What if you could trade a paperclip for a house? | Kyle MacDonald | TEDxVienna
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- čas přidán 19. 11. 2015
- Kyle MacDonald details just exactly how he traded up from one red paperclip to a house, in only a year! It's an unlikely and amazing journey with lots of surprises along the way.
More information on www.tedxvienna.at
Kyle MacDonald started with a red paperclip and traded it for a pen. Then traded the pen for a doorknob. And so on!
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
Instructions weren't clear, I traded my house for a paper clip.
Was it at least red?
Haha
Major L
Alex no it was gray
Tony well now someone else has traded a paperclip for a house
The people who traded you the fish pen were like: I’m about to start this mans whole career
.
LOL
Man’s
the person who traded the camp stove really started it
@@jeffsingh3756 Man's is incorrect in this sentence lmfao
This is a great story. But it also pretty much just tells us what we already know: if you go viral, people will give you things.
I'd like to see him dress up as a homeless person and try the same thing.
for me the point is, you could be the one who sit and think about something big, or you can be the one who actually start to do something no matter how small, to achieve something big
True. There was so much hype on the story while he was trading things that people were willing to trade down with him just to be part of his story. Without the coverage though...
Thats basically the life a famous person
@@XDarkXThanatosX Without the coverage, there might have to be more stages.
imagine if he kept going,
“i traded a paper clip for 4 continent’s”
I traded a paper clip for a private island.
"I traded a paperclip for weapons grade uranium"
@@MF_JONES I traded a paper clip for a space X rocket.
@@yetidoesstuff228 “I traded a paperclip for Mars”.
What if he had 2 paperclips.
Those girls who traded the fishpen in the first place are the Angel Investors of trade-business!
Hello Arjun
And also the camping stove for a doorknob, that is actually a big jump from something useless to an actual workable thing.
but the value of that paperclip if marketed properly could be immense. Step One in a big journey
@The Diamond Clasher no angel investors are investors who give money or products to a business venture that could fail or is just starting off
Imagine if they decided to trade that paperclip now though. It's not A paperclip, it's THE paperclip. I'd imagine it'll be easier for them to trade this for something good now
Who the feck looks at a paper clip and is like yeah that’s what I’ve always wanted here’s a pen
I swear I was so confused. But at the same time she prob did it for the lolz
M e. I d o
“It wasn’t about the paper clip” ...
I’m sorry, but I like playing with paper clips
And a fricken cool pen too 🤣🤣
A paperclip for a fish pen is an insanely god trade for whoever initially had the paperclip.
@xXTheAnnoyingPandaXx And now they own a world-famous paperclip so it kind off worked out for them as well ;)
yes but imagine how much that paperclip is now worth in the event it was sold
@@ausbiscuit How would they be able to "authenticate" The Paperclip though? 🤣
@@Krysdavar idk lol
@@ausbiscuit 🤣🤣
Fun fact: you listened to one TedTalk and now you’re in a never ending loop..
mad facts
you're*
Nah
Fun Fact: you started with the procrastinator
Yup
*Then he traded the house for a shit ton of paperclips*
he did it all again and now he owns a town...
Ensec now he has a state
Hexaquan trump pulls off head revealing the paperclip guy....
Ensec cant top that
C A P I T A L I S M
Kyle: has a red paper clip
Kyle: it’s free real estate
xXUndigested BaboonxX good comment I approve
This is an absolutely outstanding comment
i will give you a sub if you let me have this comment
*s t o n k s*
@@peterdinkler4950 you broke the wholesome chain
For anyone wondering, he turned the house into a café. It’s called “Paperclip Cottage”
HE did not turn the house into a cafe. He turned the house back over to the city and THEY turned it into a cafe. It is the city's only tourist attraction/ Claim to fame.
@@kastironwoman6009 Wonder if he makes any royalties off that cafe.
@@roughryder5 I sure hope so. Unless that was the trade 0-0
He didn’t pay the taxes on the property so the town sold the property ,it did become a cafe
@@northernlight40 Wait, so now he has nothing?
