Trade without money
If there's something you need,
trade it for something you can do
All skills are valued equally
NORLETS (Norwich Local Exchange Trading Scheme) is a network of people from in and around Norwich, who trade skills, services, and goods without money and where all skills are valued equally. There are all kinds of things on offer, from massage to dog walking, organic veg to borrowing a ladder. So, if there’s something you need, why not trade it for something you can do? Click here to join NORLETS...
NORLETS members barter goods, services and skills with a currency called Lokes. Members receive a quarterly newsletter, a Lokes chequebook and a directory showing the the current ‘Lokes’ balance for each member and an updated ‘Offers and Wants’ list. Using the lists, members contact one another to arrange transactions. You can choose how much or how little you trade and what kind of skills, services or goods you wish to offer. You are not expected to be professionally qualified but you are responsible for ensuring you can provide the services you offer to a reasonable standard.
Some of the current available skills are, amongst others: Feng shui consultations, help with website design, interior painting, hand knitted jumpers, babysitting, book keeping, loans of camping, DIY help and equipment, organic gardening, garden design, laundry help, cleaning help, dog walking, therapy room hire, and crystal healing. The list keeps growing as more new members join. Each member can offer whatever they would like to, changing their availability as and when necessary. You may choose to offer the same skills that you share through your work, or you may use it as a way to get more out of your hobbies. Some get into a routine of trading on a weekly basis by helping with admin, cleaning or gardening; others use NORLETS more occasionally, perhaps selling theiproduce for Lokes in batches or each time there is a social event. Basically, you can use NORLETS as much or as little as you like once you’re a member.
WHO RUNS NORLETS?
NORLETS is run by its members. It's up to you if you want to get involved in the running of the organisation. Every two months Open Forum meetings are held where you can get involved with creative and admin tasks which are usually paid for in Lokes. There are also opportunities to meet socially once a month and any member can arrange other events to share.
WHO CAN JOIN NORLETS?
Anyone living in or around Norwich can join. Currently there are members from various parts of Norfolk as well as those who live in the city. People who are not in the city can either trade with other members in their area, commute to trade in the city or trade via the internet or telephone. The potential as we grow in numbers is very exciting and the range of skills available continues to expand and diversify. All of this will be complemented by the NORLETS website as it becomes increasingly interactive.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
NORLETS annual membership costs £4 for single members, with an additional £1 for any extra members at the same address. This nominal membership fee covers costs of producing our quarterly updates.
WHY JOIN NORLETS?
The range of members and the possibilities created by NORLETS are enormous. It can open up opportunities for people unsatisfied with their current career, allowing them to expand hobbies or pastimes into a trade. It suits both those who work full time or those currently not in work. It can help people re-enter a working lifestyle as they can trade their skills as much as they are able or wish to do. It’s also a great way to meet like-minded people and find a community which actively supports its members’ needs. It could be a life-changing decision, where a person has had enough of what can seem like an endless treadmill of earning and spending.
NORLETS is a great way of maximising time. Perhaps by employing someone to do 2 hours of gardening each week, you can achieve so much more in those 2 hours by working together on the garden or focusing on other tasks. You can offer your own preferred skill for the same hourly rate. By using NORLETS you don’t need to exchange goods or services with the same person since you have a whole community of traders to exchange with.
HOW MUCH DO I CHARGE?
One of the central benefits that NORLETS community members enjoy is the equal status held by each individual. The use of the standard hourly rate of Lokes for every skill means that each person can offer what they enjoy or obtain what they want from other traders without worrying about financial viability. The trader may add on Lokes for the time it has taken to travel or prepare for the session, but the standard rate of 6 Lokes per hour should apply. So 2 hours of childcare is equal to 2 hours of business advice, 2 bottles of country wine or a shiatsu healing for instance. It is sometimes appropriate to add some cash into the payment for travel or materials. It is suggested that both parties agree upon amounts before the trade takes place.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
You are responsible for ensuring that you can provide the services you offer to a reasonable standard and for being respectful in your dealings with other members. You need to register your NORLETS income for tax purposes where it forms part of your normal business. You should also declare your NORLETS income for Income Support calculations.