paperclip logotmkyle head
My name is Kyle MacDonald and I traded one red paperclip for a house. I started with one red paperclip on July 12 2005 and 14 trades later, on July 12, 2006 I traded with the Town of Kipling Saskatchewan for a house located at 503 Main Street. (Click on pictures below to read about each trade!)

one red paperclip fishpen.JPG knobt.JPG  coleman.JPG  generator.JPG one instant party skidoo2 yahk2 Cintas  Cube Truck1995 one recording contract phoenix one afternoon with Alice Cooper one KISS snow globe one movie role one house click here
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le français

Le 12 Juillet 2005 , j’ai placé une photo d’un trombone rouge (one red paperclip) sur mon site internet avec la phrase suivante: Ceci ne va peut-être pas vous surprendre, mais voici une photo d’un trombone. Il est rouge. paperclip Ce trombone rouge traîne présentement sur mon bureau. Je veux échanger ce trombone avec toi pour quelque chose de mieux ou de plus gros, peut être un crayon, une cuillère ou même peut-être une botte. Si vous me promettez de faire un échange, je vais aller vous visiter ou que vous soyez pour faire l’échange. Alors si vous avez quelque chose de mieux ou de plus gros qu’une trombone rouge a échanger, email moi avec plus de détails au: oneredpaperclip@gmail.com J’espère échanger avec vous bientôt! Kyle PS Je vais continuer a échanger pour des meilleurs choses jusqu’a ce que j’obtienne une maison. Ou une île. Ou une maison sur une île… (Le site est en anglais mais si tu veux donne-moi les offres en français, ça c’est bon! Je comprendre le français mais c’est trop dure de faire un site en deux langues…) Big Thanks to http://michelcote.net pour les translations

10/19/2005 09:30:00 PM - permalink 1 comments links to this post

Português

Isto não deve ser surpresa nenhuma para si, mas a imagem abaixo é uma fotografia de um clipe. paperclip Este clipe vermelho está neste momento sobre a minha secretária, junto ao meu computador. Quero trocar este clipe por qualquer coisa sua – qualquer coisa maior ou melhor, que pode ser uma caneta, uma colher ou talvez uma bota. Se me prometer fazer a troca, eu disponho-me a ir visitá-la/o, onde quer que esteja, para trocar o clipe . Portanto, se tiver para a troca alguma coisa maior ou melhor do que um clipe vermelho, envie-me um email com os pormenores para oneredpaperclip@gmail.com . Espero fazer uma troca consigo brevemente! Kyle P.S. Vou fazer uma sucessão contínua de "trocas para melhor" até conseguir ficar com uma casa. Ou uma ilha. Ou uma casa e uma ilha. Dá para perceber a ideia, não dá? Thanks to Luis Miguel Viterbo for the translation!

10/19/2005 07:33:00 PM - permalink 0 comments links to this post

Un clip rojo


AHORA EN ESPANOL AQUI!


Esto no debe sorprenderles, pero abajo está la fotografía de un clip. Es rojo. paperclip Este clip rojo está ahora en mi escritorio junto a mi computadora. Quiero cambiar este clip con ustedes por algo más grande o mejor, quizá una pluma, una cuchara o quizá una bota. Si me prometen hacer el trato entonces iré a visitarles, donde quiera que estén, para hacer el trueque. Así que si tienen algo más grande o mejor que un clip rojo para cambiar, mándenme un correo con los detalles a oneredpaperclip@gmail.com ¡Espero hacer un trato con ustedes pronto! Kyle PD Voy a hacer una cadena continua de trueques hasta conseguir una casa. O una isla. O una casa en una isla. Ya ven. Gracias to Roberto Martínez of http://www.montrealmontreal.com/

10/19/2005 07:26:00 PM - permalink 6 comments links to this post

En rød binders

12. Juli, 2005; Dette vil kanskje ikke komme som en overraskelse, men nedenfor er det et bilde av en binders. Den er rød paperclip Denne røde bindersen ligger akkurat nå på skrivebordet mitt ved siden av pcen min. Jeg vil bytte denne bindersen med deg for noe større eller bedre, kanskje en penn, en skje eller kanskje en støvel. Hvis du lover å gjøre byttehandelen med meg, vil jeg komme og besøke deg, hvor hen du er, for å bytte. Så, hvis du har noe større eller bedre enn en rød binders du vil bytte, send meg en e-mail med detaljene til oneredpaperclip@gmail.com Håper vi får til en byttehandel snart! Kyle P.S. Jeg kommer til å fortsette å bytte ting helt til jeg får et hus. Eller en øy. Eller et hus på en øy. Du forstår tankegangen. Thanks to Jon Even Rosengren for the translation!

