SWAP 'TIL YOU DROP!

We’ve seen the rise and rise of bartering for goods and services and now we’re seeing  a marked increase in websites dedicated to swapping goods. So if you've got stuff you don't want, why not swap it for something you do? 

SwapThing.com is a hugely successful American based swapping site.  It uses the  ‘straight exchange format’ i.e. it doesn’t use a credit or monetary system.  Over the past few months traffic has shot up at the site. With 162,000 members it’s now a busy market for everyday goods and services. A lot of swapping is done by mothers looking for baby furniture, equipment and clothes.  Although US based, the site apparently has a large UK membership.  Say Swapthing ‘As long as the economy is the way it is, people have to find alternative ways to get the things they need and want.  People are turning to the internet’.

UK-based swap sites are on the rise too.  Swapcycle is a free service which allows you to swap something you don’t want for something you do.  The format is similar to eBay in that you post details of your unwanted item (with a photo) and you specify a closing date for ‘bids’.  Other members then contact you to say what they’re prepared to swap for your item and then you choose the ‘swap’ you like best.  Simple! To visit Swapcycle, click here.

SwapitShop is an online swapping & trading community for youngsters aged six to eighteen.  Members earn virtual currency ‘Swapits’ for every item they swap and they can also earn Swapits from well-known brands and organisations for activities such as visiting websites, product purchase, completing research surveys, eating healthy food at school and more.  The youngsters ‘bank’ their Swapits then spend them on a wide range of new and second-hand items on the SwapitShop website which SwapitShop then post to the winner.  (There’s no contact between members)  SwapitShop have 700,000 registered members.  To visit Swapitshop click here.

Swapping is free, fun and planet-friendly.  So gather up your unwanted goods and get swapping!