How to sell or swap gift cards Turn your unwanted gift cards into cash

How to sell or swap gift cards

Turn your unwanted gift cards into cash (or better gift cards).

It's hard to mess up a generic gift like a gift card, but it's definitely possible. If you're the proud owner of some gift cards that you'renever going to use, this is the article for you. Instead of dumping those unwanted gift cards in your junk drawer for future re-gifting, why not try your hand at selling or swapping them online?

Where to buy, sell or swap

Gift cards are just one step away from cash. For that reason, I don't recommend swapping them via eBay (or Craigslist). Because a gift card's balance can be used up in seconds -- even without the physical card in hand -- eBay can be a dangerous venue for both selling and buying gift cards. Sellers risk scammy buyers purchasing cards, using up the balance and then claiming that the item was "not as described" (eBay is notorious for siding with buyers in purchase disputes). Buyers, on the other hand, can get scammed in many ways -- one not-uncommon scam is a seller who uses up the gift card's balance after it's been sold and delivered to the buyer.

Instead of selling your card through eBay, you should take a look at one of the (many) gift card marketplaces dedicated to swapping cards. Unlike eBay, these exchanges offer a balance guarantee on any card purchased through them -- so scammers can't use the card's balance after it's been sold. Many of these exchanges also act as the middleman between sellers and buyers, so you only have to deal with the company (not fickle gift card junkies).