Well if any survive a full out SHFT event.
yes there will be lots of trade goods;
spices
trade skills
bullets .22lr / .22mag
bullets big bore

TP

To make your list look back 200 years. Salt will be one of the most important for the preservation of foods of all kinds. Without it you will die for more reasons than one. Simple metal tools. Hammers, axes of different types, shovels, scythes and just the heads. Handles will be made as required. Ammunition certainly. .22 will be one of the most sought after. It is an effective hunting round and unlike larger, more powerful calibers will not erode and wear the barrel of your firearm. Hydrocarbons and substitutes for lubrication as opposed to fuel. Metal and the ability to work it and repair it. A pot with a hole in it will be of little use. The return of the tinker... and the "tinkers dam"..LOLOL !!! Screws, nails, nuts and bolts.... virtually impossible to make without machinery and power of some sort. Sugar will be a luxury; coffee and tea less so. The list goes on.

Alcohol...one of our neighbours would trade his wife and kids for a drop if it runs out 😆

In our valley there are china pear trees on a lot of the properties and we were told the other day by a local that those are the properties that used to run a still and make there own alcohol from the china pears.

I would like to set up a still to make fuel for things like water pumps and any other petrol driven items.

I read an interesting history on prohibition in the US and it wasn't about temperance but about the oil companies stopping people from making their own fuel to sell or run their own vehicles. 😕

Another one would be toilet paper...there are interesting episodes of MASH where the supply trucks were late and toilet paper was one thing that was running short, also every time they looked at bugging out there are scenes of them packing toilet paper.

I think soap will be a good one as well because people like to be clean...it keeps them feeling human.

Alcohol, .22lr and cigarettes.

I trade Gun cotton, and fix things. 😈

I tend to believe, given the area of southern Ontario where I live, that things like salt wouldn't be that hard to come by as there's a major salt mine near Sarnia (I think that's it). I also live in an area that is literally surrounded by wineries, so alcohol can't be that hard to come by - and I'm sure the proliferation of local stills that would pop up would be a quick supply as well.
Nails could be blacksmithed. Screws would be hard to find, as they are time and labor intensive to make by hand in any real quantity.

I'd wager that spices such as pepper would be a barter commodity. Not just for flavouring, but for it's meat preservation use (rub it on carcass to keep off flies in warmer weather). There are medicinal herbs that would appear, but I haven't heard of anyone growing black pepper in my area at all 🙂

Toilet paper I think would be huge. There's a plant nearby me that makes paper goods, but without a supply of tree material (pulp I'd assume) it's not of much use. Which brings me to wood as a commodity, as I'm sure many areas would be stripped clear for heating purposes if it got really bad.

Ammo I think is a huge barter item. Also the skill, knowledge and equipment for reloading shot shells and cartridges. I'd plan on stocking up on reloading supplies as well.
I think it's near impossible to reload .22 by hand from what I gathered from my reloading manuals. I'd set up my local business on reloading shells - likely I'd trade spent shells in some ratio for reloads.

Sweetener would probably be well received as well, at least until the flow of honey and possibly maple syrup picks up. I only know of two fellows in the Niagara Region that keep hives (could be more, I just don't know of them) and one two farms that produce maple syrup in any decent quantity.

Speaking for myself, I'd be very interested in trading for boots or shoes. I'm not capable of producing them. Certain tools as well, although I'm working on learning to building my own through blacksmithing. I'd also be willing to trade for certain scrap metals, if I couldn't salvage for myself. I'd trade quite a lot for an operating or easily fixable hit and miss steam engine for sure.

Myself, I don't think I'd bother trading for gold and silver if it was really really bad. Hard to fill up on those metals. I do believe that having gold and/or silver on hand for when it doesn't get really bad but WHEN the economy goes into a real crapper is a great investment.

Just some thoughts.

Runs With Scissors

Actually, good point on the boots/shoes. I know some basic leatherwork, and have some tools and a bit of leather, and books on brain-tanning and the ways the Natives did it. Always wanted to try it, but haven't gotten a deer. I might try and pop a few squirrels and see how it goes, and buy some patterns. I know Tandy (A major leather supplier, a factory outlet in Mississauga is where I get my supplies) has patterns for moccasins and Native "Plains Boot". They also sell patterns for wallets, holsters (MANY patterns XD ), saddle bags, purses, medicine bags. I have a book ( from a series of 3) that shows how to make all sorts of cases, be it for knives and tools, thermos's and cameras, and then some hunting bags shotgun shell cases.

Tandy is still in business? They closed all their retail stores. Could you please provide a link to website and outlet info please.

You can be sure that if TSHTF comes around, Hemp will flourish again. Rope, cloth and paper (ass wipe too) what more could you want. And please no whacky tobaccy please. Grow it in your own corn field. (I'll take an once please)

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.ca/en-cad/home/home.aspx
They have stores in Mississauga (5562 Tomken Road), Scarborough (671 Kennedy Rd A-107), and Barrie (551 Welham Rd Unit #16) within Ontario.

Thanks for the info Rachel

I love Tandy. In Mississauga at least, they're pretty good with helping you out, giving tool demos, I think they even run classes. I got started with one of the beginners kits. The website also has helpful videos.

Spices are cheap if you buy them in bulk. Many spices would be unavailable after the SHTF and would make excellent trade items. RachelM already mentioned this. Get yourself a good supply of small plastic bags and you are off to the races.

Viable heirloom/traditional seeds, seedlings, gardening tools.