FAQ/Help

Barter is a way of transacting business without the use of cash, but with what we call $aturn’s.  A trade is made that would not have been if cash were required. Plus, there is an immediate increase in cash flow when one trades for an expense that would otherwise be paid for in cash.

There are several, with the foremost being new business. Barter provides you with new clients and allows you to expand your market beyond your cash-paying accounts. Barter also helps in conserving cash. Instead of spending cash to purchase goods and services, you can barter your own goods and services to trade for those things you need. Thus, more cash stays within your business, providing increased cash flow. Barter puts idle resources to work. Excess time, inventory, and capacity are converted into profits.

The problem with one-on-one trading that you are accustomed to, is that each business owner must need exactly what the other has to offer. In the Saturn Barter barter network, everyone trades with everyone, even if they do not want what the other person has to offer. Trade dollars, known as $aturns are credited to a trade account with Saturn Barter which can then be spent on any item or service needed or wanted from within the network.

Clients of Saturn Barter use Trade Dollars, known as $aturns, instead of cash to handle their transactions. For example, if a client sells $1000 worth of products to another client, they will receive $1000 in Trade Dollars ($ATURNS) credited to their Saturn Barter trade account. These Trade Dollars can then be used to purchase from the other trading members within the Saturn Barter network. Saturn Barter is a third-party record keeper, providing monthly statements to clients which reflect their trades, fees, and current trade dollar balance.

There is a 6 – 7½% transaction fee on sales and purchases. This represents a fee for generating new business for clients of our exchange network. Trade business provided is NEW business from NEW clients over and above your standard cash clients. Most business owners feel justified in paying a small percentage to acquire new business. This fee is Saturn Barter ‘s main cash producing vehicle, necessary to keep the exchange operating on a financially responsible basis.

Don’t limit yourself to worrying about one or two large one-time purchases. Look at your business checkbook for the last 12 months as a memory aid. Think too, of your personal needs. If you regularly take cash out of your company for living expenses like travel, home improvements, etc. why not take out a barter income instead and save your cash for products and services that Saturn Barter may not be able to supply?

Yes. Barter provides limitless opportunities. Here are just a few creative ones:

Pay Employees. Use trade dollars to pay employee benefits, bonuses, and perks.

Pay Bills. Use trade dollars to pay some of your outstanding cash bills. If you owe a vendor money for a product or service that you just don’t have enough cash to pay – talk to them about barter with Saturn Barter. If they become part of our network and you have a trade balance to cover the amount owed to them – then you can immediately pay them.

Collect Past Due. Receivables Businesses that are unable to pay money they owe you would probably be very willing to pay you with their product or service. You may not need these offerings directly, but Saturn Barter may have a market for their products. So phone Saturn Barter with the specifics and we may be able to move their products, either by them becoming part of our exchange network and working with their own account or we can process the transaction through your Saturn Barter account, and credit your account when the products or services have been sold.

Essentially, the exchange determines pricing just as it would for cash. The selling member is expected to trade their goods and services at their prevailing prices. By accepting or rejecting prices, Saturn Barter members are ultimately the determining authority in the pricing integrity. Saturn Barter Brokers keep in constant contact with Members to monitor fair trading policies.

Saturn Barter Transactions are 100% trade. If exceptions need to be made, then they need to be approved by Saturn Barter Company. If you encounter vendors requesting cash on transactions, notify Saturn Barter immediately.

There is a one-time membership investment and a modest monthly administrative fee.

The standard policy is that you must have the trade dollars earned in your Saturn Barter account from the previous trades to cover all purchases. If and when credit is requested, it is handled on an individual transaction basis. All loans are subject to a 1 ½% per month compounded interest charge on the unpaid balance and subject to the provisions in The Rules and Regulations of The Saturn Barter Contract Agreement and General Trading Policies and Procedures.

There are no tax advantages or disadvantages to barter. Barter income is the same as cash income for tax purposes. Trading should be considered a marketing tool, not a tax tool. As with cash income, however, trade purchases that are business-related are can also be tax-deductible.

At the end of the year, Saturn Barter totals your barter sales and submits this information to the IRS on the form 1099B. You are also mailed a copy of this form for your records.

We are considered by the IRS as a record/bookkeeper for our members, much like how a bank operates. The IRS and Washington State treat trade exchanges like ours just like they would any cash account. This is an additional taxable revenue stream that you have for your business.

Basically you treat this account like you would any other account when doing your taxes. You get monthly accounting statements and are emailed transactions as they happen. At the end of the year we issue 1099B’s for your federal taxes.

Simply go to the Join Us section of this website. There you can complete a Membership Form and read our Application Agreement Contract and our General Trading Policies and Procedures. A member of our staff will then call you to discuss your initial investment payment and discuss your products and services, as well as full details on our barter program. Our Member Support Team will then assist you in getting the most from your barter investment.

Yes! We have a mobile app that can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store. The app can be used to post transactions, purchase gift certificates, and discover other members to trade with.

Visit the Apple iTunes Store to download the app to your iPhone.

Visit the Play Store to download the app to your Android phone.

In the exchange, there is a spot to submit a travel request. From there our travel broker will then begin putting your vacation, coordinating with several other trade exchanges to find you the place you’re looking for.

In the exchange, you can find other members in the community. Simply search them by name, category, or industry. If you can’t find a particular business or industry give us a call and we’ll connect you with the perfect business.