Click here to view our current Wants list
First search the Offerings for your Want, in case it is already available.
If it is not offered in your local exchange then ask for it with a Want. Describe what you want, and find a picture you can add to highlight your listing.
Post your wants now! You will be surprised to find that many LETSers have the items you want sitting in their shed but never thought off offering them. Remember trash for one person is treasure for the next.
Empty glass jars are a good example: many people just throw them away, but there are home cooks in our community who need them for bottling preserves.
It’s the same with skills. People might not offer a service for various reasons, but they may respond to your Want and can do the job for you… for Units. One person’s Want is another person’s employment offer!
It can take practice to develop a habit of remembering your Wants and listing them online. It is an important part of using the system, and it is the reason that so many exciting, unusual, practical and imaginative goods and services are traded through LETS.
A healthy LETS system relies not only on offers of goods and skills, but also on buyers to spend their Bartles. Each User’s goal is to move their balance towards zero.
LETS Users with a high Unit balance (credit) have the responsibility to spend. For some people this can be a challenge if nothing on the Offerings list appeals to them. Some folk argue that they already have everything they need.
Here are some suggestions if spending Units is a struggle for you:
Make a list of your daily $ spending, then post Wants on the CES site to obtain these things for Units.
- Browse the CES lists first before searching gumtree, ebay or the yellow pages.
- Check your shopping list and search for the items on LETS.
- Don’t assume people won’t part with big or valuable items on LETS. Cars, motorbikes, musical instruments, building materials, brand new items and accommodation have been traded in our exchange.
- Take a rest! Let someone else cook your meals, clean your house, do your garden or sew your clothes. Or perhaps you want a babysitter so you can do some of these other activities?
- Buy birthday presents, party items and decorations on LETS.
- Are you a collector? Ask for your special thing on LETS. We’ve had users asking for feathers, rocks, old pillows, worn out woollen jumpers, etc to finish their projects.
- Need tools but not keen to purchase them? Place a Want to borrow.
- Expecting visitors but don’t have enough furniture to make them comfortable? Ask to hire beds, linen, highchair, port-a-cot, chairs, gazebo…
- Going on a trip? You may be able to hire camping gear, a caravan, swap your car or find luxury accommodation in the most beautiful places in the world.
- Find a travel companion, a personal trainer, financial advice…
- Take part in one of the many workshops being offered – or ask for one on your topic of interest.
- Browse other exchanges for ideas…
- Type your Want into the search box for Australia-wide and see if it is available somewhere on CES. Perhaps you can trade with a remote User and have the item sent by mail or the service delivered by the internet.
Note: always remember to delete your Want when you receive the goods or service.