Been meaning to pick up a copy of that book. So, how did the people who had the land for these bartering exchanges get paid? In goods? I would imagine that they were paid mostly in cash--probably American dollars. Otherwise, the land owners face the same problems that you already mentioned--not having what you want, and difficult to work out a "price" based on goods alone. As a land owner, not sure I'd want a bunch of stuff that I had no use for, unless I was willing to turn around and actively barter the stuff myself.