Meet The Swappers

I thought it might be nice if you could meet some of the nice people I have met and traded with so far as well as hear their unique story as to why they wanted to trade with me.

 

Gina

Gina was the first person to contact me. She was the one that really got the ball rolling and gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, this web site and idea might just work.

I had just posted the National Geographic magazines, along with an explanation of what I was trying to do on Craigslist an hour earlier when she sent me an email asking me if I wanted to trade.

Her reason for wanting to trade: "I find your idea entertaining and I really hope it works.  I have been looking for the August 1966 volume of NG for a friend so I'd like to trade."

We swapped two days later.

Mikal

Mikal is a very unique individual.

He first contacted me wanting to trade an old stock certificate from a company that was now defunct. I thought he was just making fun of me, turns out he was serious.

He introduced me to the world of Scripophily: the collecting of bond & stock certificates.

I had never heard of such a thing, but after he explained it all to me and I "googled" it, turns out it is a pretty big deal. Even with all he told me, I didn't think a worthless stock certificate would trade very well, so I told him "no can do".

Mikal was determined. He then offered up the military map case along with humorous copy to entice me. It worked!

Turns out he wanted to trade for the May 1983 issue to surprise his wife...I think it was the month in which they were married.

Tracy

Tracy, by far, has been the biggest surprise for me. She contacted me wanting to trade for 9 magazines.

Seems she had a very creative idea for the 9.

In Tracy's words: "I'm going to frame all 9 individually and make wall art. Each issue has some relevance to me and the hubby, whether we've traveled there, want to travel there or the issue really "spoke" to us. I'll send you a picture of my wall art once I get it up. We'll work on it this weekend".

Tracy, from your description, you seem to be very creative and I can't wait to see the photo of how you displayed them.

Tracy also wanted to trade me for the palm tree votive candles! She got them!

Diana

Diana is an incredible woman! Not only is she my mother-in-law, but she a great healer!

I have known Diana now for over 14 years (hard to believe) and she has saved me from myself countless times. Being an active soccer player I get hurt a lot and being old means everything hurts!

I still remember the first time she "worked" on me. Somehow my back spasmed...I mean really spasmed, like I am flat on the ground and I can't move spasmed! I literally could not move.

I'll be honest with you, I am a pretty conservative guy and the the idea of having my mother-in-law massage my body had all my worlds colliding and imploding. It wasn't natural, but I was in no condition to do anything.

She saved me that day and many days after that. She is an incredibly giving individual. She comes to our house every weekend to spend time with us and her grandchildren.

If you are stressed, in pain, or in need of a deep tissue massage, I highly recommend Diana for your aches and pains. She is very skilled at healing. One last thing, she is very generous too. She donated a massage to my cause without me even asking her!

Kelly

Kelly, Kelly, Kelly!

Anyone who knows Kelly knows that he is a one-of-a-kind! He is very much a people person and it suits him well.

He and his wife Barbara own and operate BBQ Bob's in Loveland, across from Hewlett-Packard, next to Schmidt's Bakery.

I met Kelly over 10 years ago, the very first week he opened his restaurant. My wife and I got a flyer on our door inviting us to try his new restaurant. So we toddled on up, walked right in and realized we were the only ones in the restaurant except for Kelly.

I asked him if we needed a reservation to get a table and from that moment on, our friendship was set!

When I told him about the web site and what I was trying to do, a couple days later he showed up on his motorcycle and took me to his house and started pointing to things in his garage that he wanted me to use to trade up. I settled on the block window and a lariat.

If you like great BBQ, stop in and give them a try, or if you have a special occasion coming up that requires catering, like a graduation, call Kelly at BBQ Bob's, you won't be sorry. We used him for my step son's graduation party and it was absolutely PERFECT!

www.b-b-q-bobs.com

Dave

Dave is a great guy! I can tell he loves his wife and son very much!

It was Dave's wife, Alli, that contacted me first. She wanted to trade for the Titanic Tin Print for their son's up coming birthday. As I understand it he has been reading about the Titanic and she thought it would be great to hang it in his bedroom.

She offered up a collectible cookie jar. Being a guy, I am not educated on the appeal or worth of a collectible cookie jar, but the appeal of making a 7-year-old's birthday a little happier got me to do it.

That's where Dave came in. I was coming to Denver for 2 other trades, but they lived out near the airport and he couldn't meet in the afternoon. So we had to meet early in the morning and Dave had to drive pretty far to come meet me.

