Blu Dot Swap Meet

You could get a sofa for a song.

Blu Dot furniture company is inviting people who have no cash — but some kind of talent or oddball collectible — to try to swap it for one of their hip home furnishings.

The Blu Dot Swap Meet looks like an offbeat version of the popular barter classifieds on Craigslist. Other swapping websites like Swaptree and Freecycle, allow users to barter goods they don't want for stuff they do want. With a down economy, swapping is taking off.

Minneapolis-based Blu Dot calls it "creative currency," but it's also a way to give their modern furniture line, which includes chairs, tables, sofas, lamps, shelves and desks, more exposure.

Barterers peruse the Blu Dot online marketplace (www.bludot.com) to pick out their gotta-have piece of furniture and then post a photo and desciption of the goods or services they'll trade for it. Users can rate whether a bid is swap-worthy, but Blu Dot has the final say.

The Swap Meet, which is open until March 11, already has a unconventional collection of bids from around the country .
There's offers of snowboarding lessons for a sectional sofa, three boxes of vintage DC comic books for a Nick dining table and a cuddle with a cute puppy for a king-sized bed. Some bidders — like the guy who's bartering a can of sarcasm or the aspiring songwriter who'll write and record a tune for you — are hoping their cleverness will score them a Blu Dot treasure.