Online trading site Swaptree entered public beta this month after over a year in testing - it lets you swap books, music, DVDs and video games. In fact, online trading is a growing trend, with some new sites adding social networking to the mix. Today we look at 8 of the most interesting sites where you can trade the stuff you’ve got for the stuff you want.
Peerflix - Potentially the most popular of the lot, Peerflix is a DVD trading service which is open to Canadian and US users. The idea behind the service is simple; a one-stop solution for all your DVD needs without burning a hole in your pocket. The first step is to sign up for your free account and then proceed further by listing “the titles you can provide” and “the titles you want”. Once part of the community, you can mail movies directly to your trading partner and in turn get Peerbux: credit tokens that can be exchanged for items on the site. Peerflix also deducts 99 cents from your account each time you receive a movie and gives guarantees against loss, theft, or damage in transit.
Lala - Lala is to music what Peerflix is to movies. Lala has been able to successfully build a comprehensive database of users and also offers a wide variety of Internet radio station streams including the iconic WOXY Station, which was seen as a haven for indie lovers. The process is simple; list the desired CDs on your account and Lala simply shoots you an email when a CD on your “Have List” matches with a disc on another member’s “Want List.” Lala charges $1.75 for each transaction including shipping.
Goozex - If you live and breathe gaming, then Goozex may just work for you. The peer-to-peer service solely deals in games and is generating quite a buzz in the gaming community. Recently they added a special Mac section, which not only offers Mac games (yes, they exist) but also has a neat Dashboard widget. Via the widget, Mac users can keep track of their requests for games and library lists. On signing up, users can trade their games and in turn receive points to get other games for $1 per trade.
SwitchPlanet - Going Green is the mantra of 2007 and Switch Planet plans to adhere to it. The site is still in beta and believes in the motto of “use more… waste less”. Lofty ambitions? Maybe, but for now it does look promising. It is based on the same principle as the above-mentioned services which means; sign up, list your items, make a preferences list and start swapping. SwitchPlanet is 100% free but you can buy additional points, which lets you skip the waiting period.
Neighborrow - We all can do without those pesky neighbors who end up at the door, always looking to borrow something. However Neighborrow seeks to make borrowing and lending more pleasurable and one can borrow/trade books, movies, music, tools, household items, baby items and so on. The site is still in Alpha and it looks like it’s going to be while before it really kick-starts. For now you may want to skip this one but do keep it on your future watch list.
Zunafish - Zunafish stands apart from the crowd as it forsakes the community principle and lets one indulge in some good old one-on-one trading. The Barter System of the 21st century lets you trade music, movies, paperbacks, videotapes and audiobooks. Many feel that the service’s Achilles heel is its non-automated system and high-shipping rates.
Title Trader - Call this the wildcard entry. Title Trader’s strength lies in the fact that it is not just restricted to a single product and one can swap books, DVDs, VHS, CDs and video games. The website has a very simple interface which we are not too enthused about and operates in a similar manner to Lala and Peerflix. Title Trader is open to anyone on the planet and is free. However, to access Premium features there is a yearly fee of $19.95.
PlayInterChange - Another peer-to-peer service, which caught our attention and is showing promising signs. The service has a wide range of products and has categories like DVDs, CDs, HD,Blu-Ray and Mac software. The site is beta right now, and PlayInterChange charges $.50 for brokering the transaction. One unique feature is that users get to decide their own prices for each listed item. They claim to have a comprehensive collection, which includes around 3,000 video games and 90,000 movies.
What did we miss? Leave your suggestions in the comments.
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