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December 19, 2005
Buying gift cards for less than face value
If you're like me, chances are you're running out of gift ideas and are thinking about buying some gift cards. If so, you might want to check out these sites to buy gift cards for less than the face value.
At CertificateSwap.com, CardAvenue.com, and SwapAGift.com, you can buy someone else's old gift cards (new or used) for less than face value. For example, on Certificate Swap, I found a $50 J. Crew gift certificate on sale for $42.
Also, you can sell your gift certificates, too. I used to sell mine on eBay, but now I'm going to see if I can sell them for more on one of these sites. (I earn gift certificates through sites like MyPoints.com).
If you make the purchase through a website like Card Avenue, it might be a little safer than going through eBay because the website verifies the card's balance before the card is listed on the site. Also, after you receice the card or gift certificate, you can check to make sure it has the right value with the merchant - if it doesn't, a website like Card Avenue will refund some of all of your purchase price.
I'm not actually going to buy any gift cards for presents, though. I figure a lot of gift cards might be available after the holidays when people start getting cards they don't like and start selling them on sites like these. Then I plan to pick up some cheap cards for myself.
Posted by brian at December 19, 2005 05:07 PM