HOUSTON-Garry Gillians likes a good deal.
But the odds and ends that fill his garage were acquired without spending a dime - He got them by bartering.
"People can go right to Craigslist and find almost anything they need," Gillians said.
And apparently, people are doing just that.
Hundreds of people are logging on to Craigslist and similar sites to trade goods and services.
The trades can be for anything, like a car for a kitchen remodeling.
It's a creative solution for people looking to save cash in an .
"I've traded everything from houseboats to vacations to Picasso paintings," Gillians said.
He admits the Picasso trade is rare, and that he usually trades services - like house and pool cleaning - for the goods he has on hand.
Still, not all trades are that straightforward.
"You can't trade anything blind. You need to have the product in hand at the time you do the trade," he said.
That's a warning echoed by Craigslist and other sites.
But more and more folks are finding that one man's trash is another man's treasure, and bartering just makes sense.
