| About Revelstoke BarterWorks |
| LETS Traders |
| Advertisements |
| Member Login |
Welcome to Revelstoke BarterWorks
What is a LETS group?LETS is a short form that is used worldwide for any Local Exchange Trading System. Some groups trade based on the number of hours of work that went into making goods or providing services and some use a virtual currency like Revelstoke does.
In Revelstoke, the LETS group has been named BarterWorks and the local currency REV$ (can be spoken as ‘Revs’ or ‘Revy Bucks’ or Barter Dollars or ‘Barter Bucks’ or ‘Revelstoke Dollars’) or ...
What can people barter?
Members can post ads for goods or services they want or they are offering as long as some of the payment is in REV$. Ads are free and will be displayed in the online Directory under a wide variety of categories. New categories will be added as needed.
For excellent examples of other group’s directories, take a look at Waterloo ON www.barterworks.org or Victoria BC’s lists www.lets.victoria.bc.ca
BarterWorks is completely run by its members. There are no fees planned but members may decide at any General Meeting that a small fee is needed to cover operating costs. Members may start trading as soon as their accounts are activated.
How Does Revelstoke LETS Work?
Members open an account by signing a form agreeing to abide by the BarterWorks rules. Minors require parental consent to participate but have the same rights as adult members. A volunteer will enter the new member into the system and then will answer emailed questions or requests for help with posting ads or using the system.
When members SELL goods or services they EARN barter dollars, and their accounts are credited. When members BUY goods or services they SPEND barter dollars, and their accounts are debited. There will be a small overdraft permitted – REV$100 to start. The participants in a swap just need to go online to MyRevelstoke.com and click the BarterWorks logo. The buyer or service recipient signs in to his or her account and deposits the barter dollar portion of the payment in the seller’s account. There may be a cash component to the transaction but that is not registered in the system.
As with any private sale, we strongly encourage all members to keep their own record of any transactions and give receipts just in case a disagreement should later arise. The web host service which is donating its services can take no responsibility for the LETS computer programs so a written record is your safeguard.
We also encourage members to give brief notes recommending members they have been particularly happy to do business with. The computer volunteers are looking for a way to build a rating capability into the website but so far this doesn't seem possible.
BarterWorks Rules
1. BarterWorks is a non-profit organization which provides an information exchange and recording service through which users can maintain a system of accounts for trading in the local currency REV$.
Anyone can become a member but minors require a parent’s signature on the application.
2. A Barter dollar shall be considered to be equal in value to a Canadian dollar. The Barter dollar exists only as an account entry. It never leaves the Network and no bills or notes are issued. A Barter dollar is created by a member in the act of buying goods or services from another member.
We all agree to record transactions promptly so members’ accounts are always up to date. Barter dollars will be transferred from one account to another only on the authority of the member making payment. Any transaction considered inappropriate or illegal will not be recorded.
Members take responsibility for keeping a record of their transactions in case there appears to have been a mistake online – MyRevelstoke.com is hosting the group free of charge and cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the computer programs.
3. Having a positive account balance will not earn any interest, nor will a negative balance incur any penalties. A negative account balance held by a member is essentially a promise to the community to give service to other members.
So you can start spending Barter Dollars as soon as you join, members are given a REV$100 'overdraft limit', meaning they can continue trading within the system as long as they do not fall more than REV$100 into the negative.
There is no obligation to trade. BarterWorks does not set prices. All prices (in Barter dollars and federal dollars) are set by members involved in trading.
4. If BarterWorks has a table at the Farmer’s Market, members will work out a schedule to share space at the table. Our display will be in accordance with the market guidelines for acceptability. Those volunteering at the table will promote the group, as well as our own personal goods or services.
5. Ads must be for legal goods or services and need to be worded in a way that will be acceptable to a general audience.
6. An account holder may know the balance and trading activity of any other member of BarterWorks, under our policy of “open books”.
There will be at least one admin volunteer with the authority to suspend or revoke a member’s rights to advertise or trade if justified complaints are lodged by other members. If the group forms a Board of Directors, that group or its executive committee will consider appeals for reinstatement.
Contact: email barter@myrevelstoke.com