So many people are saying that it only happened because it got a lot of media attention, but he still traded a damn paperclip for a house.
i wouldve stopped at that pen
thats a really dope pen tbh
Hey man, that pen was pretty dope.
Mr. Sam He wouldn't have known he would get a house in the future.
I know
ikr
And thats why YOU will never get a free house my man :)
The hardest trade had to be the first. Who the hell wants a paperclip?
Me
Me
+Kevin Bolsajian +unbreakable insa what will you give me for it?
You need to find someone with a sense of humor.
Someone wanting to own a famous paper clip I guess.
I actually tried this when I was like 9, but I just gave up because I have too much social anxiety to negotiate with strangers
Yeah I hear you 😞
Pansies.
I don't know how many TED talks I've watched but this is my favourite by far!
I started with a house and ended up with a red paperclip
Ill trade you a fish pen for it.
Legitimacy✘Project I’ll trade you a rainbow paper clip for that
damn, the other way around sounds way more depressing lmao
Doctor lol
this is how cs:go economy works
Doorknob trade is what made it all possible.
No the guy did
Doorknob for propane grill was the trade that really helped make this story possible in its original attempt of getting something bigger and better. It later changed into an opportunity for others to get exposure and fame. In my opinion.
Lane Ochoa no a paper clip did
Nuwbers Crazy by vermouth
You miss the point. Fame has nothing to do with it. This is a literal representation of 'one person's trash, is another person's treasure'. If you have something that another person really wants, they will be willing to give you so much for it. The snow globe trade to be a prime example!
pov: this isn't him, he traded his identity for a space expedition ticket from elon musk
That’s not a point of view, that’s a plot twist.
he'd trade that for the role of president instead
I mean its canada, you could just ask someone for a house and they’d probably give it for free….
House-requestor: "Give me your $460,000-worth house which provides adequate and atleast-average-level comfort for free and without any catch."
House-possessor: "Sure! Here you go."
cannot confirm, am canadian and i didn't get my house for free. you could probably get a free house by stealing the identity of the original owner though
My parents got a free car, stove, microwave, tv, and designer clothes just from going to downtown and talking to a guy at a restaurant. Canada is good.
@Parchment Vincent i'm not lying, are you Canadian because only if ur from Canada then you would understand.
@@chrisabdoni925 only part i don't believe is the free car. What kind of car is it
I'm depressed cause I have a Blue paperclip not a Red one.
I have a pent paper clip that’s bent into a nickel brass
I'll trade 1 house for it.
I always wanted a blue paperclip to fulfill my collection.
Why did you capitalize every noun? They’re not proper nouns, you don’t need to.
WaitingToFade lol
Imagine if this guy had two paper clips.
Then he would have two houses.
But more importantly, he could have *2* fish pens!
Its free real estate
He could buy the world.
Not even shaggy could defeat him that lmao
Right when I saw the snow globe actor I recognized him as the dad in the tv show psych.
*"He's a man of focus, commitment, and sheer f**king will"*
Bro, the girls who traded the fish pen could do the exact same thing
Juan c Gonzalez yeah lmao
@@Laser95 so this is where houses come from
Nice idea
But where are they going to find another person willing to trade a pen in the shape of a fish?
Yeah, but it takes time to try to sell something online. And brain effort.
That's why we find so many things at goodwill.
And people in the earlier steps were probably more amused with the project than the actual products. (That's why a fish pen was traded for a doorknob of a face, and the doorknob was eventually used for a kettle handle. Quirky people interested in the quirky project.) I think it wasn't until he got to the military guy looking for the burner grill set that people were actually excited for the products.
Starts with a Paperclips ends with a house
STONKS 📈
Cristiano 1344 that was good
or as Pewdiepie says "STOINKS"
I see what you did
I dont get it
This seriously, if true, is one of the best feel-good stories that I have heard. Could turn into a movie.
Things to quit right now:
1. Overthinking
2. Worrying
3. Trying to make everyone happy
4. Living in the past
5. Doubting yourself
Next time: I trade a eraser for ownership of Morocco
Then: I traded a pack of gum for San Marino
I accept. where is the eraser?
