Craziest Trade

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alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,247
Alaska
The barter system up here is probably one of the most elaborate and widely used in the US. It is not uncommon at all in the bush or villages to trade things like caribou meat or fish in exchange for gas or building materials. Many who live in the bush get by on trading trapped furs, antlers, etc. for essentials like flour and sugar, seeds, or equipment.

The two best I've seen were a case of beer for an old snowmachine (that's snowmobile for you lower 48ers) and some land survey services for the use of a boat for a week on a prominent King Salmon stream.
 

scloyd

Lifer
May 23, 2018
5,941
12,038
About 10 years ago we had a small chest freezer that always sat empty, taking up space. I asked the owner of a local pizza joint if he wanted it. He offered me $100 worth of pizza in trade. Sure, why not, I would of given it away for free. We had a free pizza every Saturday night for a month.
 
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BarrelProof

Lifer
Mar 29, 2020
2,701
10,577
39
The Last Frontier
Where to begin in Alaska...

I’ve traded some home brewing equipment for a Jeep, I once traded a camera for a full size Ford Bronco, I traded a gun for a snow machine, I traded a fly rod/reel for 7 guns one time to a guy who just wanted to get rid of all of his guns and take up fishing, I traded a bow for an AR, I’ve traded traps for reloading components, I’ve traded reloading components for traps, I’ve traded punches with a dude at the boat ramp, and I once traded some snow for some white oak from the Lower 48.
 

mrenglish

Lifer
Dec 25, 2010
2,220
72
Columbus, Ohio
My weirdest trade was what got me into pipes. Had a coworker whose wife gifted him a pipe, tobacco and accessories for fathers day. However, every time he would attempt to smoke it, she would give him tons of crap about cancer running in his family, etc.. Yeah, she was a real winner.

Anyway, I ended up with it all for $7 and some some comics. It was a Tinder Box basket pipe and crappy aromatics, but it started the journey to where I am today.
 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
When my first kid was born, the placentas went splashing in a container. They ere about to take it away but I stooped them. I told them they had to pay me because they were going to do research on something they didn't pay for. I told them I wanted around 6 grand and they all stared at me like I was insane I was fucking serious but they would not negotiate.
I told them to bag it up and give it to me. They were so aghast that I couldn't help but laugh at them and after that laugh I told them they could keep it.

I tried doing that on all my other kids who produced 3 more and I told one doctor that I collect them so I can grill them later on. They thought I was one fucked up dude, which happens to be true.
 

shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,084
49
Las Vegas
Not exactly crazy but:

I introduced a friend to GH&C American Delight yesterday while at his place. He asked me how much $ I wanted for the 1-2 oz I had in my rotation jar. I traded it all to him for a glass of Isaac Bowman Port barrel finished Bourbon and glass of Diplomatico Reserva rum.

Truth is I woulda just given him the tobacco. But of course he would have just given me the bourbon and rum. Still, i like to think it was a good deal for both parties.
 

Erehwesle

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2020
129
591
49
Sylva, NC
In my hippie days I spent some time as a professional tarot reader, I'd often barter a reading for useful things, some of them not quite legal, if you catch my drift (as I said, hippie).

Perhaps the best was a 52 card gypsy reading, which is HUGE and takes quite a while, for backstage passes to the Dead in Philly