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Get Cash For Your Unwanted Gift Card

Cards Can Be Swapped

POSTED: Wednesday, December 28, 2005

UPDATED: 2:05 pm CST December 28, 2005

PHILADELPHIA -- Chances are good you got some kind of gift card as a present this holiday season, but what if the gift card is for a store that is not really one of your favorites?

As more cards are being sold, the market is responding to those people left holding cards they don't really want. There are Web sites where people can sell or exchange their unwanted gift cards.

"You can list your gift card for sale on the Web site. You can also swap your gift card for a gift card you'd rather have, or you can sell your gift card directly to us," said M.J. Kelly, CEO of SwapAGift.com.

SwapAGift.com was one of the first Web sites to give you options if you received a gift card you didn't like, and it now has 15,000 users.

"You go on the Web site, and you list your card and you also list merchants that you'd rather have. 'I have card A and I want other merchants,'" Kelly said.

If someone wants your card, an e-mail is sent to you with what the other person is willing to swap. If you accept, your information is exchanged, you mail your gift card and look for their card in your mail.

All kinds of deals can be done. You can offer a $25 gift card for their $50 card. Of course, the other person would have to accept the offer.

If you want to sell your card, you go the site and post your asking price.

If you'd be happy with 70 percent of the card's value, and your card is one of the site's "preferred merchants" you can sell it to the Web site. All you do is send them your card and you get the cash.

If you want to buy some of the cards for sale, it's like getting a coupon.

"We have a contractor who uses the site a lot and anytime there's a Home Depot card he goes on and purchases a Home Depot card. That way, he gets his supply at a discount," Kelly said.

If you want to sell or swap, you can list your card or cards on SwapAGift.com for a flat fee of $3.99 and your listing stays active for 150 days.

Other Web sites offer similar services. Some charge a percentage of the value of the card, not a flat fee. Some even auction off your card to the highest bidder. eBay has more than 5,000 gift cards for sale, including some to local stores that might not do as well on national Web sites.

Gift Card Exchange Web Sites

Previous Stories:

December 23, 2005: Online Gift Cards Great Option For Last-Minute Shopper
December 21, 2005: Gift Cards May Not Deliver On Promises
December 30, 2004: Gift Card For Wrong Store? Swap It Online
November 22, 2004: Holiday Shoppers Can Lose Money With Gift Cards
November 11, 2003: Read Fine Print When Buying Gift Cards

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Cards Can Be Swapped

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