200rndHow many times have you phoned someone in response to their offering ad, only to be told that they are no longer selling for Talents, or that they are now selling for part Talents and part Rands, or they quote you a price in Rands only?

This seems to happen far too frequently. One gets the impression that everyone wants to buy for Talents but sell for Rands. In other words they want to receive things for free but receive money for what they sell. That doesn’t seem fair, and certainly is not in the spirit of the Talent Exchange.

If everyone sells for Talents only then we create a virtuous circle where everyone benefits and there is a spiral to the top. We will reach a situation where we are able to trade confidently without money. The moment there is a Rand component anywhere it introduces a vicious circle that drags us all to the bottom. We are back where we started in the world of mistrust that is the product of debt-based money.

Aside from banning Rands altogether, we can all play a part in creating a Talents-only culture by taking these simple steps:

  • If someone phones to obtain something that you have advertised for Talents, ask them first what they are selling and whether they sell for Talents only. If they mention Rands then say that you will sell to them for the same combination of Talents and Rands as they are requesting for their offerings. That will either put them off or they will get the point and change their offerings.
  • If someone emails you in response to one of your offering adverts, first check their balance and what they are offering before responding. If they have no offerings or are heavily in debit then refuse outright to sell to them; if they have a Rand component in their offerings then respond that for those who do not sell for Talents only your price is always the same combination of Talents and Rands as their offerings. Again, this will either put them off or they will get the point and change their offerings.
  • If the potential buyer has no offerings then refuse to sell to them. Challenge them to add some Talents-only offerings. Say you are sorry but you only sell to users who advertise for Talents only.
  • If the potential buyer is heavily in debit (you will have to check this before agreeing to sell to them), say that you only sell to people who give back to the exchange as much as they have received, and that you prefer selling to people who advertise for Talents only.
  • If you receive a number of requests for your offering – say by email – always make your decision about whom to sell to by first looking at the potential buyers’ offerings and trading records. Select the user who advertises for all Talents and has a good standing (i.e. they are not heavily in debit and have given as much as they have received). Respond to those whose offerings include a Rand component by saying that you prefer not to sell to those who request Rands in their offerings, and that your first choice is always someone who has Talent-only offerings.
  • When compiling your Talent-only offerings, mention that you prefer to sell to those who offer for Talents only and that if anyone wants what you are offering then your price is Talents only for those who offer for Talents only but a combination of Talents and Rands for those who offer for Talents and Rands.