Swap Talk

www.isolve.com
What it's good for: People who prize customer service. The CEOs raved about iSolve's interactive chat feature connecting users with iSolve employees known as NetReps. "The time between question and answer was about 15 seconds, and the answer was to the point," said one impressed panelist.
Don't waste your time if: You're trying to fill a shopping cart, not a truck. "I saw a digital clock for $4. I thought, Hey, I'll get four of them and give them away as Xmas gifts. Then I saw a minimum order, and it was set at $20,000," reported one reviewer.
What our CEOs had to say: Several wished that iSolve's inventory contained more services. The company is positioned as a provider of "inventory-management solutions" and consequently deals almost exclusively in products. There were also calls for a less consumer-centric mix: iSolve's chief categories are Automotive, Food and Beverage, Health and Beauty, and General Merchandise.
What you ought to know: ISolve takes a 10% commission from the seller only for each transaction.

www.lassobucks.com
What it's good for: Traders who want to be eased into the process. Our CEOs found LassoBucks.com easy to use. And they loved the offer of 100 free barter dollars (called, not surprisingly, LassoBucks) as an incentive to start bartering.
Don't waste your time if: You're looking for exhaustive inventory. Many of our CEOs found the site's offerings less than inspiring. Some suggested that the free LassoBucks might be part of the problem. In order to get them, users must post something of their own to trade, possibly resulting in listings from "members who do not really take the site seriously," suggested one panelist.
What our CEOs had to say: The LassoBucks site fared poorly on customer service, offering little in the way of online help or phone support. "Clicking on the 'Contact Us' link led the user not to a phone number but to the company's FAQ, which is not an FAQ at all but a comprehensive explanation of online bartering," reported one CEO. (The E-mail addresses of certain departments are also listed.) Another panelist complained about having to become a member to search the inventory, something that's not required by the other sites.
What you ought to know: LassoBucks charges both buyers and sellers a 5% fee for each transaction.

www.targetbarter.com
What it's good for: Someone shopping for the family: TargetBarter is a consumer-to-consumer company. "I would probably go to a site like this for home or personal items," said one CEO.
Don't waste your time if: You care about smooth surfing. Few CEOs wanted to return after struggling with a site they called "not well designed." They did award high marks, however, to TargetBarter's customer service.
What our CEOs had to say: Some complained about "vague" or "long-winded" product descriptions. "The site will have to enable visitors to better evaluate the quality of products and services," said one.
What you ought to know: TargetBarter charges buyers a 10% fee for each transaction over $25. For purchases of $25 or less the customer is charged $2.50. New members receive a $250 line of credit if they post a trade.

www.ubarter.com
What it's good for: People who like options: Ubarter.com's inventory was ranked second only to Bigvine's. Still, there was some damning with faint praise: the CEOs used words like "adequate" and "decent" to describe Ubarter's listings. And it did not receive a grade higher than a B in any category.
Don't waste your time if: You're antsy about providing personal information. Several panelists were turned off by Ubarter's registration form, which "forces users to opt out of promotions and then still states in its privacy policy that users may be contacted from time to time and will be tracked while on the Ubarter site."
What our CEOs had to say: Besides tripping privacy alarms, Ubarter's registration process was arduous, according to the panelists, with "six separate screens in which they ask for credit-card information," reported one CEO. "Yet they don't give you all the specifics until the last screen."
What you ought to know: Ubarter charges buyers and sellers a 5% fee for each transaction.

The bottom line
Our panelists proclaimed Bigvine the big winner among Web-based bartering sites. The company got the best grade given in every category. On average, BarterTrust scored at the bottom. Our CEOs dismissed the site because they didn't like its model -- a Web and human hybrid. But others may find the assistance of human brokers to be valuable.

The panelists liked using iSolve but felt it was too skewed toward large-volume deals to be of practical use to them; they also complained about the lack of service offerings. Ubarter had the opposite problem: good inventory but a bad registration process. LassoBucks was welcoming and user-friendly, but panelists were unimpressed with the quality of some of the listings. And TargetBarter suffered from design problems, although the CEOs gave it a B+ for customer service and applauded its "knowledgeable" phone representatives.

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