barter is a great way to dispose of excess inventory or other assets that would otherwise have to be written way down, liquidated at a deep discount, or written off entirely. Barter maximizes the economic value of an illiquid asset by transforming it into a cash equivalent. Barter is fun, but perhaps a better term would be “bargaining.”.When you buy a home or car, the price is listed, but unless you are a fool, that is not the price which you may eventually pay. An antique store will always give a 10% “discount” if you haggle with them a bit, and at a garage sale, the bargaining can go on till one side gets tired or angry.