Stuart is the force behind missiontotrade.com, who is is starting with a bottle of Diet Coke, and hoping to “trade up” for better things over the course of one year.

Briefly explain your idea, and how has it progressed?
To be honest the idea started for me a long time ago as a childish thought, I wondered if I could start with a dollar and then get someone to trade it for two dollars, then the next person to trade that for three or four dollars and so on. Of course this idea was not at all practical as no one is that silly. So I guess the idea evolved. I had heard of Kyle and his ‘One Red Paperclip’ and the idea really caught my interest. I wondered how many people I could find who would be willing to trade something I had for something of greater value.
As for why it started with a Diet Coke, any of my friends or workmates could tell you that I might as well have a bottle of Diet Coke surgically attached to my hand, so it really does define me to a degree. As the bottle of Diet Coke was there on my desk that fateful day last week, that is the item I chose to start out with.

You were inspired by the guy who traded a red paperclip for a house, do you have a similar goal?
It is interesting, for me the goal is not a house, or anything in particular and it is not really monetary either. I do think it would be an awesome outcome to get something that is worth a little bit of money but what I am really looking forward to is the journey. Even though I just started out less than a week ago, I have already had the opportunity to connect with other bloggers in a new way, very much like yourself. I have had the chance to really start meeting some new people and I hope to make some new friends and connections both within Australia and around the world.

He also wrote a book, is that a possibility down the road?
That is not something I ever really considered. I guess this would vastly depend on how interested people were in the Mission To Trade idea as a whole and if they wanted to hear more about the lunatic behind it.

The “Red Paper Clip” trades were only completed 2 years ago, do you feel the internet is ready for a repeat scenario?
Truthfully, I do not know. I do not want to be seen as just a copycat, as I mentioned I have had a similar idea for a long time. But I am hoping that people might look at it and think… “Let’s see what an Aussie can pull off…”. We have a much smaller country and less people, which I think will make things a tad more difficult. So to sum up I hope people look at this and want to see if it *can* be done twice,

How has public interest been so far? Any media interest yet?
At this point there has not been any media interest. The first trade was only completed less than a week ago, so I have not actively approached any media channels yet. Interest from friends has been great, as has that of my workmates, and a lot of bloggers are keeping an eye on the site. After less than a week I am getting ~140 visits a day to the site, which is really not a bad effort and that figure seems to be steadily increasing. Also, with the trade of a keyboard for the golf balls today (see Mouse for Golfballs ) this brings me to two trades in less than a week; a great way to start off.

You also have a blog at www.secludedhabitat.com, why did you feel the need to create a new domain at www.missiontotrade.com?
I wanted somewhere I could dedicate to the idea, I figured if the idea took off people would want to be able to get updates on the mission without having to filter through all my other ramblings. I guess I also wanted to really show that I am willing to dedicate my time to the idea and give it additional attention separate to my two blogs SecludedHabitat.com and GeekyHabitat.com. Also you will notice that there is *virtually* no advertising on the site except for a single banner for my web hosting provider at the top. I wanted people to see that I am dedicated to the idea and am willing to go the extra mile for the site, and to do that by limiting the distractions (such as advertising).

Other than this interview, what are your plans for gaining publicity?
Once I have one more trade under my belt, I will start looking at contacting local radio stations to see if they would like to come on board with the idea for some fun. I am very much hoping that word of mouth will get around about the idea and that someone from the media will contact me directly, as that would be great. In the meantime, I am very much trying to spread the word by telling my friends, workmates and any new people that I meet about the idea. For instance, when I talk to people at the moment I ask them if they know anyone who might be interested in the current item I have on offer. And if worse comes to worse, I am willing to take to the streets *winks*.

Do you think there will be a rush to copy the idea if it takes off?
It is entirely possible, one blogger described me attempting the idea as “he has taken on something that completely confirms he is nuts” and “A genius most days, he is showing us just how far into insanity he can go.” While I know that I am nuts, I have to admit that there has to be people out there who are more crazy than myself. So I think there is a possibility that it may, but only time will tell.

Any fear of positive or negative publicity once the internet masses take notice of you?
What is the old saying… “Any publicity is good publicity”? It is something that is sitting in the back of my mind and has been for the last week. I can tell from some people’s reactions that they think I am just trying to copycat and pull some freebies. But for me one of the goals is that I want the opportunity to meet people, so regardless of good or bad publicity I will get to face that goal head on. My friends will also tell you that I often say “I live life by the motto that it doesn’t matter whether you are laughing at me or with me so long as you are laughing”. When I live life with that in the back of the mind it lets me do things that I would not otherwise do if I thought about it too much. So sometimes you have to take the bull by the horns… sometimes you might be lucky and wrestle it into submission, other times it may knock you to the ground. But most of all it is the journey and the lessons learned that count and that is what I am looking for. If that includes bad publicity then I will face that when it happens.

Critics of the “One Red Paperclip Guy” point out that the house is only worth about $8,000. He’ll do much better off the movie and book deal. Do you feel trading is a viable money making scheme for internet marketers?
Trade was around long before currency and I think one thing that is often overlooked is the value of an item to an individual or group, from things such as sentimental value or the rarity of the item. To be brutally honest I don’t believe it is a good money making scheme; however I do believe that it can leave two parties with a happier outcome. For example, both parties get an item that is more valuable to them personally, even though the monetary value may be significantly different.

Do you have to pay taxes on any of these trades?
I have consulted with my accountant about this and I have been informed that there is no tax implication.

How does somebody interested in trading contact you?
If someone would like to trade with me, they can get into contact with me on the www.missiontotrade.com/contact-me (Contact Me page) of the Mission To Trade blog.

Thanks and good luck with your trading!
Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me and for thinking up some great questions.
Stuart