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SWAP ITEM: £2,000 to spend with Beaumont marquee hire - party in style!
CONTACT ME: Call 01689 885713, email sbull@london.newsquest.co.uk or text keyword SWAP followed by your message to 80360.
Wanting to do something fun (and a bit stupid) to raise money for charity I decided to start a swap chain.
I began with a News Shopper keyring, which I traded for membership of a local archaeology group - and I have continued bartering my way through bigger and better items.
I eventually hope to trade something for a cash donation of at least £1,000 to be given to a good cause.
You can read about my little adventure in this section. If you want to contact me at any time – preferably with a swap offer – drop me a line at sbull@london.newsquest.co.uk

The next trade - and advice from top swapper


KING of the swaps, Canadian Kyle MacDonald, has been in touch to wish me fun with my Swap Shopper mission.

It was Kyle's epic trade-up from a red paperclip to a house which inspired me to begin my quest to swap bigger and better items from a News Shopper keyring to £1,000 for charity.

So who better to contact for advice on swapping than the bartering god himself?

Given how busy he currently is with trying to trade the house he gained at the end of his swap challenge, I was delighted to hear back from Kyle.

The trading idol told me not to wait for things to happen, but to get out there myself and make some trades.

So I've taken some decisive action on my next swap - two tickets to see the legendary 80s pop superstar Tony Hadley in concert are now on offer.

Kyle also told me to make it extremely "smash-your-head-on-the-desk-it's-so-obvious" easy for people to know what I have for trading, and how they can contact me.

So I'm doing that too. I've set up a section on the site just for Swap Shopper - click here - and I think you'll agree when you go there that I've made it abundantly unless-you've-knocked-yourself-out-smashing-your-head-on-the-desk-then-you-can't-miss-it clear what the next item is and how potential traders can contact me. If you think it needs making more obvious then let me know using the very clear contact details.

Kyle finished with a rousing message which has inspired me and will no doubt motivate you to get involved in my challenge: "You've got a newspaper audience to trade with already (something I didn't ever have!) so there should be many captive traders out there, eager to trade with you."

So come on all your captive and eager traders, go to the Swap Shopper section and let's get trading!



Kyle MacDonald, the one red paperclip guy, king of bartering and inspiration for Swap Shopper Kyle MacDonald, the one red paperclip guy, king of bartering and inspiration for Swap Shopper

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