I could tell that Dave wasn't sure of me or what I was doing. He just knew he had driven pretty far to trade their cookie jar for a Titanic Tin Print. For me, the biggest chuckle came when Dave looked at me and said something to the effect of "You seem normal enough".

I often wonder what people think of me and what I am trying to do and Dave gave me a glimpse...I am just glad I seem normal!

Thank you Dave for driving to meet me. I hope your son enjoyed the Titanic Tin Print!

Brandy

Brandy gets what I am doing!

She is an avid Craigslist and Ebay user. For some time now she had been looking for the Chronicles of Narnia book set at a reasonable price. When she saw that I was willing to trade for a set of the books, she emailed me photos of a variety of items. All of them were worthy of a trade.

I decided on a dragonfly table lamp. You might be asking yourself why, but when I saw it, I knew it had to become part of my trading adventure. It is unique and I had never seen one before! I know someone will fall in love with it. It has that something that catches people's eyes. It's that interesting.

I met Brandy at a Starbuck's near where she lives to make the trade. After we traded, Brandy surprised me by wanting to sit for a few minutes and ask me some questions about what I was doing and how the trading was going. Her questions were insightful and sincere! I really appreciated her taking an interest in what I am doing and asking questions. It gave me a good feeling. Thanks Brandy!

Nancy

Train1

Flowers

Path

Nancy and David are hands down one of the most interesting couples I have ever met in my life!

When Nancy contacted me, I had no idea who she was. Come to find out, Nancy is a high school friend of my father. I guess he had told her about what I was trying to do, so she thought she would contact me for a trade. She wanted to trade an oil painting and a framed poster.

When I got to her house, I was amazed at what I found. Dave was outside in the front yard and I thought he was doing a little landscaping. Turns out he was working on his train track. That's right, his train track.

Their front yard is beautifully landscaped with flowers, shrubs and trees, but meandering throughout all the foliage is a train track. This isn't your ordinary train track. It was hand made and very authentic looking. Dave was in the midst of getting the track ready for Spring.

Nancy gave me a tour of the house. Turns out she is a Master Gardener and she had seeds germinating in the basement. Dave, an engineer, devised some of the most incredible time-saving additions to help Nancy with her gardening. Not only that, he designs and builds trains, including creating the parts he needs to construct the engines, steam and electric.

Out on the porch, she showed me photos of her gardens and the trains when everything is in bloom and full color. It is absolutely beautiful and amazing!

I have included photos. The first one is from the day I went there to trade. The other two Nancy sent me, at my request, so that I could show you how incredible she and Dave are at creating a breath-taking landscape.

Nancy, Dave, thank you for taking the time to share your awe-inspiring projects with me as well as trading with me.

Alex

Alex holds a special
place in my heart!

Not only has he offered what I consider "a most excellent trade", from out-of-state (Minnesota), but he's also my brother!

When I decided to do this, one of the things I chose not to do was ask my family for help. I didn't want them to feel like they had to participate. You see, I love my family and they are very supportive and giving.

What I didn't count on though was them wanting to be apart of my journey!

When I showed Alex the website he spent sometime looking at the covers and then made me a trade offer for October 1945. When I asked him why October 1945? His reply "a month after WW2 ended. It has to be a good read!"

I appreciate Alex's generosity!

He graduates from college in May. I am proud of him! Next year he is off to Grad School!

Oh yeah, he'll kill me for doing this, but Ladies, he's 23 and I believe he is available!

J

This is "J"!

This is "J" and me, but she really doesn't look like this, so if you see a woman that resembles this sketch, please, please, please, do not call her name or try to talk to her or you might to be arrested and put into a mental institution where you will have your very own special coat with super longs arms that hug you all the way around your upper body!

As I said before, I've know "J" for over 10 years! She is a very honest and trusty worthy person who is not afraid to speak her mind...this is not a bad thing as she tempers it with wisdom.

"J" I want to thank you for your support for my cause!

(One last thought...thank you to my daughter, Sara. She drew the portrait of "J" and I drew me!)

I'm not sure how well someone can get to know someone in 5-10 minutes, but I would like to think I am a pretty good judge of character. From our brief interactions through email and our meeting in person, Amy impressed me from the very start! From what I can tell of Amy, she is an intelligent, warm and generous woman who wants to give her 3-year son a great childhood.

