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One Person's Trash is Another's Treasure
Going "green" is the thing to do these days. Almost everyone is taking part in the effort to save the environment, big or small. The website I'm about to introduce to you today will make some of you very happy. The idea behind this new startup is simple. SwitchPlanet lets you swap stuff, you probably won't ever use again, with other users who need them. Becoming a user is absolutely free and there are no transaction fees, you just pay for the postage of the items you want to trade.Currently there are 4 categories of items; DVDs, CDs, video games and books. Soon, more categories will be added and you will be able to trade anything from clothing to electronics with other SwitchPlanet users. Registration is not mandatory for viewing the listings and you can register when you spot something that you like. You can also use the search feature to find the item you are looking for.
After logging in, your own profile allows you to list the old stuff that you don't use, add friends, view your account history and start switching. When someone requests an item you own, you can either accept or decline the request. If you accept a request, you mail the item within 5 days. You will have to pay for the delivery yourself but this also works the other way when you request for an item from someone else. Once the user confirms that he or she received the item you sent, you will be credited to use for your own requests. When you find an interesting item, you will be able to request it by clicking "Have It."
For the barter system to work without actually paying for anything, SwitchPlanet uses a form of currency called Switchbucs. So you receive Switchbucs when you send something to another user and use them to request things you want from others. If you don't have enough Switchbucs to get the item you want, you can also buy 1 Switchbuc for 1 USD dollar. This system works in perfect harmony and makes the whole process of trading easy and simple.
I think it's an excellent way to reuse and recycle old items with one another, thus wasting less!
[ This post is brought to you by SwitchPlanet ]
4 thoughts:
That's great. Hopefully, more will take advantage of this wonderful idea and also help out others by taking care of their junk.
I concur!
Makes me think of one red paperclip!
When it grows it'll become like an online car boot sale...and car boot sales get me really excited...
Sound great and fun. I like trading stuff with other people. I have lots of useless items and would probably be useful to other people.
Do you start off with a few Switchbucs first? Or I guess some of the founders get the first Switchbucs to get the thing started?
Also, what if the person you sent the items to doesn't confirm? They got the item, you spent your money on shipping, and you didn't get Switchbucs =/
Also, who gets to name how many Switchbucs an item will cost?
What do you think? Post your thoughts..