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Brothers trading from rubber ducks to island

Two Airdrie brothers hope to complete a series of trades with an ambitious goal in mind – coming into possession of a private island.
Atkin_web
The Atkin brothers have started the bold journey to trade from rubber ducks to a private island. Photo submitted/Airdrie City View

Two Airdrie brothers hope to complete a series of trades with an ambitious goal in mind – coming into possession of a private island.

“We thought it would be cool to be the first ones to do a trade-up challenge that was this big,” said Brody Atkin, one half of the sibling pair.

Atkin, 23, and his brother Jared, 20, have challenged each other to see who can be the first to complete the goal. Each beginning with a rubber duck, the aspiring social media influencers hope to trade for bigger and better items until one of them eventually receives an island.

The challenge was inspired by fellow Canadian Kyle MacDonald, who traded his way from a paper clip to a house in Kipling, Sask. In the process, he traded for items like a snowmobile, a recording contract and an afternoon with Alice Cooper.

According to Atkin, when the task is complete, the brothers plan to give away the island to one of their social media followers.

"We thought it would be really cool to complete a trade-up challenge that was this big but also let everyone else be a part of it,” he said.

Whichever brother loses the challenge will donate their final item to charity.

"We don’t know what the last item is going to be, but whatever is close to trading for a private island will be fairly pricey,” Atkin said. “We are hoping to donate a couple hundred thousand dollars to a charity of our followers’ choice.”

The brothers said they have been blown away by the support they’ve received. Atkin attributed people’s desire to trade with them to “wanting to be a part of their journey.”

The first official trade took place May 31. In nearly three months of trading, the brothers have made progress – Atkin has traded his way to women’s designer boots valued at over $500, while Jared currently has a ruby bracelet worth around $1,000.

Jared said the trades initially came through Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace. As the items get larger and more expensive, he said he and his brother will find other avenues to pursue trades.

The brothers are confident they will eventually reach their final goal, Atkin said. He anticipated they would complete the challenge in about a year and a half, but that may change.

“I don’t think I can think of a reason for why we would stop until we get there,” he said. “Being the first ones to do this, along with doing it for charity, there is no real downside to continuing.”

The brothers – born and raised in Airdrie – have cultivated a growing social media audience. While they use several social media platforms, TikTok – a platform used to create and share short videos – is their main focus. Their account on the popular platform has more than 100,000 followers and 2.3 million likes.

According to Jared, the brothers decided to pursue becoming influencers on social media out of a desire to help people.

"We just want to have enough reach to make a lot of people happy,” he said. “We want to become entertaining enough, influential enough, so we can point people toward smart solutions.”

For those interested in trading with the brothers or following the challenge on social media, you can find more information at theatkinboys.com.

Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz

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