Amy contacted me wanting to trade for the Lariat Rope and Sports Cones. It seems her son has been trying to rope a steer head with a dog leash, and somehow it's just not quite the same. So she did a search on Craigslist for a lariat rope and that is how she found me!

She loved my trading up idea and showed her family. She then sent me photos of two really nice mountain bikes. They are definitely a trade up!

I also want to say "Thank you" to her brother, David, not only for making the journey with her to make the trade and taking our picture, but also for taking the extra step and greasing up the bikes! They are in great condition.

Ann is Family!

She is my mother's cousin, so I think that makes her my 2nd cousin...not sure if that is correct or not.

Ann was out here in Colorado visiting in July and I had an opportunity to share with her what I was attempting to do. She sympathized...you see, she is a self-made entrepreneur and knows first hand the trials and tribulations of trying to start up a business. So she has graciously traded me a beautiful hand-made Navajo Turquoise ring from her store that she runs in Sedona, AZ.

She and my mom are close and she has a lot of love and respect for Grammie. She thinks what I am doing is inventive! She liked the idea so much, she wanted to trade me a authentic, hand-made, Navajo Indian #8 spiderweb turquoise ring for the October, 1970 issue. That is the month and year of her son's birthday!

If you would like to see more of Ann's jewelry selections, please visit her at http://www.beadofthemonthclub.com

Tony/Toni

This was one of the most unusual trades I have made to date! It wasn't what I traded for, but how the trade went down. I never thought I would ever have to succumb to a NSA background check, and jump through so many hoops to set up a meeting just to swap a couple of items.

You see, Tony/Toni (not his or her real name, it was changed to protect the innocent...and that would be me if you were wondering!) is in the WRP (Witness Relocation Program).

I really wasn't able to learn too much about Tony/Toni or why he/she was in the WRP. All I was really allowed to do was take a silhouette photo, make the exchange, and promise never to reveal anything about the trade, not that I ever could. I was picked up in a black SUV, blindfolded, and taken to an undisclosed location. The only thing I did learn about why Tony/Toni wanted to trade me for the Nintendo Gamecube was that it was for his/her 5-year old child.

One last thing, I would like to thank Tony's/Toni's handlers for not doing a strip search on me!

ps. (I'll leave it up to you to decide if this is a true story.)

Ali

Ali wanted the April 1984 issue of National Geographic for a couple of reasons. It is her birthday month and year, but more importantly it had dogs on the cover.

I do not know a whole lot about Ali, but one thing I know for sure is that Ali is very passionate about dogs...especially her own, Buttercup.

Buttercup

As you can see here, Buttercup is special! Also know as SpiderDog! But please keep her real identity a secret...nobody likes a tattletale!

Tracy2

This is a "Boomerang Trader"!

A "Boomerang Trader" is someone that has previously traded with me and has come back to trade with me again!

Brandon

"Movie Jackpot"

Brandon is a straight forward guy that strikes me as someone with a lot of integrity and really values honesty. Add in his big heart and you have one great guy!

Brandon was moving out of his last house and had a rather large (and heavy) television. Once he got it down the stairs, he realized he didn't want to lug it any further, so he gave it to his neighbor!

That's why he wanted to trade me the DVD player and DVDs...he no longer needed them since he gave away his TV!

So why did he want the oil painting? He was moving into a new place and wanted something nice to put on his wall!

Vern

Bryan Adams would
love this trade!

For those of you who are confused, Bryan Adams is a Canadian born rock star that gained popularity in the early 80's with a song titled "Cuts Like A Knife" OK...OK, so it's a bit cheesy, but it is my web site and this is my way of having a little bit of fun!

I like Vern!

Vern traded (5) pocket knives for the Jan 1969 issue of National Geographic Magazine.

Vern is the type of guy that if you were to sit down next to him at a bar, by the time you are finished with your first beer, you are best friends!

He is a very interesting, easy-going guy that I felt very comfortable talking too. I imagine he has some great stories...

Vern made me a trade offer with me early on in the year, but I declined his first trade offer. Two months later he offered up these pocket knives. I appreciate him remembering me and trying again.

Vern wanted the January 1969 issue for his son who turned 40 this last January just to show him what was going on at the time of his birth, like a time capsule. His son thought it was kinda cool!

Brandon

"Brandon Part 2"

As I said before,Brandon is a straight forward guy that strikes me as someone with a lot of integrity.

I was really glad to hear he wanted to trade me again. This time I had a little more time to talk to him. I met him at one of his two jobs.

