CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Trading up from a bobby pin to a house, it’s like something straight out of a school cafeteria, swapping snacks with friends.
Due to the power of trading, a home in Montgomery County, Tennessee, is now off of the market following a viral TikTok campaign.
In May of 2020, Demi Skipper set off on a quest to make one trade at a time — starting with a single bobby pin — with the goal of ending with a house. “I thought it was going to take five years,” Skipper said. “A year and a half and 28 trades isn’t nearly as bad as I thought.”
She posted the famed bobby pin all over social media and Craigslist, until a woman from Atlanta, Georgia, said she’d take the bobby pin in exchange for some earrings.
The earrings eventually turned into a set of margarita glasses, a vacuum, snowboard, Apple TV — the list went on and on, increasing a little in value each time. “We went from like a penny, probably less for a single bobby pin, all the way to $80,000.”
Skipper documented her journey on TikTok, sharing her success with more than five million followers. “What people don’t see on TikTok is the thousands of people who said no to a trade before that one person says yes,” Skipper said.
The most recent yes, from two realtors from Clarksville, Tennessee, resulted in the exchange of a Montgomery County home for Skippers’ solar-powered trailer.
Soon enough, the Skippers will move cross-country from San Francisco to Clarksville, with plans to renovate the home.
“To be honest I was ready to trade for a house anywhere so to get to Clarksville, Tennessee, I was like, this is a dream come true, this is so much better than I ever thought,” Skipper said.
But the best is yet to come. In the spirit of giving, Skipper will be trading down, asking only for a bobby pin in exchange for the home. Yes, you read that right: In a few months, Skipper will essentially be giving the home away for free.
Skipper said she plans to start all over again and continue trading items for homes indefinitely.