NOT ON FRONT PAGE

Barter a Paperclip for a Home

Trading Up with Craigslist

Kyle MacDonald was a bum. He had no job and was mooching off his girlfriend for a place to live. He thought he needed to do something about his predicament, so rather than go out and get a job, he started trading objects using the Craigslist classifieds website. He had a red paperclip, which he traded up for a fish shaped pen. He traded the fishy pen for a doorknob. The doorknob for a camping stove. On and on it went until he traded into a home in Saskatchewan.

Kyle turned his story into a bubbly book destined for best-sellerdom. One Red Paperclip is published by Three Rivers Press and was released on August 21, 2007.

SCORE
0.3 out of 10
GENDER
30% Men70% Women
MARKETTop markets: North America, Europe
GENERATION
  • Gen Z
  • Gen Alpha
  • Gen X
  • Millennial (primary audience)
POPULARITY
Popularity 0%
Activity 0%
Freshness 8%

Solutions for innovators working at the edge of change. We help transform emerging ideas into practical, durable solutions by combining strategic thinking, creative exploration, and hands-on execution.

Trends © 2026 Trend Hunter Inc. All Rights Reserved.
LinkedIn Instagram X