
One red paperclip - afshinmeh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip
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scotty79
This wiki page links to a legend: Straw Millionaire: Japanese Buddhist folk
tale about a poor man who becomes wealthy through a series of successive
trades, starting with a single piece of straw.

The funny thing is that in my language, Polish, there's populat completely
opposite nursery rhyme. About a guy who through serie of trades went from
house to a stick. But in the end ot was all fine because he inherited 4 houses
from a grandfather.

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8draco8
I'm Polish, I think I never heard that rhyme but it sounds like classic Polish
way of thinking so it probably exists. We have to teach babies pessimism from
the beginning so they're not disappointed about the world.

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greenhouse_gas
How much of this would be possible nowadays with all the online marketplaces?
I can't imagine such arbitrage is still possible.

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javaJake
I only have anecdotal evidence in the form of friends making money on
consistently-profitable online trades in a variety of marketplaces. It seems
intuitive to believe that, wherever there is a market, there is a possibility
of bartering as a living.

