An Enfield for a room

Trade your used bass guitar for LPs,a gas stove for repairs to your Chevy,clarinet lessons for a bicycle,or a bottle of wine for graphics design. And if you have nothing to offer but plain old money,buy ­second-hand chic at a garage sale. Barter and ­alternative commerce are gaining currency in hip,­urban India,riding a wave of post-consumerism and finding favour with ­creative entrepreneurs.

Ask 17-year-old Zui Kumar-Reddy. To finance a $100 camera trap for her parents’ farm on Magadi Road,near Bangalore,Zui threw open her closet to Facebook friends,announcing the sale of 73 tops,dresses and hats. At the Reddys’ home on St Mark’s Road in central Bangalore — a white,old building with a garden hidden away behind an automobile workshop — a red-floored courtyard serves as Zui’s gallery. Here,displayed on hangers are second-hand treasures including a lace pullover from Cinnamon,a halter summer frock from Wet Seal,a Sujit Mukherjee sleeveless number,and an eye-catching yellow dress that Zui says is a 1950s-style costume she wore for a play. In excellent condition,each of these goodies is priced below Rs 500.

The idea of purging her wardrobe of excess came from her mother,she says. “She always speaks of minimalist living. I had too many clothes I never wore,and I wanted a camera trap to observe animals at our farm,” says Zui,who hopes to pare her wardrobe down to 11 sets of clothes. She is targeting “conscious consumers” and friends willing to look beyond the tag of second-hand. “In a world where we are trying not to use plastic,it only makes sense to recycle things we don’t need anymore,” says Zui,who has sold a few pieces and hopes to sell more by the end of her summer break.

Excepting used cars and hand-me-downs of suitable provenance,we in India are incurable snobs of second-hand. So much so that we’d rather buy damaged than used. “It’s as if we are afraid of contacting some disease. It’s an irrational fear,” says Krithika Sahgal,a Bangalore-based architect who regularly buys used items on Craigslist,a classifieds website. “It is only now that the use-and-throw attitude is giving way to reselling and donations with increasing awareness among young professionals.” Sahgal has sold used crockery and electronics on Craigslist and says the deals went through without hassle. “As long as you post good pictures of the items on sale,there are enough takers,” she says.

Madhavi Rongola,who runs Yellow Button,a design store in Indiranagar,Bangalore,agrees. “As in the US,resale is definitely becoming quite a market here. I’ve sold my daughter’s toddler car seat which she has outgrown. And recently,I bought a high chair and a crib that were in excellent condition from a couple who were moving back to ­Australia,” she says.

Tapping this new acceptance of the old is a collective garage sale venture in Mumbai by Dhruvi Shah and Astha Atray. Both fashion bloggers,Shah and Atray founded From the Rabbit Hole,a Facebook group that organises sales of clothes and accessories,giving people a chance to sell clothes they rarely wear and buy trendy outfits at bargain prices. Started in December 2010,the group organised its first sale in Andheri,with everything priced below Rs 1,000. The second and third sales,at the annual Sula fest and in Versova,respectively,saw all clothes on offer priced below Rs 2,000. “For the first sale in 2010,we had five sellers; for the second,six; and for the third many more. Buyers came and tried on the clothes and bought them when satisfied with their quality and condition.” Shah says it’s the prices that draw crowds. “A pair of shoes that Astha had bought for Rs 4,000 and never used sold for Rs 1,000 — a steal for the buyer,” he says.

Not all seconds sales are about money. Simran Singh,29,created a Facebook page in June announcing her move to the UK to pursue a Master’s course and consequently,a six-day-long garage sale. On sale were a number of books,DVDs,CDs,paintings,rugs,curtains,blankets,party dresses,a basketball,red patent leather boots,electronics and some crockery. More than 60 people turned up for the garage sale at her Defence Colony residence in Delhi. The proceeds from the sale went into organising a final party for her friends. “Around 150 people came for the party and I spent all the money on it,” says Singh.

Then there are those who have altogether dispensed with cash. When Saumya Gupta,a 22-year-old designer,needed models for her new clothing line,Ten on Ten,she thought of barter right away — a dress or two in return for a shoot. “I’ve done three shoots so far,all on barter. It works both ways — I get pictures,the models get to choose dresses from my clothing line. Of course,this is only effective with a particular segment of models,those who come from well-off families and want to model for the experience,” she says. For 19-year-old Nimisha Khanna from Mumbai,it was her first assignment and she didn’t mind being paid in dresses. “I was expecting to be paid,but when I heard of the barter,it sounded interesting. Also,I can use the pictures later in my portfolio,” says Khanna,who went home two dresses and a top richer.

Barter isn’t always about an eye for an eye,though. As Pinto says,“You have to be flexible. You can’t be worrying about the exact value of things,wondering if you have bartered something of a higher value for something of a lower value.” His holiday home,which opened in September 2009,has an interesting barter programme where Indian and international artists stay at the holiday home for free and create artwork that they leave behind on site.

It’s a welcome return to a simpler life of exchange and mutual helpfulness,says Mala Dhawan,who runs A Hundred Hands,a Bangalore-based handicrafts collective. Launched last year,A Hundred Hands is a study in successful barter. At its very first fair,held at Dhawan’s central Bangalore home last November,the banners and posters were sponsored by Idea Cellular,in return for logo display and publicity. “As a non-profit,we were keen to pay for services,if not in cash,then in kind. For instance,in return for designing our logo,we publicised the agency,Fryed,on our website. For taking pictures of the mela and the products on offer,we sought the services of Ajay Rai Bhasker,a photographer,who was given a mud painting on parchment made specially for him by one of our artists,” Dhawan says,adding that it was word-of-mouth that made such informal collaborations possible. “Of course,barter only works when your primary needs are taken care of and when you really love the product or believe in the cause,” she adds.

While transactions on sites like Barter Road are often one-time exchanges — “Ok so you have stuff… and you’re broke…” begins the group description — associations of the kind A Hundred Hands has developed tend to last over time,says Bhasker,a freelance photographer,who exhibited his work at the crafts mela last year. “It is a very informal arrangement,” he says. Bhasker isn’t new to the I-scratch-your-back-you-scratch-mine formula. He enjoys a similar relationship with musician Ashley William,who runs an academy in Koramangala,Bangalore. “When I started shooting there five or six years ago,I just wanted a place to hone my skills. Slowly,I began covering their events. In return,my son’s music classes are free. Besides,they have recommended my services to at least four of their clients,” says Bhasker. “I wouldn’t call it barter; it’s more a loose network. And it has worked really well for me.”

Sceptics,however,remain wary. “It’s all fine to do money-free transactions,but to trawl the Web for barter options matching one’s requirement is painful. The market in India needs to develop,which will only happen with more websites mediating genuine barters,” says Arun Sahney,an IT entrepreneur from Gurgaon who tried in vain to find services on barter to kickstart his venture.

Until then,what’s wrong with a little give and take?

— with inputs from Zaira Arslan and Somya Lakhani