Copy Cats are Cool Cats


How to start your own trading story/blog:

Get a FREE blog here:
www.blogger.com

For pictures of your trade items, you can use the photo-add function on blogger, or use a seperate photo hosting service. For pictures, I use Flickr. For videos, I use YouTube. I highly-recommend both Flickr and YouYube.

The barter section of craigslist is also a great place to let others know what you'd like to trade. (Be sure to choose your city!)

Bonus tips:
-Make it easy for potential traders to contact you. Visible email address and if possible, phone number. The easier it is for potential traders to contact you, the better your chances of trading up! That's the biggest key to success for this kind of thing I think - be approachable and create a cool story about your adventure. More than anything else, this is about who you meet, not what you trade for.

-Be ready to work at it - don't think this'll be a cake walk where you can just sit around and things'll fall on your lap - it ain't gonna happen. Remember, if you want it, go get it!

-Choose a snappy, easy to remember domain name from a webhost provider like GoDaddy or Dreamhost to make it easy for people to remember where your site is located. (You can have the easy-to-remember URL auto-forward to the URL for your blog. For example, oneredpaperclip.com auto-rediretcs people to oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com).

-Improvise. Everyone's different. There's no magic formula. Try out new stuff and take smart chances. The harder/smarter you work at this, the better your chances for success.

-Don't be lazy! You're allowed to go outside and knock on doors!


But above all else,

start small
think big
and have fun.

Kyle

5 comments:

redrubberband said...

Hi Kyle. In my recently-started trading adventure, I managed to trade my red rubberbands for an ice crusher. I travelled to Asakusa in Tokyo (have you been there?) where I met two wonderful people to make the exchange. This is a lot of fun! Yes, I agree, it's not about what you trade, it's about who you trade with.

Lyndon said...

Thanks for the tips Kyle! I don't know if trading will work for me or not. But I hope so, cause it looks like a lot of fun. Can't wait to make my first trade :-)

OneBluePushPin said...

Kyle,

Thanks for your words of support and encouragement! Everyone is so supportive when they hear that I am trading up items to help a homeless man get off the streets and into a full time job or a safe place to live. We just finished our Fourth trade. We traded a snowboard for a never worn wedding dress worth $1,000!
We need everyone's help now more than ever! I am trying to take our story to the media so PLEASE PASS THE WORD AND CHECK OUT MY SITE:

http://onebluepushpin.blogspot.com

Thanks and God Bless,
Jonathan Grant
Los Angeles, Ca.

George Ogan said...

Hi Kyle. Congrats on the new house. I wish I had heard your story sooner. I would have loved to follow it. I guess I will just have to follow my own story and see how it goes. I am very determined to make it to the end result, a house, as you did. You are welcome to follow it to. Maybe give me some pointers down the road when you’re not so busy. Take a look at my blog so far. I think it looks pretty good.

www.onepinchofpocketlint.com

I just started advertising it late today in CraigsList. Hope I can get as much excitement as your blog has gotten.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Talk to you later.

George

Anonymous said...

Thanks Kyle! I am from Moldova. Hope your tips will help me to trade better.