Speaking at the 42nd IAPCO Annual Meeting in Quebec, British Columbian, Kyle MacDonald traded one red paperclip for one house. “Everything is achievable if you put your mind to it” he insisted. Inspired by “Bigger and Better,” a game he played as a child, Kyle told IAPCO members how he came up with the idea of trading objects over the Internet. He posted a red paper clip on Craig’s List and waited for offers. The buzz was almost instant, showing how a unique story can capture the minds and imaginations of people all over the world, and create a movement unto itself. In one year and after 14 trades, MacDonald was offered a house in exchange for his most recent trade, a movie role.
Kyle pledged that he would visit with whomever he would trade, wherever they were, swapping each time for something bigger and better. There would be no formal contracts, no lawyers, no bureaucracy, the swaps were based on trust and a shared desire to complete a genuine transaction. And the message for IAPCO members: “all is achievable if you put your mind to it, and mutual trust is everything”.
And as for the value of a paperclip, “due to the reduction in printing paper in order to save the trees, there is perhaps less requirement for the use of paperclips, hence they could become a very valuable and prized commodity!” quipped Sarah Storie-Pugh, IAPCO Administrator, a big fan of Kyle MacDonald.
Kyle MacDonald’s book “One Red Paperclip” is available from www.rbooks.co.uk
