Thought this was good. This guy traded his way from one red paper clip to a house in the space of 9 months. He launched his website offering to swap his one red paper clip for anything swapped it for a pen a smiley face doorknob a portable BBQ a portable generator a keg of beer and party pack a snowmobile a trip to British Columbia a truck a recording contract Finally a house in Phoenix, Colorado, 1 year lease Not bad considering what he started with oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com
I remember this from several years ago. He was on the TV, it was featured heavily. I thought at the time that everybody will now try this, and wondered how it would pan out. I've not not heard of any others doing it (except one more person who did a similar thing). I wonder if people are still trying this. It relies a LOT on people being generous in their freebies/trades.
I think this only worked because of the publicity it received (with the more valuable items anyway). But essentially, it's the same as any retailer does only that they have money as an intermediary medium. There's a German fairy tale that's the exact opposite: "Hans worked hard for seven years but wishes to return to see his poor mother. His master pays him his wages which amounts to a lump of gold the size of his head. Hans puts the gold in a handkerchief and starts out on his journey jogging but soon becomes tired. He spots a rider on horseback and seeing the ease at which the horse travels he offers to exchange his lump of gold for the horse. Happy with the exchange, the man gives him the horse and Hans rides off. The horse bolts and Hans gets bucked off, whereupon he meets a shepherd who convinces Hans to trade his horse for a cow. Telling Hans that a cow can provide milk, cheese and butter and is of more leisurely company. Hans takes up on the offer and continues his journey only to find that the cow is dry and not producing any milk as he had been told. Disgruntled with the cow, Hans meets a butcher who gives him a pig for the cow. Thanking the butcher for the pig Hans sets off jogging again, hopeful he has now found an ideal travel companion. Alas, Hans meets a countryman who informs him that the pig's owner is the squire and he is in danger of being arrested for taking the squire's pig. Hans takes the countryman's goose in exchange for his pig, happy that it will provide a good roast and a supply of goose fat. At his next stop in a village Hans meets a scissor-grinder and explains his story to him. The scissor-grinder offers him a grindstone for his goose arguing that a grindstone will provide a source of income. Hans happily exchanges the goose for the grindstone. He continues on his way, but is tired carrying the grindstone and is short of money for food. Hans stops for a drink on the banks of a river, the grindstone falls into the deep water and is lost. Hans is happy to be rid of the heavy grindstone and being free of all troubles. He walks on to his mother's house and recounts his lucky tale."
Seen a few different blogs about people who do this with cars, somewhat mechanically sound people who start with a $500 piece of crap and 30 or 40 trades later end up with a nice BMW