My house for your car: B2B

PHUKET: Looking to expand locally what is touted as the “world’s largest international barter network”, BBX Thailand is offering to slash its sign-on fee for new members in Phuket.

The barter-credit network facilitator, founded in Australia in 1993 and currently operating in nine countries globally, held a Phuket network meeting last week at Ban See Nam restaurant.

A BBX representative told the Phuket Gazette that the first 100 businesses in Phuket to sign on will be exempt from paying the usual sign-on fee of 39,500 baht, with starting credit limits offered between 250,000 to one million baht.

Active in Phuket for about six months now, the company currently has over 300 members nationally, which include businesses in the hotel, media, restaurant, spa, transport and travel industries.

The firm entered Thailand in the 3rd quarter of 2012, with focus-markets covering Phuket, Pattaya, Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Based on a B2B “cashless platform”, the company’s barter-credit business model allows members to save significantly on procurement costs for certain goods and services from other members within the network at sub-market rates. In turn, BBX helps promote member businesses through marketing by bringing more members and thus potential clients into the network.

The company also offers members an interest-free credit line, in which members can put up their products or services in barter as payment.

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— Kanyawarat Pramprasert