Come to find out we have a lot in common. We both have spent quite a bit of time earning a living in restaurants and we both have had held different positions within restaurants. After learning what he was doing now, I bow to his cooking expertise! He definitely has some skills I do not!

This time Brandon wanted to trade me for the "Rules of the House" plaque and the Ab Lounge Sport®. His fiancee really wanted the plaque to hang in their home. She remembered her parents having something similar in her childhood home and wanted the plaque to make their home special.

Brandon also wanted to trade for the Ab Sport Lounge. Both he and his fiancee are on their feet all day and having a exercise bike didn't really make sense for them.

Ryan

"Great Friends!"

Ryan is a former neighbor of ours!

Ryan heard what I was doing and wanted to help me out by donating two very nice items. He donated the Monster iCarPlay iPod FM Transmitter/Charger and ADAX Traveler's Wallet.

I've know Ryan for over 10 years. We've both discovered the wonderment and joy of raising kids and have watched each other grow into fatherhood.

Although they moved away, we still get to see Ryan, his wife, and the kids at school functions! It is always great to catch up with them.

If you ever have a chance to get to know Ryan, I would highly recommend it–he is a real stand-up guy that will give you a genuine friendship!

Helen

I traded my Mother-In-Law
away for a Drill Press!

Helen is a long time friend and exceptional coed soccer teammate. We've been playing on the same indoor/outdoor soccer team now for over 10 years.

Helen, had been wanting to trade for the massage for quite a long time, but she didn't know what to offer up to trade. Then she thought of the drill press she never used in her basement.

Why the drill press? She had bought it for a good price years ago, and had high hopes for all these woodworking  projects. She never used it. It was taking up space in her basement, and she thought, "I don't have time to sell it for what it's worth, and I since I bought it for less than it's worth (so I'm not really taking a loss), and I need to clean up my basement. It was a pretty easy decison."

"Who doesn't want to go after a full hour of nothing but relaxation? Plus the massage doesn't take up space in my basement. Swapping's good, but it's even better when you swap something that adds to your clutter for something that takes up absolutely no space at all, (yet might extend your life span by a day or two!)"  : )

"Diana was great. I totally recommend her to anyone who needs a good relax and a good workover."

Helen, Diana, I truely appreciate both of you for your support and your generosity! Thank you!

Mark

Sometimes it's not about
the trade, but about the
burgers and fries and making the best of an unfortunate situation...

Meet Mark!
Mark is a very nice guy and from what
I can tell a great husband with a
very loving wife, Lonelle.

Mark loves biking, but wanted something for when the weather isn't cooperating, so he was looking into exercise bikes as something that might fill the void.

Mark's timing was perfect! I got to thinking about how with Summer coming up, people are going to be wanting to get into shape and possibly looking at exercise equipment. But that also meant garage sales, where exercise equipment is plentiful and cheap. So I decided to do something that I have not done before in my trades and that was to take a chance at trading for something that was very specific and didn't have wide appeal. This was the perfect opportunity to see if I could trade something that only a very few people might want.

So I agreed to the trade with Mark and I was very fortunate that Mark and his Wife were going to be in town to celebrate their 22nd Wedding Anniversary!

About 10 minutes before we were to meet, Mark called to let me know that their car had broken down on the side of the highway and wouldn't be able be at the trade on time. He told me he would call me back after he talked to the tow truck company.

While I waited for Mark to call me back, I started thinking about his situation and how I have had my fair share of break downs and it SUCKS! And to have it happen on your Anniversary date, that SUCKS even more. So I decided at that moment that the trade wasn't the priority but their safety and well being was and if I could do anything to salvage their special night, I would.

When Mark called back he told me that it would be about 45 minutes before the tow truck would get to them. For anyone who has waited on a tow truck, the 45-minute window is just the "Hope Bone" they throw you to keep you from panicking. I knew I had to do something to help them, so I bought some burgers, fries and drinks and met them on the highway.

I really don't know what they thought of me bringing them food, but I am glad I did. After we made the trade I contacted Mark to make sure they made it home OK and it turns out that they waited 2 1/2 hours for the tow truck.

Mark, I know it wasn't the best anniversary celebration, but Thank You for letting me be a small part of it! I wish you and Lonelle all the best!

UPDATE: I was "chatting" with Mark on Facebook and found out that he was able to find another recumbent bike for free. Since he now had 2, he donated one to the local school exercise room!

