M.L. Nestel: Gun Ammo: The New Cash

When a man in rural upstate New York recently had central air-conditioning installed in his home, he offered an unusual method of payment for the job.

“The owner said, ‘My father just passed away and left me some guns and ammunition,’” recalls a 63-year-old electrician named Richard, who offered only his first name. “The guy gave me 3,000 rounds of 9-mm ammunition.” The bullets are worth around $900. “After that, I added it to my business card that I accept cash or bartered items.”

Richard isn’t alone. A new bartering economy in which ammo, not cash, is the preferred currency has been gaining ground, especially online. Websites like ArmsList and SpokaneGunTrade brand themselves as firearms-driven marketplaces where you can get a pool cleaned for a collection of ammo clips and a plumber will unclog your toilet in exchange for 9-mm or .40-caliber bullets. Similar ads have popped up on Craigslist. And boutique bartering pages have also surfaced on Facebook, some of which offer to trade guns for ammo.

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