I trade a Post-It note for Russia's nuclear warheads
Jesse Montgomery I am very sorry
I traded some dust for the United States
Step 1: get a paper clip
Step 2: trade the paper clip until you get a house
Step 3:trade the house for a million paper clips
Step 4: repeat step 2
And start making bots that can trade for you
Babar Moham
Why stopping at a house? Trade the house till you own the world!
CrazySquare i'll just combine this better
Step 1: get a paper clip
Step 2: trade the paper clip until you get a house
Step 3: trade the house for a million paper clips
Step 4: repeat step 2
Step 5: Trade for bots that repeat step 2 and 3
Step 6: Make time machines so you can get your paper clips back before you even traded them, then trade them again
And that's the story of how I went from finding a paper clip to owning the entire real estate market and inventing a time machine
Every two years or so I come back and watch this video. Amazes me every time I watch it :)
12:12 "Yes, let's build something, let's do something together, let's collaborate, let's see what happens". Great mindset! I think it happens more easily in some countries/cultures than in others.
1. Bend the paperclip.
2. Pick a lock.
3. Walk into the house saying "This is my house now"
4. You now own a house.
A Questionable shortcut
5. Go to jail
6. Now you get free food shelter and clothes
@@iiShqdow the end :D
*3 figure out it's not so easy to pick a lock.
4 go home and rethink your life.
@@Welther47 *3 get something to hold tension. 4 continue to easily unlock your average house lock. 5 walk into your new home and rethink your life in a bed
I went from a paper clip to a bag of chips. THATS GOOD VALUE
Quick Waffles222 haha
A pack of paperclips is a dollar (I think?) -- ONE bag of chips is $1+ !
Quick Waffles222 bag of air*
DodaShadow sure you did
Because it is the size of your finger lol.
This is the only Ted talk that I’ve ever looked up to watch
Saw this video a bunch of years ago, but it's so heartwarming!
I started with a paperclip and ended with a Lamborghini.
I used the paperclip as a key to hijack the Lambo's door open.
Lol
what about starting the car? especially in Russia BECAUSE IN SOVIET RUSSIA CAR DRIVES YOU
xD
Soka.
LMAO IM DIEING XD
Imagine doing that whole thing in reverse.
I think you could just go from a house to a paper clip anyway without all the stuff in between
🏠📎🖇️
imagine. Selling your country to bob down the street.
Yeah, that's my kinda luck
Please stop imagining...
I've watched some amazing and not so amazing CZcams videos today. I gotta say without a doubt THIS ONE is perhaps the best one I've seen all month long! Keep in mind, there's been some amazing stuff - but this one is The Best!
This has got to be my first TEDx Talk that I have seen on CZcams.
how to be king of the world:
1. Find paperclip
2. Trade up till you get a house
3. Trade house for a ton of paperclips
4. Keep repeating till you eventually own every building in the world
*STONKS*
or you just build a hous out of paperclips
@@noodel3374 but then you can't own EVERY house and be king of the world
BIG BRAIN
l .basti. l or you could build an even bigger paper clip out of houses 👻
Thats to over confidence. Plus unfair to own all the world.
Real life monopoly
WHY WOULD YOU GIVE UP THAT PEN
Ikr I would have kept the fish pen, it's better than a red paperclip
Bcuz if he didn’t he wouldn’t get a house! 😂
@@riyabhatti24 They mean why would anyone trade a fishpen for a paperclip in the first place
lmao
To get a paperclip
This is definitely the best Ted show I've ever seen in my entire life you can learn so much about human nature innovation and other cool stuff that will make your journey in life so much better and so much stronger
“I shall now trade some fresh dirt for the entire continent of Asia"
some guy did trade beach sand till a tesla
Asia? I was thinking Africa
I started as a fetus and now I’m a disappointment
Moss what a mood
Well, at least you are a BIG disappointment. Not everyone achieves that. Well done buddy
💀
Everyone starts somewhere 🙂
You started as a cell
I wasted 10 minutes of my life watching this video when I could have been trading my worn down shoes for a cruise ship.