Gene

Handmade Pens

Gene (and his wife) are the best neighbors anyone could
ask for!

For the record, when I started out on this journey, I promised myself two things:

1. "Don't give up" and
2. Don't expect my friends to trade with me unless they want to.

So to have Gene want to trade with me is an extra special treat!

Gene is the ultimate neighbor! He is like "Tim the Toolman Taylor" and "Wilson" the "wise sage" neighbor from Home Improvement all rolled into one.

He and I moved into our neighborhood at the same time and he has advised/supervised me on just about every home improvement project I have ever done. Fences, sprinklers, landscaping, lawns, framing, electrical, drywall, plumbing and just about anything else you can do to a new house. He has been very generous with his time, knowledge, wisdom and friendship. And now he was generous in trading me a great digital camera for a simple, but nice drill press!

I always joke with him that if Armegeddon ever comes, I will feel safe as he is capable of making just about anything and everything to repel any neighborhood invaders.

Funny thing though, he already has a drill press (in fact, I think he has 2) but he wanted one to put in his basement where is making handmade pens. As you can see to the left, they are pretty spectacular!

He uses a variety of materials including" corian, exotic wood, rare wood, and acrylic. If I know Gene, he can use just about any material and turn it into a pen...no, a work of art that just about anybody would be happy and impressed to have.

This is only a small sample of the pens and pencils Gene has made, but it gives you the idea how nice they are.

These pens make great gifts for just about any occasion! Think of your boss or coworkers, a graduate, your clients, or anyone you want to impress or treat to a special gift!

If you would like to have Gene make you a custom pen, pencil, or a matching pen/pencil set, just send me an email and I'll will get you in touch with him. The pens start at $20. Email me at randy@swapstartmybiz.com

Tracy

SURPRISE!

This was a fun trade!

Dakota's Mom, Shari, knew that Dakota was getting bigger and needed a bigger bike to keep up on the family bike rides. So she turned to CraigsList where she saw that I had a Youth mountain bike up for trade.

She read my story and being an entrepreneur herself, she understood why I needed to raise so much capital to start my business. So she offered up a arc welder to trade for the bike.

When they arrived for the trade, I found out that she had not told Dakota about the bike until about 5 minutes before they arrived so he would be surprised!

Shari may have brokered the trade, but it was Dakota that "sealed the deal!"

He took the bike for a spin around the parking lot and had the biggest smile on his face when he returned. He then went on to tell me how "obnoxious" his old bike was and that he was very happy to be getting a new one.

Dakota, I wish you very many happy miles on your new bike!

Jessica

MEET JESSICA!

Jessica has been watching my posts on Craigslist for several months now and randomly checked up on me to see how things we going.

She had been eyeing the Dr. Pepper cooler, thinking it was pretty nifty! So she made me an offer of quite a few nice items, As an extra incentive, she offered to trade her Professional Graphic Design talents for the cooler.

The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of trading a service. It is something I had been wanting to try for some time and here was my opportunity! Jessica was kind enough to tell me about her work experience as well as samples of her work (see her work samples here). So I accepted her offer and met her, and her husband Joe and their daughter at Chik-fil-a.

The weather was turning pretty bad so we kept our visit pretty short, but in our short visit, I found out that Jessica is going to use her Graphic Design skills to restore the bubbling stickers.

If you are a budding entrepreneur or small business owner in need of Professional Graphic Design services such as:
• Logo
• Business Cards
• Flyer
• Brochure
• Letterhead
• Postcard or a
• Special print design request (ie: signage)

Then contact me and make me an offer. I thoroughly believe Jessica can meet your business needs!

Chuck

Good Luck Chuck!!

This was a surprising trade that came out of nowhere and took very little time to complete.

Chuck contacted me wanting to trade some miscellaneous auto mechanic tools for the musical rainstick. He drove al l the way down from Wyoming to meet me at Buffalo Wild Wings in Fort Collins!

As I understand it, Chuck had a huge rolling toolbox back in Indiana, and one of the drawers in it was locked. Once he got it unlocked, he found quite a few mechanic's tools which he had no use for, so he thought he would trade me for the musical rainstick. He thought it would entertain his two girls.

My thoughts are with Chuck! He is going through a major life change. He is moving to Philadelphia for a new job. I wish him the best!

Thank you Chuck for your generosity!

Darla

Darla

Double Shot of
Decaffeinated Darla, please...

