14 great places to trade stuff online
Posted
May 28 2009, 08:51 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.
All of us have things we don't want and, at the same time, other things we want or need. Usually, the transition between the two requires selling what you don't want and buying what you want or need -- but often, you lose value on both transactions.
A better solution is bartering -- exchanging something you have for something of roughly equal value that someone else has. This can work quite well, but it's often difficult to find like-minded people to barter with.
That's where the Internet comes in handy. Here are 14 great services for bartering, most of which can be used from the convenience of home. I use most of the services listed below and I've mentioned quite a few of them before. Some of them, particularly PaperBackSwap, are part of the fabric of my life.
Let's dive right in and get bartering.
One quick note: The sites that trade "everything" aren't necessarily the best places to go. I find that the niche sites have a much higher level of success in their specific areas. Also, I've included my e-mail address in a few of the links so that I can quickly touch base with any readers who sign up for the service.
BabysitterExchange. What you can trade: baby-sitting, carpooling, pet-sitting, tutoring, etc.
This Web site helps you set up a baby-sitting, tutoring, pet-sitting, or similar neighborhood sharing cooperative online. Here's how it works: A small group of families who all know each signs up for BabysitterExchange. The site helps you schedule exchanges of common tasks like baby-sitting, enabling all members of the cooperative to have those services for free (and with easy access) in exchange for providing the service every once in a while.
BizXchange. What you can trade: business services and goods.
Quite often, businesses are heavily involved in similar marketplaces but aren't in direct competition with one another. In those situations, it makes a lot of sense for those businesses to cooperate on specific business elements like sales and marketing. BizXchange helps businesses interested in such exchanges to find each other and set up healthy relationships.
Craigslist. What you can trade: everything.
Craigslist is a three-ring circus -- newspaper classifieds gone wild. There are countless items and services for sale and trade. Digging through it is kind of like walking through a carnival. There are all sorts of interesting sideshows and you may or may not find what you want, but you'll enjoy the trip.
Freecycle. What you can trade: everything.
Freecycle is kind of like Craigslist's DIY libertarian cousin. It revolves around people wanting to give things away -- items they have that they want to find a good home for. It has its own culture: It's generally considered good form to both give and take, not just take, making it more of a laidback bartering site.
Game Trading Zone. What you can trade: video games.
Game Trading Zone is a service that lets you set up trades for video games and video game accessories. Instead of listing what you have and receiving credit for those listings, Game Trading Zone allows individual users to trade with each other. They browse each others' libraries, set up trades, possibly throw in other items, then ship things to one another.
Goozex. What you can trade: video games, computer games.
Goozex also allows trading of video games and computer games, but instead of requiring users to set up trades, it assigns a point value to each game or peripheral you list. Trades are made basically by moving those points around. If someone with enough points to request an item you have requests it, you ship the item and receive those points, which you can then use to request other items that are listed. It's more efficient -- but sometimes less fun -- than the Game Trading Zone system.
PaperBackSwap. What you can trade: books.
What can I say? I love PaperBackSwap. I'm an avid reader, and that often means that my shelves get overstuffed with books. I used to take piles of them to the used-book store, but I'd get at best a two-for-one exchange and the selection at local used- book stores was limited. PaperBackSwap works much more efficiently. You list 10 books you want to trade and the site gives you two credits. A credit represents a single book that you can request, so you can immediately request two books out of the more than 1 million books listed on the site.
Want more credits? When someone requests a book you've listed, ship it and receive a credit when it arrives. Shipping is easy, too. You can print off complete shipping labels directly from the site. For me, it beats used-book stores in selection, convenience, time and cost.
SwapACD. What you can trade: CDs.
This service works much like PaperBackSwap. You receive a credit for each CD sent out; requesting a CD costs a credit and 49 cents. You can swap credits between SwapACD, PaperBackSwap and SwapADVD (see below), so you can make trades in each type of media (send out DVDs and get books in return, or send out CDs and get DVDs in return, for example).
SwapADVD. What you can trade: DVDs.
Again, this works much like PaperBackSwap. When you sign up, you list 10 DVDs for trade and receive two credits. You receive a credit for each DVD sent out, and requesting a DVD costs a credit. It's also "credit compatible" with SwapACD and PaperBackSwap, meaning you can move credits back and forth between sites.
SwapStyle. What you can trade: clothing, fashion accessories.
This is a perfect place to go if you're a clothes or fashion junkie. You can swap women's clothes, cosmetics, shoes, handbags, etc. Several readers have told me that the items available here are great.
SwapThing. What you can trade: everything.
SwapThing is basically a giant swapping free-for-all, where swaps are individually negotiated between two people. You list items you're willing to swap, then negotiate with the lister of an item that you want. Once you come to an arrangement that makes you both happy, you send out the items.
SwapTree. What you can trade: books, CDs, DVDs, video games.
SwapTree facilitates one-for-one trades of the CDs, DVDs, books, and video games you no longer want. Make a list of the items that you have and are willing to trade, as well as a list of the ones you want, and the site will look for people who have the item you want and want some of the items you have. The wait is sometimes long, but when you actually do make a swap, it usually feels like a great swap.
U-Exchange. What you can trade: services such as carpentry, cleaning, etc.
U-Exchange facilitates face-to-face bartering in specific locations. Visit the site, browse through the proposed swaps in your area, and see if there's anything that you want or can trade. It's fun to browse, if nothing else, and you might just find a great bartering situation.
Zwaggle. What you can trade: kids' clothes, toys, accessories.
Lately, I've become a huge fan of Zwaggle. Zwaggle is a swap site for stuff for children -- in other words, a treasure trove for parents. You can swap kids' clothes, toys, furniture, etc. For every item you give away, you receive a number of points (roughly equal to the dollar value of the item) that you can then spend on other items. Virtually everyone involved with the site is a parent who wants to find bargains on high-quality items, something I can certainly identify with.
Related reading at The Simple Dollar:
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