Better yet a armada of Soviet era warships and submarines for a Pepsi
You have as many likes as days in a year good job
Are you a Martian?
😂 😂 😂
You "can" if that shoe have historical / event that have it value.
I think this is my favorite Ted talk. Truthfully. I can’t remember any others right now but still
I’ve been doing the paperclip challenge at my school every year on April 10th. From when I was in 6th grade to now when I’m in 10th I’ve gotten some pretty great stuff that I still keep and cherish
Oh, that's so cool! What did you get?
DeadSilentzzz, I agree with the other person...I too am curious as to what you have traded up to in your life.
I traded a red paperclip for a yellow paperclip
Good start to your worthless journey
Going from blurryface to trench
stonks
BathTimeWilliam ||-// :P
Genius
moral of the story: a house in middle of nowhere is worth a paperclip.
Joon K it’s not worth a paper clip.
you never know what a house in the middle of nowhere is worth to someone out there on the internet.
Just rent it out
Ever tried living in the middle of nowhere? It’s nice, peaceful. Worth at least 2 red paper clips
funny af bro hahahaha
This has to be the MOST ORIGINAL Ted talk I've ever seen!!!
Amazing story. Goes to show that a little idea could develop into something much more.
CS:GO Trading from nothing to a knife.
lol
thats all ive been thinking about.
***** :D
Been there, and done that in 2 weeks. Not so hard :D
***** i went from 30€ to 400€ and cashed out 200€ (and lost else)ty everyone
What an amazing story! Made me feel happy.
9:52 OMG,I just broke a glass,because I was shocked,that this was actor from psych. He played Henry Spencer there,it was so frickin good.
i thought is was too but i wasnt sure
He should've kept trading, maybe could've gotten U.S. missle launch codes and presidency.
There were two dutch guys who did something similair, at some point they had a massive amouth of money, and decided to put everything on red in a casino. They lost.
They didnt want to put half of it or whatever, because it was about the adventure, but yea, that moment they realised it was over was pretty harsh.
😂
Super Sophisticated 😂😂😂💀
Its possible
He could of gotten a third world country for that house
The real winner was the guy that traded away a snowglobe.
Agreed.
PLOT TWIST : THE PAPERCLIP WAS THE NAME OF A MANSION.
❤this doesn't get old 😊 so awesome and inspiring
The fish pen was the coolest thing here and you know it.
The snow mobile tho. The van isn't bad either. I know someone who insulated one and lives in it.
The snowmobile is cool too
True
I coulda used the generator.
A year free rent is obviously the best
So I have a paperclip. Does anybody have a house? Will also accept a fish pen
ha
damn, so close. I have a parrot pen...
@Doni Bobes why do you even try we know you're fake
U want a dead body?
@@thatsstoguy and i oop
I love this! Moral: go for it! Execute on your ideas no matter how silly they may seem
It's got to help who you know and who will make the deal. Nicely done Congratulations
My first question is, who goes on craigslist for a paperclip?
Sparsh Agrawal ... you don't?
Sparsh Agrawal not just a paperclip, a RED paperclip!
+Billy Bob haha the emphasis is on the colour😂😂😂
Bored People
college girls wanting attention
You could actually use the paperclip to do this fancy technique called "lockpicking" and therefore trade the paperclips for funny things, such as bicycles, money, or TVs.
lol
Lmaooo best comment
LMFAO
I've done this before and it works!
Wow
I love this story
Please write a book about your experience!!!! Awsome!
Then he traded the house for “magic beans” from a salesman
Puss in Boots Reference!
He is speaking the language of the gods.
MADEN LAUR nope
MADEN LAUR the Office reference
Professor Coperfield's Miracle Lagooms?
Karen took everything, the house, the kids, and even the goddamn fish pen
Lol the karen trend is so ridiculous xD
"With a Red shiny Paperclip!!!"
Lmao
Man, Karen come back, I miss that fish pen.
Duncan Wilsoun Karen please come back I miss the paper clip
Look up “Karen please come back I miss the kids” by Wilbur soot
amazing story, brilliant idea.