When Darla first contacted me, she was looking for a specific National Geographic issue that was about tornedoes and specifically had a fold-out of a Wyoming tornado in it .Darla really put me to task!

It took me a couple of hours to actually find it, but I did it! It was the June 1987 issue! This issue was special to her...she remembers looking at it in her Dad's basement.

According to Darla, the fold-out photograph of the Wyoming tornedo combines two of her passions. At a young age, Darla thought seriously about being a meterologist. That was what she seriously wanted to do for a living. Her other love is photography and she is constantlly taking snapshots of her family and the wildlife surrounding her home. She has taken some incredible photos that she posted on her FaceBook page.

Darla traded me a coffee maker that plugs into your cigarette lighter (great for RVs and campers) for the June 1987 National Geographic issue.

While we were visiting, Darla asked about some of my other trades, so I showed her my website and she asked if she could see the Eddie Bauer shadow boxes.

She then offered to trade her cappuccino machine for one of the shadow boxes. I accepted! I mean how often does one get to trade for a cappuccino machine?

Darla, thank you for the trades! I really appreciated the time we spent visiting!

Shaun

Beer Here!!

Meet Shaun!

Shaun emailed me wanting to trade (2) kneeboards for my "Mr. Beer" beer making kit and he wanted to trade as soon as possible.

We tried to trade that very night, but it wasn't to be. So we tried the next night.

When I met Shaun for the trade, I mentioned that we needed to get the trading photo and he had sort of a perplexed look on his face. Come to find out, Shaun had no idea of what I was trying to do with all my trades. He just saw my ad on Craigslist and wanted to trade for the beer making kit.

He recently started brewing his own beer and was all in with all the products that it takes to make beer. He told me he had a batch ready to bottle. I think he needed my kit to help with the batch he currently had fermenting.

Molly swap

McMurdo

McMurdo

Good Golly Miss Molly...Why would you want to go there?

Molly sent me photos of the stools and the softball bat and I knew immediately that I wanted to trade with her. What I didn't know was why she wanted to trade with me. When I found out why...I was impressed! She's done something that very few people have ever done or will ever do. Let me tease you a little longer...

Her first trade offer were some stools that had migrated to her house when her Dad cleaned out his garage to remodel his house. They ended up being permanent fixtures taking up valuable floor space and becoming clutter magnets for unstable paper piles.

Now she has a little bit more floor real estate to do her morning stretches which brings us to the yoga mat trade. Stretching on a hardwood floor is at best miserable. The mat will be a welcome addition to her daily routine. So why the November 1971 NG issue?

She was originally looking at the November 1969 issue for her boyfriend's birthday, but none of the cover stories on that issue got her excited.  So she started browsing and saw the penguin on the cover.  She and her boyfriend had met at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, while they were both working as support staff for the United States Antarctic Program. They
have a small collection of Antarctic memorabilia (like many of their friends who have also spent a considerable amount of time there.) It is a continent that is close to their hearts, and when she saw that picture she just knew that some scientist had gotten their hands on the poor little guy (and their duct tape) and it made her laugh!

That's right, Molly is part of an exclusive club of individuals that have lived at the bottom of the world!

Antarctica...Brrrrrr!

Mom

That's my Mom!

My Mom wanted to help me out with my trading and also clear a couple of things out of her garage. Thanks Mom!

Great Friend! Great Neighbor!

Scott is all of the above!

I was surprised when Scott called about the microwave cart. In fact, I thought he was playing a joke on me, but I was wrong. Seems their old microwave went "kaput" and they had bought a new one that took up more counter space than they wanted.

Scott wasn't sure what to trade me for the cart but remembered he had this treadmill sitting in his basement. This was a Bigger & Better trade! Thanks Scott!

Michael

What a Great Guy!

OK...This guy is goofy, but I love him! He's my stepson and he has been helping me with my trading in all sorts of ways like taking photos and helping me set up my own Swapstartmybiz Facebook page!

Now he's even traded me a Brand New in the box HP Deskjet F4235 Multi-function Inkjet Printer, Copier & Scanner for the January 1990 issue...the month and year he was born!

He was pretty excited about January 1990 issue because I also had the bonus map that came with the issue. The map was actually of the ocean and he thought it was pretty cool to see the topography of the sea bed.

He was given this "sick" hat (trust me-I know mature men should not try to use hip lingo; it just makes them look silly, but I couldn't help myself) by his buddy and we were having all sorts of fun watching him transform it into the different ways it can be worn.

