A mutual credit trade circle
for providers of goods and services
Q. What is the Circlo mutual credit trade circle?
A. Circlo is a place to exchange ideas and goods and services. The Circlo mutual credit trade circle is a marketplace with a mutual credit payment platform, also known as modern barter. It is a peer-to-peer exchange. Every member of the trade circle has a barter unit i.e. mutual credit account and the ability to send and receive barter units to and from any other member of the trade circle.
Q. What's the benefit of exchanging on Circlo and using mutual credit payment?
A. On Circlo you can:
Find a new market for your excess capacity
Generate new buying power without dipping into your cash
Create gifts and donations in mutual credit*
Network among peers
*Create free Connect accounts, see Plans page
Q. How do I use the marketplace and mutual credit payment platform?
A. Members advertise offers of goods and services and wants in the Circlo Marketplace.
When you see and offer you like, click on the ad to contact the seller. Arrange delivery of the goods or service and any payment in CAD.
Click on Chat if you would like to use Circlo messaging.
When it is time to make payment in barter units i.e. Circlo mutual credit, CadB, tap or scan the QR code of the advertisement.
You can also make CadB payment through your account dashboard, Payment.
Q. What is the Circlo mutual credit system?
A. The Circlo mutual credit system is a big IOU system where members are basically borrowing and lending or gifting credit to each other.
Every member's account starts at zero balance and a limit on the number of barter units you can send/spend and receive/get paid with. Your account is credited when you make a sale and is debited when you make a purchase.
A negative balance means you're owing some barter units and a positive balance means you're owed some barter units in the trade circle.
Q. Can I see an example?
A. A graphic designer just joined the trade circle. Her barter unit account has a limit of -200 CadB to +200 CadB (-200 to +200 barter units) and an opening balance of 0 CadB (zero barter units). She posts an ad for her service.
Another member, a bike shop owner, messages her to buy two hours of her service to create a sign. The cost is (25 CAD + 25 CadB per hour) x 2 hours = 50 CAD + 50 CadB. The buyer and seller arrange delivery of the good and CAD dollar payment. The graphic designer finishes the sign and delivers it to the bike shop owner. He pays 50 CAD as they had agreed. He pays 50 CadB through the Marketplace webshop to the graphic designer. The bike shop owner's barter unit account is debited 50 CadB and the graphic designer's barter unit account is credited 50 CadB.
Now the graphic designer has +50 CadB in her barter unit account. She looks at the ads posted in the trade circle and decides to buy some produce from a member at the farmer's market which costs 30 CAD + 10 CadB. She pays 30 CAD and transfers 10 CadB from her barter account to the food producer's barter unit account. She now has (50 - 10) = 40 CadB in her barter unit account.
How are transactions completed?
You find an item in the Circlo Marketplace that interests you. You can contact the seller for more information and to arrange delivery and payment.
The buyer and seller arrange delivery of the goods or services and dollar payment.
Barter unit payment is made through the Marketplace.
What is the value definition of the barter unit?
One Circlo barter unit, CadB, is defined as representing the same value as one Canadian dollar, CAD. The Circlo barter unit has no cash value. It is an accounting unit and a medium of exchange for the use of Circlo members.
How do members make barter unit payments?
Members use their barter unit accounts to send and receive barter units (CadB) for payment.
You click on a Marketplace item then scan or tap the QR to pay the CadB - barter unit - portion of the payment. Login with your account number and password and send the CadB payment to the seller. You can also login to your account to send any member any amount of barter units.
Use contactless barter unit payment
Can you tell me more about QR code payment?
You can pay with your phone by scanning the QR code of the Marketplace item you'd like to buy. This opens to a login page to let you pay with CadB - barter units - from your barter unit account. QR code payment provides you with an option for contactless barter unit payment at the point of delivery for a more convenient transaction.
Is there a name for the barter unit?
We call it the Circlo barter unit. To write the name add the letter "B" for barter unit to the name of the currency we reference. For example, the Canadian dollar is "CAD" and the barter unit is "CadB".
How do barter units get into the barter unit account?
The barter units are a kind of IOU among members of the trade circle. You start with no barter units, zero balance, in your barter unit account. You earn barter units when you sell goods or services in the marketplace and the buyer transfers barter units to your account. When you make a purchase with barter units, you transfer barter units to the seller's account. The barter unit account has lower and upper limits such as -200 to +200 CadB for the Trader 1 account.
How do I price items?
You use "fair market value" to price the goods and services you sell in the Circlo Trade Circle. Price items as you normally would.
You can price items in any mix Canadian dollars and barter units, CAD + CadB.
What can I do with the barter units I've earned?
You can pay for the barter unit portion of the price of goods and services in the Marketplace. You can gift or donate barter units to other members of the Trade Circle by sending barter units from your barter unit account to theirs.
Are there regulations governing the Circlo trade circle?
The Circlo trade circle is a modern barter and there are regulations in Canada and other jurisdictions governing modern barter. Sales are taxable and are to be treated as sales in any other currency would be by the seller. Members are responsible for their own taxes.
What are the advantages of the Circlo Trade Circle?
As a member of the trade circle, you can:
- connect with other providers
- discover new markets for your goods and services
- gift and donate your barter units
- conserve your dollars and increase your buying power by trading
How do I join the trade circle?
The Circlo Trade Circle is for providers of goods and services. You have to have goods or services to offer on a continual basis to join.
- Open a free Connect membership and start trading with your barter unit account. With the Connect membership, you start things off first by selling to earn barter units.
- You can continue with the Connect Plan or request upgrade to the Trader1 Plan which is a subscription service.