I first came across Swaptree in early 2008, I believe, which was not too long after it started. Swaptree is a website for swapping books, music, movies, and video games that you no longer want for one that you do want. As opposed to buying and selling items, you can swap one item for another- basically bartering, and turning 2 transactions (selling your unwanted items and buying a new one) into 1, with no money changing hands but a swap of goods.
After you register and create an account, you create two lists, a “want list” and a “have list”. Items that you have that you are willing to trade, you put on your have list, while items that you want, you put on your want list.
Swaptree’s computer system will search for people with items that you want, and in turn want items that you have, and will propose a trade. One key point is that their automated system will work out multi-way trades, so you may end up trading with a 3rd party who does not get the item you have for trade, but something different that was worked out in a multi-person swap. Once you accept a trade, you mail it to the person who will receive your item. Since Swaptree deals with books, movies, and games that qualify as media mail, the postage is usually quite reasonable, usually in the $2-$3 range.
After you create your “have list” swaptree will also show you a list of items you can get that are not yet on your “want list”. If you see any of these, you can click a button to get a trade started.
I’ve recently begun trading again with Swaptree after not doing so for a year or so (you can pause your account at any time so that your items are not available for trade- this is for times when you don’t want to trade or are unable to do so in a timely fashion-like being on vacation, etc.) As before, I like it quite a bit, and in the 10 trades or so I have done since I first started, I have been happy with the service and satisfied overall.
The only caveat I would have is that if you have a more valuable item on your have list that you are willing to trade, you may lose out dollar wise slightly if you accept a trade for a less valuable item that is on your want list. To avoid this, I normally list books in the $3-$10 range that I am willing to swap, so I am not too terribly concerned if I lose out a buck or two here and there, as it will likely even out over time. If you did this regularly, though, you may want to consider selling those items somewhere like Amazon or Ebay.
Keep in mind though, just like buying used books from ebay or Amazon, sellers can vary, both in their responsiveness and in their ability to describe an item properly. Swappers are rated based on previous trades, so be sure to check out a person’s rating before swapping. Overall, I am a big fan of swapping items, and plan on using swaptree more frequently to get rid of some of my older books and CD’s and get some new material.
Have you tried out a bartering or swapping service like Swaptree or Paperbackswap? How was your experience?
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I have to say, I’ve never tried swapping services like Swaptree before, but it sounds like a good way to get rid of some things you don’t want in exchange for something I would use. Nice post
Great tip.. I agree, instead of buying a new one, we may want to trade the unwanted stuffs we have at home.. What’ s good is that we’ll be able to save our money and our CDs, DVDs, or books will not be piled up.
This seems like a great way to get the most out of a transaction. Instead of paying $8 for a new book, you pay the $2 for shipping. Instead of buying a new, fairly expensive videogame, you trade the one you beat for one that someone else has already beaten. Sounds great!
I used swap.com since April of 2010. I had over 30 trades with a positive user rating of 100%. I was approached about a possible trade, and, after reviewing Swap’s guidelines, accepted a “very good” video game in exchange for my “like New” DVD. The game arrived in pieces. The other member admitted that he knew the item was damaged but didn’t know he had to disclose this on the site. I’ve contacted Swap.com several time since September 9 via their onsite “contact us” link, all to no avail. I’ve contacted their support link, their advertising link and their press link and have yet to receive a reply from them. And now they are charging a service fee to use the site.
A service fee for absolutely NO customer support? No thanks. I’ve closed my account and moved on to a different site. I’m not saying everyone will have a similar experience. I’m simply stating that you run the risk of sending an item out and not receiving anything in return. It’s quite a shame that the owners of the site won’t own up and reply…
This is a great idea! Things that once brought you knowledge and entertainment can now do the same for someone else. I have used SwapTree before, and of course it has its pitfalls (just like Ebay or any user-to-user service), but overall it works great.
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