Barter Your Way Up

[Maksutov]

In the eBay thread sarongsong mentioned craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org/), a virtual marketplace that offers all sorts of ways to buy, sell, and barter. Here's an intriguing story about someone who started with a red paperclip (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060417/ap_on_hi_te/paper_clip_to_house;_ylt=AufirDyPSvpaRZ6tI8fZWsOs0 NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-) and wound up, in part by means of craigslist, with...well, check out the story.

[ToSeek]

That's bizarre.

[Arneb]

Wow, that's kind of the anti-"Hans im Glück (http://www.fln.vcu.edu/grimm/hans_dual.html)".

Hans im Glück (Lucky John) is a fairy tale by the Grimm brothers about someone who is given a lump of gold by a fairy and trades this for successively lower value items - only that he is alway happy with the trade. He ends up with a grinding stone, and when that falls off the edge of a waterwell, he says, oh lucky me, now I don't have to lug the the thing around any more".

[Maksutov]

Wow, that's kind of the anti-"Hans im Glück (http://www.fln.vcu.edu/grimm/hans_dual.html)".[edit]Well, as Schönberg might have said, "Er hat die glückliche Hand."

[Arneb]

Well, as Schönberg might have said, "Er hat die glückliche Hand."
So true. Am I detecting mentality-related reporting biases here? The Germans immortalize the story of the friendly, ecinomically inept poor guy, and in America the successful "from paperclip to own house" upwardly mobile barterer makes the headlines...

[GDwarf]

I'd say he has a good career in front of him, I mean, why stop at a house? One day he may own half of Mexico or some such :P.

Actually, stopping at a house would probably be a good idea, eventually you'll reach the point where this strategy just won't work, it really only works if the person you're trading with has two of an item, or doesn't want an item they have, and are willing to give it to you for something they do want, and once you start getting expensive enough, that situation just doesn't occur.

[farmerjumperdon]

Ready, set, go!

For trade:

<> 4 old PC's (3 that work to varying degrees)
<> circa late 60's Arctic Cat snowmobile, Panther, good for parts only
<> 1984 Toyota Celica, good for parts only
<> Several tons of old crumbling limestone/sandstone barn foundation
<> 1951 Packard convertible, needs work, but fairly rare
<> 150 sq ft parachute, make a nice camping shelter (old)
<> 500 gallon oil tank (from old oil furnace setup)
<> 1959 John Deere tractor
<> 10 & 20 gallon fishtanks
<> 5 disc carousel CD player
<> At least 2 old funtional cassette decks
<> 2 old TV's (want a TV w/knobs for nostalgic purposes?)
<> Broken VHS player

Too much to list! Send your want list! My junk could be your junk!

Time to clean out the barn! Make me an offer!

[Eric Vaxxine]

I have some very sought after and valubale items, but I want to trade the unusual ones first.

Genuine London dust, accumulated only in the finest crevices.

Limescale from a a 1920's teapot, formerly owned by someone famous who we have forgotton the name of.

a 1977 2p copper coin.

My memory of an advert I saw once in 1989 that went so: " This is a test transmission from the 21st century" (at least I thought it was an advert).


No, but seriously, I am the only person in the world who hasn't traded on Ebay. I just don't desire trade for trade alone. And I don't seek articles, unless I really need them to survive.