My new digital barter dollar

I had this idea come to me and I started buying these. It is a little USB port powered LED light. These cost about $0.7 each when you purchase a pack of ten on amazon. That is the delivered cost.



Once you hold these and see the utility, and understand that they will last for years and will hold their value and you realize that you can not buy one of them for a dollar they start to take on the nature of a barter currency. Everyone just about has these little USB ports everywhere. They are found on just about every device nowadays. In a way, these should hold a $1 value for a long time. I have only purchased 50 so far. I have given a few away as gifts and put them in USB chargers as night lights all over the place. I keep some in my wallet to put them in battery bank devices to use as lights. This is going to become my little barter dollar coin. It has all of the attributes of a dollar coin. It is small. It is lightweight and durable. It can be easily shown to function. It has inherent value in that is a tiny but useful device. This is to say that like any digital coin it has a built-in value that is durable and relatively in this case fairly fixed.



In this image, I show one of these plugged into an old USB charger and I used a Pringles container as a diffuser.

originally posted by: machineintelligence
I had this idea come to me and I started buying these. It is a little USB port powered LED light. These cost about $0.7 each when you purchase a pack of ten on amazon. That is the delivered cost.

Once you hold these and see the utility, and understand that they will last for years and will hold their value and you realize that you can not buy one of them for a dollar they start to take on the nature of a barter currency. Everyone just about has these little USB ports everywhere. They are found on just about every device nowadays. In a way, these should hold a $1 value for a long time. I have only purchased 50 so far. I have given a few away as gifts and put them in USB chargers as night lights all over the place. I keep some in my wallet to put them in battery bank devices to use as lights. This is going to become my little barter dollar coin. It has all of the attributes of a dollar coin. It is small. It is lightweight and durable. It can be easily shown to function. It has inherent value in that is a tiny but useful device. This is to say that like any digital coin it has a built-in value that is durable and relatively in this case fairly fixed.

In this image, I show one of these plugged into an old USB charger and I used a Pringles container as a diffuser.

Not sure about the feasability of this..but..SnF for summoning your inner Blade Runner.

Would it work? Not sure...cool idea though..

a reply to: machineintelligence

don't hold your breath waiting for it to take off. most people have tons of things that put out light.

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

I am not exactly heavily invested in them. I just realized they do have the attributes of a barter currency. Like any barter item someone does have to want them of course.

a reply to: machineintelligence

Those are neat.
Did you get them on Amazon?
Not having any luck finding them.......

originally posted by: machineintelligence
I had this idea come to me and I started buying these. It is a little USB port powered LED light. These cost about $0.7 each when you purchase a pack of ten on amazon. That is the delivered cost.

Once you hold these and see the utility, and understand that they will last for years and will hold their value and you realize that you can not buy one of them for a dollar they start to take on the nature of a barter currency. Everyone just about has these little USB ports everywhere. They are found on just about every device nowadays. In a way, these should hold a $1 value for a long time. I have only purchased 50 so far. I have given a few away as gifts and put them in USB chargers as night lights all over the place. I keep some in my wallet to put them in battery bank devices to use as lights. This is going to become my little barter dollar coin. It has all of the attributes of a dollar coin. It is small. It is lightweight and durable. It can be easily shown to function. It has inherent value in that is a tiny but useful device. This is to say that like any digital coin it has a built-in value that is durable and relatively in this case fairly fixed.

In this image, I show one of these plugged into an old USB charger and I used a Pringles container as a diffuser.

Just for transparency.... you don't happen to have any vested interest, I.P., stock investment etc in the company or companies that make these gadgets...do you?

o_O

I think we will see the end of USB ports soon, kinda make them redundant then, maybe

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe


10pcs JacobsParts 3 LED USB Portable Night Light Bright Mini Keychain Camping Car Lamp Module
Brand: JacobsParts

a reply to: Raggedyman

USB ports will just become very cheap. I have perhaps a dozen that are just too underpowered to charge a modern phone but work just fine to power these little 40ma LED lights

a reply to: machineintelligence

Creative but there are still many things you can do with a dollar bill that you can't with those like make it rain in the champagne room, tip a hot waitress (imagine tossing her a few of these things? Instant side of spit in your next meal) and you certainly can't roll these up for, well, you figure it out.

a reply to: SleeperHasAwakened

No. My total investment is 50 pieces or $35.45. I just thought they kind of have the characteristics of a kind of barter dollar.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Barter is not really money. It is good for what it is. Make it rain. That was a funny thought.

originally posted by: machineintelligence
Barter is not really money.

In your case you're using them as a form of currency as you're placing a monetary value on them, that of $1.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

That is the point of the thread. They have a fixed value in that you can not buy one for a dollar but if you buy them in bulk and hold some in reserve and someone wants one they can not go purchase one for a dollar so it is basicly a sale. If they do not need one or more of these but can understand their inherent utility they might take one or more for the trade value. Barter will exist longer than the dollar I expect.

a reply to: machineintelligence

Only sustainable as long as theres power to run the port.

No power = no value = no demand = no barter worth.

People can always rub two sticks together to create light in the form of fire which that fire creates heat and a method of sustainability through cooking a food source.

Unfortunately your little lights have no multifunctional ability especially in the event of no power.

Call me heartless but shallow idea at best.

a reply to: machineintelligence

That isn't bartering.

a reply to: machineintelligence

Thank you kindly!!

a reply to: CthruU

I just do not think of a power down situation I guess. I am into solar and renewable power and durable battery devices. I will not be in a power down situation in my lifetime I expect. Perhaps others will I guess. I for one will have the lights on.

Bartering is trading goods, currency is currency.
Having said that, the markup could be good if you dressup the case, hide the guts and could get it into the impulse items isle at any big store chains.
The biggest issue I see is the usb. Specifically being obsolete soon.
My phone charger doesn't even have a usb anymore.
You'd have to continually update your plug with the changing cellphone market.
Which you probably could do.
I knew a millionaire that made the junk walmart car stuff like sand filled cup holders and vanity mirrors.

a reply to: machineintelligence

Wrong! Money must also be hard to replicate which this is not.