If this post could have had a sub-title, it would be:
And You’ll Wish You Would Have Known About Them Sooner.
Let’s jump right in, shall we?
#1: SwapTree.com
As SwapTree boasts on its home page, it takes only eight seconds to join, and then, “voila!”, trade books, CD’s, DVD’s and video games. It’s all free. With their simple, “Have It” and “Want It” lists, all you have to do is list the items you have, click on the items you want and SwapTree’s algorithm will start scouring the network for potential trades that will allow you to give up what you don’t want and get what you do.
Did you buy someone a Wii last year? If you did, chances are the basic sports game pack is collecting dust in your entertainment cabinet and hasn’t been picked up since May. Trade it! And, best of all—there’s no phony trades to be had. You have to list items to your “have” list before SwapTree will start scouting for your “wants” and you add items to your “have” list with their UPC or ISBN Code. So your real-deal Wii game won’t be swapped for a pirated phony.
Postage? No worries, since everyone has to list their items based on the UPC code, SwapTree makes sure you have and can print the appropriate shipping label without even having to leave the site. Hand over your credit card number to pay for the postage and you’re done.
I give SwapTree five out of five stars.
#2: RetailMeNot.com
I’m all for saving money during the holidays, and every other day for that matter. At RetailMeNot.com, you can find online coupon codes for more than 20,000 ecommerce sites.
It’s simple to use, doesn’t require a registration and the savings are instant if you’re shopping online. Even better, if you sign up to become a user who is actually posting the savings codes on RetailMeNot.com, you will earn 50% of the advertising revenue for any thread you open. The only catch being that you have to submit ten discount codes before you are eligible to start receiving the kick back. If I were in college, I would totally opt to scour the web and submit coupon codes over donating plasma.
Two of the best features of RetailMeNot.com are the success stats featured with each discount code (so you know if the code is totally bogus before you even bother entering it) and the Firefox plug-in which automatically alerts you to discount codes for the site you’re browsing. I used it for all of my online holiday shopping this year and saved well over $200.
I give RetailMeNot.com four out of five stars (only because they shouldn’t even bother posting the unreliable discount codes).
#3: FotoViewr
If I sent my mom or dad to my Flickr page to view photos of this year’s Thanksgiving turkey, the first I ever cooked, they would be completely lost upon arrival and lose interest. And I know this, because I tried. Well, that’s not true. My mom did make it in, clicked on one photo, waited for it to load and then got lost within the sea of thumbnails. Either that or she decided it was too much of a chore.
Have no fear, FotoViewr is here! Without any HTML know-how, you can create beautiful, easy to navigate 3D photo galleries straight from your Flickr, SmugMug or Facebook albums.
Upload your holiday photos to your existing photo share account, create a new FotoViewr gallery, and send mom and dad the link. They click, they view, they think you’re a genius. Send your artsy friend Rachel the link, she clicks, she’s impressed, she makes a better custom photo gallery on her own. Whatever.
The only draw backs: your gallery isn’t private (so choose wisely before sending to mom and dad—or anyone for that matter) and you can only upload thirty images. Otherwise, I think it’s a snappy way to look posh. Or at least, a little creative.
I give FotoViewr four out of five stars.
Editor’s Note: You can read more Oneupweb Reviews on StraightUpSearch, social media-related reviews on our sister blog StraightUpSocial, and product-focused Oneupweb Reviews on Epinions.
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Wondering if those are your clients and you are giving them link love? Why else make a random review like this? Interesting…
Thanks for the nice review of FotoViewr. We hope your parents enjoyed the easy to view pictures of your wonderful Thanksgiving feast. We also hope that Rachel’s art isn’t the typical undergrad-level “abstract” stuff that certain of our friends have been creating and showcasing. J/K Rachel! Your art is the best!
Scott: Thanks for the comment. Nope, not our clients, just like to review some useful online shopping services, especially around the holidays. And fotoviewr is just plain fun. More reviews here.
I give SwapTree ZERO stars. They don’t have a system to guarantee a trade. On my very first trade, I shipped out a DVD and my “trade partner” never shipped out the book I was supposed to get in exchange. The months later and SwapTree is still looking into the problem. I am out of a DVD plus shipping costs. A MUCH better site is paperbookswap.com, where you get a credit for shipping something out, and with that credit you can request from any of the members any of the available books on the site (HUGE selection). This guarantees a trade. Avoid Swaptree.
Your the first person I’ve seen complain about SWAPTREE.COM. The site is brilliant and improving all the time. You’ll be back. It’s going to be a household name. Do you work for one of SWAPTREE’s lousy competitors?