If you have determined that commercial barter is for you, then
you should take the following steps:  

• Locate an exchange nearest you. The IRTA Membership
  Directory will enable you to search for IRTA member
  exchanges. Make sure you know why it is important for
  an exchange to be an IRTA Member Exchange or an
  IRTA Certified Exchange.
• Develop a List of Wanted Goods or Services. Identify
  10–12 items or services that you typically, and perhaps
  regularly, spend cash on. Show this list to the exchange
  you are considering and have them provide information
  on their availability.
• Determine if you will be assigned a Trade Broker within
  the exchange.
• Understand the fee structure of the exchange. Ask the
  exchange to go over any costs associated with becoming
  a member, maintaining membership annually, as well as
  the cost of trading within the exchange (transaction fees).
  Not all exchanges charge the same.
• Determine with the exchange the anticipated demand for
  your product or service within the exchange membership.
  You want to know if you should be prepared for either a
  lot of requests from exchange members or infrequent
  requests. If the exchange does not believe that there will
  be reasonable demand for your product or service, you
  should think twice about joining.
• Ask the exchange about their code of conduct and
  affiliations with organizations like the IRTA. Exchanges
  who participate in such organizations typically have a
  higher standard and work hard to protect their reputation
  within the industry. See "Why Join IRTA".
• If you have a product or service that can be sold to a
  global marketplace, ask the exchange what resources and
  affiliations they have to sell your goods in this way.
  For example, Universal Currency allows exchanges to
  access a worldwide barter marketplace.