How one red paperclip can get you a house

Yesterday I "StumbledUpon" this Wiki page, about this blogger who started out with one red paperclip and, over the course of a year, bartered his way up to a house. It shows what you can do with enough determination and some good ideas.

- On July 14, 2005, he went to Vancouver and traded the paperclip for a fish-shaped pen.

- He then traded the pen the same day for a hand-sculpted doorknob from Seattle, Washington, which he nicknamed "Knob-T".

- On July 25, 2005, he traveled to Amherst, Massachusetts, with a friend to trade the Knob-T for a Coleman camp stove (with fuel).

- On September 24, 2005, he went to San Clemente, California, and traded the camp stove for a Honda generator.

- On November 16, 2005, he made a second (and successful) attempt (after having the generator confiscated by the New York City Fire Department) in Maspeth, Queens, to trade the generator for an "instant party": an empty keg, an IOU for filling the keg with the beer of the holder's choice, and a neon Budweiser sign.

- On December 8, 2005, he traded the "instant party" to Quebec comedian and radio personality Michel Barrette for one Ski-doo snowmobile.

- Within a week of that, he traded the snowmobile for a two-person trip to Yahk, British Columbia, in February 2006.
- On or about January 7, 2006, the second person on the trip to Yahk traded Kyle a cube van for the privilege.

- On or about February 22, 2006, he traded the cube van for a recording contract with Metalworks in Mississauga, Ontario.

- On or about April 11, 2006, he traded the recording contract to Jody Gnant for a year's rent in Phoenix, Arizona.
- On or about April 26, 2006, he traded the one year's rent in Phoenix, Arizona, for one afternoon with Alice Cooper.

- On or about May 26, 2006, he traded the one afternoon with Alice Cooper for a KISS motorized snow globe.

- On or about June 2, 2006, he traded the KISS motorized snow globe to Corbin Bernsen for a role in the film Donna on Demand.

- On or about July 5, 2006, he traded the movie role for a two-story farmhouse in Kipling, Saskatchewan.

Source

That story was not what I was expecting! I was thinking about how you might be explaining some shenanigans with the paperclip to open a door. But, this is much better! That's some excellent strategic trading!

FYI this story is cool, but it's like 5 years old..

He documented the entire thing in real time. It took lots of trades to get there, and a big part of his success was the attention his website got. This story was even featured in major news outlets.

So yeah, you can start with a paperclip and end up with a house, but it's pretty much a second job for a year or more. =]

sounds like the dood
who traded his Honda generator for a Coleman stove
got hosed

Inspirational story...if you own a red paperclip

Bull, who is stupid enough to trade a generator for a camp stove?

Originally posted by phroziac
Bull, who is stupid enough to trade a generator for a camp stove?

Someone who hasn't had a hot meal for ages?

reply to post by phroziac


I think you may be missing the point. Many of the trades had more to do with the idea, than the actual value of the items being traded. The whole idea of the project was just to see how far he could go and what he could get. If you liked the idea and wanted to be a part of it, you would obviously offer something with more worth.

I bet his travel/hotel costs cost more than the house over that time,

But interesting and shows what can be achieved to reach an goal.

Thanks.

Elf

reply to post by sylvie


HAHA! "The Office" did a spoof of "One red paperclip" with Dwight trading a thumb tack during an office garage sale.

Meanwhile, Dunder Mifflin Scranton's warehouse and crew host a public garage sale. During the sale, Dwight attempts to walk away with the most expensive item by trading smaller items with his office mates beginning with a thumbtack (a reference to One red paperclip) and continuously trading up from table to table.

One item on Jim and Pam's table that piques his interest is a packet of "miracle legumes." Dwight initially believes that they contain no magic, but is astonished when they reappear after Jim had seemingly destroyed the packet. Eventually, his curiosity gets the better of him and he trades Jim a $150 telescope for the legumes.

At the end of the episode, Dwight is seen planting the seeds and Jim secretly replaces the empty pots with full-grown plants. en.wikipedia.org...(The_Office)

Wish I could get a video of it. It's hilarious.