Thanks to a link I followed from Maryam’s website, I just spent an hour reading about One Red Paperclip. In one year and fifteen trades, Kyle MacDonald bartered his way up from a red paperclip to a house.
That’s damn crazy.
I think my favorite part of the whole story is when he said on Canandian television that he’d never do a trade in Yahk, B.C., but then someone made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, only it had to be traded – you guessed it – IN YAHK. Poor Kyle. What to do? Fortunately, he found himself a loophole:
[…]You see, Jeff Cooper sent me some photos of Yahk and I’d discovered a technicality. There was a sign from Yahk that read: YAHK – UNINCORPORATED I figured that since Yahk wasn’t incorporated as a city or town or village or hamlet pretty much opened up a giant grey area as to where Yahk actually begins and ends. I could theoretically say that I’m in Yahk right now, and so can you. Yahk is everywhere and nowhere at once, so I was free to go there because it doesn’t really exist. Admittedly, an easy way out, but nevertheless, a loophole. I thought about my loophole proudly. It’s not everyday you discover a loophole. There was a way to go to Yahk after all.[…]
Anyhow, I know a few Craig’s List addicts who might be inspired to attempt something like this, right?
Congratulations, Kyle!