10/19/2005 05:29:00 PM - permalink 0 comments links to this post

deutsch

12. Juli 2005 Das wird Euch sicherlich nicht sehr ueberraschen, aber unten ist eine Bueroklemme abegebildet. Sie ist rot. paperclip fixed up Diese rote Bueroklemme liegt derzeit auf meinem Schreibtisch neben dem PC. Ich moechte diese Bueroklemme fuer etwas groesseres oder auch besseres mit Euch tauschen, vielleicht gegen einen Kugelschreiber, einen Loeffel oder gar einen Stiefel. Wenn Ihr versprecht, den Tausch zu machen, werde ich Euch dort besuchen kommen, wo immer Ihr auch seid, um den Tausch zu vollziehen. Also, habt Ihr was besseres, groesseres zu tauschen, dann schreibt mir bitte eine mail mit den Details an oneredpaperclip@gmail.com. Auf dass wir bald miteinander tauschen! Kyle PS Ich beabsichtige immer weiter aufwaerts zu tauschen, bis ich ein Haus bekomme, oder eine Insel, oder ein Haus auf einer Insel. Kapiert? **Danke to Gloria Gouty for the translation.

10/19/2005 04:47:00 PM - permalink 0 comments links to this post

FAQ

Q: What initially inspired the idea to do what you are doing?
A: A game called Bigger or Better. You start with a small object and trade it for a bigger or better object. Repeat. Usually a kids game. More knocking on doors, less internet.

Q:How did people find your website in the beginning, before it got media attention?
A: www.craigslist.org - barter section

Q: Job? A: Writer / Trade Show rep.

Q: How far will you travel to make a trade? Will you go anywhere?
A: Yes, I will go anywhere in the world to make a trade...especially Yahk, British Columbia Canada.

Q: Is this a joke?
A: No.

Q: Is this real?
A: Yes.

Q: How much money do you spend for the objects you get?
A: Nothing. It is strictly barter. No money is involved in the trades.

Q: Why are you doing this?
A1: Why not?
A2: I pay rent but I'd like to own a house. I didn't have enough money for a house - but I did have one red paperclip.

Q: Can you please tell me more about who you are?
A: Please see my bio page.

Q: I am a journalist and I'd like to ask you a few questions - how can I contact you?
A: Please see the contact page

Q: Dude! What's up with that light blue 'Ricky' shirt you're always wearing? Is some sort of ironic-that-it's-not-your-name emo punk thing?
A: No. The shirt belongs to Ricky Hebert, my cousin's husband, and former quarterback of the the Arena Football Arkansas Twisters. Ricky gave it to me as a joke on the day I posted the original one red paperclip on the web and for some reason I wore it for the first two trades. When I went to make the third trade, in Amherst MA, Shawn Sparks refused to trade with me until I put on my "lucky trading shirt". It's has inadvertedly become my trademark trading shirt. I think it's funny. Ricky does too. I'd like to give it back to him when he comes to visit me in my house - it doesn't quite fit - it's a little too big.

Q: Do you have a day job?
A: Sometimes, I do contract work at Restaurant/Food industry trade shows for one of my sponsors, Table Shox.

Q: How do you afford to travel to all these places?
A: When I work for Table Shox, I travel to different cities in North America - I often make trades then.

Q: It must cost a fortune to ship these objects - how can you afford it?
A: I make each trade in person, so I usually bring the objects with me in my car or on the plane. I have not spent a cent on the one red paperclip project.

Q: Will you stop when you get to a house or will you continue to make more trades?
A: The plan is to stop at a house, but...

Q: Where is the house you traded for?
A: 503 Main Street, Kipling, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Q: Does your Mom still cut your hair?
A: Yes.

Q: Do you like pickles?
A: No.

10/10/2005 09:41:00 PM - permalink 27 comments links to this post


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    This is my story:

    On July 12th, 2005 I posted a picture of
    one red paperclip
    on this website. I traded my one red paperclip with Rawnie and Corinna for
    fishpen.JPG
    which was exchanged with Annie for
    knobt.JPG
    that Shawn saw and bartered his
    coleman.JPG
    that was then swapped with Sgt. David J. for
    generator.JPG
    that Marcin eyed and switched it for
    one instant party
    that I traded Michel for his
    skidoo2
    that Jeff upped to
    yahk2
    and then swapped with Bruno for
    Cintas  Cube Truck1995
    that Brendan upped the ante with
    one recording contract
    that Jody traded for
    phoenix
    and was swapped with Leslie for
    one afternoon with Alice Cooper
    that Mark switched for
    100_0119.JPG
    that Corbin turned into
    one movie role
    and was finally traded for
    one house
    by the town of Kipling Saskatchewan Canada.


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    Contact Kyle | Feel free to take ANYTHING from this website for your article / blog post about one red paperclip. HIGH RES pictures of everything can be found on the one red paperclip Flickr page.