After watching this so many times, I finally noticed he has different coloured shoes lol
He probably traided the other one
"This is the worst trade deal possibly in the history of trade deals"
Mr.Celery No it’s amazing.
Ashurad Hett I know right
Maybe ever
ales serec yep
Good trump quote
Real Estate Agent: We're selling this house for $300,000.
Me: I have one red paper clip.
Real Estate Agent: I'lL TaKe yOUr ENtiRE stOCk
Love memes
Now that’s how you invest in stonks
Thousandth like
He worked so hard for it, I think that's just how economy works. You work and increase value of things and make people's lives better.
Incredible job🤯
“I trade an empty water bottle for the entire country of Spain”
NOT CLICKBAIT GONE WRONG
As a spanish man I want that water because, there is no water here.
i the dedicared owner of spain would like to trade with you
I trade a full water bottle for all of Africa
😂
Dude, I would have kept the fish pen, I've never seen that before.
right!
Grey Wolf same
Odd fact, I have the fish pen.
Nirvan Mullick i will trade you a paper clip for it
Paul Davenport I'll give you a doorknob with a face on it
This is amazing!
I took a course in personal realization called Millennium3 and was tasked with turning a kitchen match into something of greater value without telling anyone it was part of the course I was taking. Three hours and a dozen trades later I had a cable-ready color TV. I shocked myself. Now I know that anything is possible.
I was just left wondering:
what would had happened if the paperclip was blue intead of red?
Beach Front Property.
that obviously changes the whole game... duh
Well then, my friend, the value of the paperclip would go up. You see, dear Puuha, the blue species of paper clip is extremely rare and therefore costs more than a puny red paper clip.
He would own about 54% off the earth's mass
Whoever's reading this remember God loves you so so much
I never would've traded my fish pen. /The End.
TheTripleTKA true
Fr
Lol
HILAR!!! LOLOL
TheTripleTKA i
BEHIND DESIGNS BROUGHT ME HERE!
This is a truly amazing movie !
I love how TED used a thumbnail of him without his hands up.
fish pen>house
Absolutly
ikr
355 like but 2 comments
way better
IKR
Just so you guys know, I live in a town about 30 minutes away from Kipling, and my Mom lives in Kipling so when ever my sister and I go there we walk past this house because my Mom knows Kyle
Can I touch your sleeve?
@@judithhousel4747 what
this guy is amazing
I edited this comment, so now nobody will ever know what got me this many likes! 😘
Aage Vdvet +
that's being a feeth
666 Likes
Squished To Pieces 777* XD
Aage Vdvet 888 OMG😂
"And what kind of payment are you using?"
"uhhh paper clip"
Sold
What's the paperclip-pencil exchange rate
*30 years later*
Him:So I traded a paperclip for you
Me:wait what?
Him: yes George I OWN YOU
This is awesome. Im going to see what I can do with a couple items in my closet
Did you do it
Yes
What did it cost
*A PAPERCLIP*
Minecraft expert Pro skillz 🤦🏾♂️😂😂😂
What film is this from?
Infinity war
@@RichardThimble how did I forget that
I gotta go look for a paper clip...
Corn Bread o snap, I don't have one!
The magic of this is it can be anything, but you need to know the value of what you're trading for.
Corn Bread lol
Corn Bread lol
Corn Bread Just trade it for your house?!
best ted talk ever
im actually going to undertake this project under the notion of a self-initiation, no one is making me do this. embarking on this for the sole reason of truly understanding the value behind material possession and the commercial economics we live in
Why would you give a fish-pen for A FUCKING RED PAPERCLIP ?????
Maybe cause it was broken?
so? it's still cool looking but the paperclip is worthless, i can find it everywhere
God as a joke
yes maybe that
He probably put the description of what he was trying to do in the description for the paperclip, urging others to deal because they wanted to be the ones with the ORIGINAL paperclip.
Villager: I'll give you 1 emerald for that house
hahahahhahah
Loooool
That’s a bargain if I do say so myself
*SOLD*
Thats an overpay
friend: hey can i borrow a paperclip
me: why
friend: *you'll see*
inspirational
one time i went from a paperclip to a paperclip with paper clipped into it.