Tweet for tat: How to barter for services online

If you were paying any attention to feel-good news stories three years ago, you might remember a guy by the name of Kyle MacDonald. And if his name doesn't ring a bell, perhaps his ticket to the national spotlight will: one red paperclip. MacDonald first traded the tiny office supply for a pen on Craigslist in 2005, and eventually kept trading until he ended up with a house. (And, as what usually happens in situations like these, a book deal soon followed.)

To be sure, MacDonald is a rare example of extreme success (and, perhaps, extremely good timing) when it comes to online bartering -- there's no telling what his journey would've looked like had he tried to trade that red paperclip after the economy started to falter. (For one, the house he ended up with most likely would've been a foreclosure.)