Thanks Bud!

Jeffrey

Generous Jeffrey!

Jeffrey contacted me wanting to trade (3) Adjust-a-Grate egress window well ladders for the track lighting I had.

I was a little unsure of the ladders. I knew they were a generous trade up, but I wasn't sure if people would want to trade for them. So I posted the proposed trade on my Swapstartmybiz Facebook page to get some feedback on whether I should make the trade or not. In the past, I have received maybe 1-2 people offering their opinions, but Jeffrey's trade offered generated a lot of opinons...all of them favorable, so I agreed to the trade. That is when Jeffrey offered up (3) more ladders for the screen divider. I agreed.

It's funny, I was trying to figure out where Jeffrey was getting these ladders. Afterall, it's not everyday that someone has (6) window well safety ladders...they are pretty expensive and it's not like you pick up a couple for spares. I got my answer after I met Jeffrey for the trade.

Seems Jeffrey has several rental properties that he maintains and he wanted the tracklighting and the room divider for them...which also explained why he had so many safety ladders. He was keeping them up to code!

Helen

Helen 2.0!

Helen traded with me again. This time she wanted to trade a Minoura MAG-500 indoor bicycle trainer for (2) of the Adjust-A-Grate Window Well Ladders.

She had only used the bike trainer a couple of times and when she heard that I had traded for some window well ladders she knew she need a couple of them for her family's safety.

As you can see, we are both looking a littel casual. Helen and I have been playing soccer together year-round for over 10 years. We made this trade after one of our indoor games.

Helen

It's Becki!

Becki is a good friend of mine who I am going to miss greatly! She and her Hubby and moving far, far, away!

She had this Health Rider that she didn't want to take with them but she didn't want to throw it away if someone else could use it. So she called me up and offered it to me to trade up! She was even nice enough to drop it off at my house!

Becki is one of those friends that put's a smile on your face because she is soooo ornery that you have be on your toes around her!

Thank you Becki for your dontation. I wish you and you Hubby the best. We will miss you!

Helen

Pure Pier!

Pier is another one of my soccer teammates that I have been playing with for who knows how long. He knew I was doing something crazy, but wasn't sure exactly what it was.

When I explained to him that I was trying to raise money to start a business he wanted to help. He started thinking about some of the stuff he had that he didn't want or need. That's when he gave me a box of Commemorative 2008 Beijing Olympics Collectible Coins. The coins have each of the mascots on them in full color!

I am grateful to Pier for donating these to me and secretly, I am envious of him. Pier is quite the world traveler and gets to visit lots of countries that someday I would love to take my family to see.

One last thing...he's quite the soccer player too!

Helen

Tall Tim!

Tim is tall, but he also has a big heart to match!

He had this Boat Bell sitting on his desk that he wasn't sure what to do with so I asked him if I could have it to trade it on my website. Being the good and generous man that he is, Tim graciously dontated the bell to my venture.

I appreciate Tim's generousity as well as his friendship! Thank you Tim!

Some additional photos from Anneke

MY FIRST
INTERNATIONAL
TRADE

with Amsterdam's Best!

Anneke contacted me all the way from Amsterdam in The Netherlands wanting to know if I would be willing to make a trade.

She specifically wanted the April 1977 issue for the article "A Walk Across America" by Peter Jenkins.

I had a chance to learn a little about Anneke through a couple of emails. She is currently working in film - as a member of the art department. She is very interested in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s especially in the United States. Thriftshoping is a hobby and work related sparetime.

Anneke is seen here at the canals of Amsterdam. In the Golden Age the city of Amsterdam became very wealthy, through the worldwide trade - Amsterdam was the main harbour for Northern Europe in the 17th century. Big trading houses were built on circulair canals around the harbour, the smaller canals was the place for warehouse for all the merchandise. In this rather short extremly rich periode, the city found its form - and hasn't changed much since then.

She sent me some additional photos showing the canals and waterways. I have to admit, I want to go visit now! It is so different from Colorado. Who knows, maybe I could convince Anneke to trade vacation homes!!!

Check back often for more trades!

Disclaimer: Other than owning decades of National Geographic magazines, I am not affiliated or associated with the National Geographic organization in any way, shape, or form. I have not been paid any compensation by the National Geographic organization for my endorsement or this web site. However, in my opinion, National Geographic is an incredible educational organization and they deserve your support. Please visit them at: www.nationalgeographic.com