In a world where many teens seem to lack both patience and common sense, one teen in Glendora, CA, demonstrated both masterfully.
Steven Ortiz, 17, used Craigslist to trade his way up from an old cell phone to a Porsche. It took him 2 years of bartering like mad, but it appears that the effort was worth it. He?s the only student at Charter Oak High School who drives a Porsche to school.
His path from old cell phone to Porsche included working his way up to an iPod, then a MacBook Pro laptop. Eventually, Ortiz traded up from electronics to dirt bikes, then cars and trucks, and an SUV.
?A lot of my friends are jealous,? Ortiz said. ?A lot of my friends come up to me and tell me, ?You want to trade my phone for a car? Try to get me a Ferrari.? I tell them it?s not that easy. It takes time and patience, definitely.?
Ortiz?s skill at identifying a good deal started years ago when he would buy cell phones off of his friends. At $30 each, he would turn around and sell the used cell phones online for three times the amount he paid. He also picked up a knack for repairing electronics, which enabled him to take something that was almost worthless and get it functioning again.
Eventually, Ortiz discovered bartering. Many people online are looking for ways to exchange something they don?t need in order to get something they do need. These same people often realize that they can get more through bartering than through selling the item for cash.
?A lot of people don?t have money right now, in this economy. So they think, `I really need a new phone, but I don?t have the money. Here I have this CD player lying around that I don?t use anymore, maybe I can trade,?? Steven?s father Esteban explained.
Like many Americans, the Ortiz family has been hit hard by the economy. But with his uncanny ability to scour the Web for incredible deals, Steven Ortiz has still managed to get whatever he wants, despite facing economic hardship.
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