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Of the rash of bartering sites that appeared in 2006, only a few survive. But their patrons believe money-less exchange is the way forward for a green lifestyle.
2006年时易物网站如雨后春笋般涌现，而如今这些网站已经所剩无几了。但易物网站的忠实顾客们却坚信这种免费交换才是人们所向往的绿色生活方式。
In 2006, Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald, who bartered his way from a single red paper clip to a house, through a series of online trades became a much-told tale.
2006年，加拿大博主凯尔•麦克唐纳德的易物故事被传为佳话，他以一枚红色曲别针，经过数次网上交易，最后换了套别墅。
Shanghai native Li Huizhu has swapped coupons and show tickets given by the nursery school where she teaches, and cosmetics gifted by friends and colleagues, for more than 500 items of everyday use. This has helped her accumulate all the shampoo and soaps her family has needed over the two years that she has been bartering.
上海人李慧珠（音译）用自己任教的幼儿园发的代金券和戏票，以及同事朋友送的化妆品换来500多件日用品。在过去2年里，她家里的洗发水和香皂都是通过这种方式换来的。
"Everything, except for money, is exchangeable on the bartering website. All you do is upload a picture of the items you don't want, write a few words about it, leave your contact information and then, just wait and see what happens," says Li.
李女士说：“在易物网上，除了钱什么都可以用来交换。你只要把闲置的东西拍个照片挂到网上，附几行说明，再留下联系方式，接下来就等着看结果吧。”
"The only rule to follow is to be honest with what you deal. Don't brag about or hide anything. And keep in mind the item's utility for the other side," Li adds.
她还说：“易物时唯一要遵循的原则是坚守诚信，对于交换物品不要夸大或有所隐瞒。还要考虑到物品对他人的实用性。”
But Sun Yumin, one of the founders of a Shanghai-based bartering website, and Li's friend, believes successful bartering calls for "a special talent" - a combination of a salesman's persuasiveness and a collector's shrewdness.
作为上海某易物网的创始人之一，李女士的朋友孙玉敏（音译）认为成功易物需要具备特殊才能——要兼具销售员的好口才和收藏家的精明。
"Bartering is based on trust. There is never a guarantee of satisfaction. And conflicts occur frequently, especially when it comes to electronic gadgets," Sun says.
孙玉敏表示：“以物换物要基于信任，因为无法承诺绝对满意。矛盾随时可能产生，特别是对于那些电子类产品。”
To minimize troubles, the swapping of goods is usually done face-to-face, so that the items can be examined personally before a deal is sealed.
为了减少纠纷，易物族们通常选择当面交易，这样可以现场验货。
These personal meetings also lead to unlikely friendships.
这种单独会面也有可能令你收获意外的友谊。
"Girls and boys my son's age come to me for help with telling fakes from originals, and secondhand from new. I feel young and happy hanging out with them," Li says.
李女士说：“好多同我儿子一样大的男孩女孩经常要我帮忙，鉴别真伪，区分新品还是旧货。我觉得和他们呆在一起，人都年轻了，也很开心。”
According to Sun, 70 percent of the website's members are young white-collar workers, with retired or middle-aged computer literate people comprising the rest.
据孙玉敏说，70%的换客是年轻白领，剩下的则是喜爱上网的中年以及退休人士。
The most popular items are discount shopping cards, bakery coupons and show tickets that have a precise value.
最受换客们欢迎的是商场打折卡，蛋糕店抵金券和戏票这类有明确价值的物件。
Hundreds of bartering websites cropped up in 2007, when the legend of Kyle MacDonald swept through the country.
2007年时，凯尔•麦克唐纳德的传奇故事传遍中国，数百家易物网站在2007年遍地开花。
But most were unable to turn in a profit and shut down. Since they provide a free service to those users, some sites make money only through advertisements posted by other online stores, and that is often just enough to offset its basic costs.
但大都因为效益不佳而关门大吉。由于这些网站为用户提供免费服务，有的网站只能靠其它网店投放的广告费来赚钱，而这些通常只够支付网站的基本运营费用。
The only reason for its survival, Sun says, is that it is free. That leaves little scope for any expansion, in spite of its increasing popularity.
而少数易物网站之所以能够存活下来正是因为免费服务这点，尽管这些网站的人气与日俱增，但很难扩大经营规模。
