Back in 1994 I went to Kenya with my family as a child. One of the items that my father had been suggested to bring en masse in our bags was disposable pens. We

Back in 1994 I went to Kenya with my family as a child. One of the items that my father had been suggested to bring en masse in our bags was disposable pens. We took tons of them. As it turns out, they were an incredible haggling tool. I still have on my shelf at home a soapstone carved lion that I got for 3 bic pens. That interaction of supply and demand has stuck with me.