Are you looking for a cost-cutting alternative to buying the CD or book you want? Have a gift card on hand to a store you never shop? Or how about turning your junk into someone else's treasure in return for something useful?
Then there are lots of on-line swapping sites out there for you to choose from. And besides saving money, it reduces waste in the landfills too. You can be "green" while saving green! Great combination, eh?
Here's a list of some of the top swap sites available right now.
PaperBackSwap.com – Swap your books for the cost of postage! (Send the book "media mail" for lower postage rates.)
SwapADVD.com - Same company as PaperBackSwap, just movies instead of books.
SwapACD.com – Wouldn't you guess… same company as the last two. But with CD as currency. (Don't you think they could just combine all this into one site?) Anywho, this is a great site to trade your music. Want U2 but have Counting Crows? Simply find someone to trade the Counting Crows CD with, and earn points to get U2 from another member.
Swaptree.com – Books, music, DVDs, video games. Basically, you tell Swap Tree what you want to trade for something "new". Then they generate a list of every possible trade match for you. You "shop" through the items and pick out the one you want. Then you can even buy postage through the site. Pretty awesome set up.
U-Exchange.com - Swap just about anything. Houses, cars, services, small items, etc. I was really surprised by the wide range of swapping options.
BookMooch.com – Like the site name, trading books here. A little more complicated than other swap sites perhaps, but still a good idea. And they give the option of giving to charity instead of trading for yourself.
Craigslist.com - Ah, tried and true, right? Find your nearest city, and then check out the "free" and "barter" sections. Nearly anything goes on Craigs List, for better or for worse, so you can post asking for a swap of just about anything- material items, services, etc. Endless possibilities.
SwapAGift.com – Swap or sell your gift cards here for cash or other cards you want. And they also have gift cards just to buy at discounted prices too.
Have you had experience with any of these? Or have another swap site to add to the list? Please let me know in the comments section below!
Photo by Lin Pernille Photography
Dana is married to her high school sweetheart Ryan and is a stay-at-home-mom to a baby becoming a little girl. She blogs daily on Frugal In Virginia where she helps families live on less.
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Great tips! Thanks. I am all about being green while saving green.
You should check out this new site. It can be used to swap anything legal, but it's MUCH easier and faster to use due to the fact that there are no fees and no registration process. It couldn't be easier. It's new so ads are a bit scarse in parts of the country, but it was started in Orange County, CA and seems to be taking off pretty quick in the larger cities. Check it out, I've made some great swaps on there so far.