions are charged.

VIATRADEservices businesses in both the commercial and corporate barter environment as the combination of the two makes for a well balanced trading network. 

A. Michael R. Price is the founder and CEO of VIATRADE and has 15 years experience managing barter companies worldwide  Mr. Price has managed barter companies in the public and private sector, including those owned by investors such as GE Capital and General Motors Investments. Mr. Price is the recipient of several industry sales awards and has built four successful commercial exchanges from inception. Mr. Price is a pioneer in the business and has never been terminated from any poistion held in the barter industry in his entire career.  

Bill Bradley is the President and CEO of Trade Network Exchange. Mr. Bradley is the founder of  TNE and represents the memebers in London Ontario. Bill has extensive barter industry experience and is an affilliate partner of VIATRADE. Mike Price says of Bill Bradley, " we have aligned ourself with the most talented and ethical individaul we could find. I am thrilled to be partnered with Bill. Now watch the market explode in London!"

VIATRADE management, affilliates, employees and suppliers are consistantly trained and educated in regards to barter innovations and development.

In order to work at VIATRADE employees are required to undergo 90 day testing on barter economics and technologies. This involves econimcs for both small/medium sized businesses and corporate companies alike. You can be assured that you will be dealing with a barter expert.

Our staff is highly trained and qualified, no exceptions.

A. Yes. Like any industry we compete against local and international players. Unlike them though, we encourage companies to compare the value proposition.

Ask yourself the following:

Will you be dealing with a company that has the financial strength and ability to work with you without the"nickel and dime" attitude.  We are extremely well funded and can afford to be solely performance based.

Will the barter company company you work with sincerely consider your over all business success? VIATRADE put's you first. We understand financial issues. We are flexible. We are your partner more than anything else. Our main goal is the same as yours. When times are tough, we'll help you get profitable. When business is good, we'll help you capitalize.

How will you be treated? Simple. Every VIATRADE member is a VIP. VIATRADE has policies that protect all members. These policies have been in place for decades and refined so that fairness reigns supreme. Please see our mission statement.