Bartering in the USA has become a lost art.
Our American culture is usually one of "pay the price posted on the item to be purchased".
We usually never question the price and complain about what we payed for an item or congratulate ourselves because we "got a good deal!".
In Tanzania, bartering for prices is expected and can be fun if you are willing to do it.
When you go to purchase certain items, one will greet the shop owner, talk about family and current events and then you ask about the price for the particular item you are interested in purchasing. Then the shop owner tells about his tough business times, family problems, etc and then says he can sell the item you would like to purchase for a particular price.
Then the fun begins - offers and counter offers - until a price is agreed upon.
This is customary in Tanzania and if one does NOT do it, then it is almost an insult to the shop owner or they think "you are not a very smart person and I will sell you this item for the highest price I can get!"
Bibles are another story. Many people have received free Bibles over the years from different ministry groups. Most people have come to expect missionaries to give them free Bibles all the time. But we have seen these "free Bibles" being traded for other items and even being sold in the local markets!
So we started "bartering for Bibles" with the Maasai. This is done so that people will have owner ship in the Bibles and have invested something in it, which makes it of value to the person who receives it. Usually a Bible is traded for bracelets (ankle and wrist), necklaces (beaded and cross), earrings, rungus (roon goos - a stick with a knob on the end used for protection and/or show of eldership position, fimbos (feem bows - walking sticks), food items (milk/eggs/vegetables) and the occasional animal (but no one has followed through with that one YET).
One day we went through a "Maasai market" and traded Bibles for many things that the women had made. It was slow at first, but it became a brisk business with people chasing us down to trade their items for Bibles.
It has become a fun experience to do barter because we provide Bibles for the Maasai in areas where Bibles are not available, it gives people a sense of pride to trade their handwork for Bibles, the Maasai are definitely getting the better end of the bargain, we accumulate authentic Maasai crafts to give away in the USA to our prayer partners, and we make many friends in the process which later gives us ministry opportunites in these same areas.
It works for us - so come on out and join in on the fun when we do this!
