Want To Trade? Hampden Man Hopes To Trade A Paperclip For A House

JStew: I always thought us Hampden folk were pretty on the ball. I think Seth pretty much encapsulates that sentiment. Whereas, I'm probably one of the people who fives Hampdenites a bad name. Still... the idea of going from a paperclip all the way to a house seems pretty far fetched, but not impossible. We live in a crazy world, where people love to be part of crazy things. Let's read all about how this crazy tale unfolds!

Cori: It's stories like this one, that seem impossible but keep you entertained and rooting for the underdog, that people seem to glom on to. I think the concept is really neat, and I can't wait to see where this goes.

Seth Poplaski wanted to find a way to do something positive for the community. Some years ago, in 2005, Poplaski he had seen a story about Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald's "Red Paperclip" challenge. MacDonald was able to trade a red paperclip, through a series of exchanges that took the better part of a year, for a house.

Poplaski, who lives in Hampden, thought he might try his hand at the challenge, and give people here in Maine something fun to think about and possibly lift their spirits.

So he took to Facebook with his own paperclip, and put out the request for trades.

His first trade came from someone in Mass. They'd trade him a set of LED lights for his paperclip.

Then the trades started to come in from other parts of Maine.

First a wine rack. Then a wax warmer.

He ended up, eventually, getting a bike, a love seat and then just last week, a riding lawn mower!

Ultimately, his goal is to trade for either a house or a classic car. But he knows that's quite a ways off, and will take some real strategic trading to come even close to that.

Seth's been documenting his progress with this Paper Clip challenge on Facebook through pictures and Facebook Live sessions. He's even created a dedicated Facebook page, I'd Trade That  to chronicle his trades. You might also come across the trades on local Buy/Sell& Trade sites online. He hopes to soon start up a podcast, as well, to document his journey.

Poplaski says he's enjoyed the challenge, so far, and he's excited to see where this takes him. He's also tickled that the community has been so invested in this project, and so engaged with each of the trades.

Good luck, Seth! And keep us updated on where you go from here!