Karma is the idea that what you do comes back to you, and you may never have thought that what you do with your gift card has any sort of ramifications to anyone else. But we’re here to show how keeping an unwanted gift card keeps everything out of balance, and how to set things right again.
The Gift Card Process
This all started with a well-meaning friend or relative that couldn’t think of exactly the perfect gift, so instead they bought you a gift card. Internally you may have rolled your eyes and gave a big sigh when they presented you with it, while keeping a pleasant demeanor on the outside. It’s just no fun getting a gift card you know you’ll never use, and sometimes it’s hard to hide it.
At the time of the purchase they had visions of you going to the store or restaurant and having a stress-free trip because you didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket. Maybe it’s to a big box store and they had a vision of you getting that new TV you wanted. Or maybe it’s to a restaurant and they saw you paying your bill with the gift card after enjoying an amazing meal with your friends or significant other.
They definitely didn’t picture you holding onto it for weeks or months on end and worrying about how to get rid of it.
The Letdown
Disappointment starts to set in when you realize that you are never going to use that gift card, and it will probably go to waste in your wallet or purse. That’s not a good feeling to have, and it’s not the feeling that was intended when the gift card was purchased.
They never wanted you to feel bummed about the store, disappointed by the amount, or guilty for not using the card. In their mind they thought you’d get use out of the card by buying something you needed or wanted.
Selling the gift card and getting less than the card’s value is better than keeping that full value card and not using it. At least you can spend the money you do get on things you really want, which energetically should wipe out any negative feelings you may have been harboring.
The Gift Card Represents the Past
Live in the moment! Carrying around that gift card for months on end is not doing anybody any good. Your friend or family member did their best to try to pick a store that they thought you might like. They wouldn’t be totally offended if you don’t like that store. In the grand scheme of things, it’s no big deal, and you shouldn’t spend too much time thinking about the gift card itself.
Their intention was not to burden you with a gift card you don’t want, so try your best not to make it a burden. If it’s been bugging you for awhile now, or you’ve been spending too much time figuring out what to do with it, make a promise to yourself to take care of this once and for all just as quick as you can.
The past and the future are all in your mind, all that really exists is right here, right now. The longer you hold onto that unwanted gift card the longer you go without something new that could make your life even better. While it may seem strange to apply esoteric philosophies to something as simple as a gift card, it can really benefit you in the long run by taking just one more thing off your plate.
You’re Not Stuck
Feeling like you are stuck with a card you are not going to use is the wrong way to look at it. In today’s day and age we have access to things that we didn’t have just 10 years ago. Back in the day, you kind of were stuck with the card, unless you could find someone that wanted it bad enough to buy it off of you.
These days it’s very fast and easy to trade in your card for cash so you can repurpose it for other purchases. How fun! What a better way to think of the whole situation, instead of feeling trapped or feeling like you’re disappointing the person that got you the card.
Free Your Mind from Negative Emotion
Freeing your mind from having to worry about that gift card is one of the major benefits of turning it into some PayPal funds and spending it on something you really like.
That freeing feeling is what we’re going for here, and it all sets in rather quickly once you transform that ugly caterpillar of a gift card into a beautiful butterfly called money.
It might sound like an exaggeration, and maybe you think you’re not placing a lot of emotion in the card. But ask yourself this: why do you still have it? The answer is that when it comes to gift giving, we do place a lot of emotions on things. We might feel that if we don’t use the card properly, we’re hurting the other person. These emotions increase depending on the place that person holds in our heart, so the closer they are the more importance you’ll place on the card and the harder it will be to make a decision with it.
The Happiness Chain
Your happiness is what started this whole thing. Whoever got you the gift card just wanted you to get excited and be happy at the thought of purchasing something new. Most likely they couldn’t figure out exactly what to get you, but they took their best guess as to the kind of store you might shop at. If they knew that the card didn’t make you happy they would immediately take it back and get you a card from a store you do like.
Sell your card for a price that makes you happy. That’s the best way to make sure that you end up feeling good about the whole process in general. If you feel like you aren’t getting enough for the card, or that it isn’t worth it, then you shouldn’t do it. Those happy feelings pass to the next person to buy the card.
The card buyer will get the card at a price that makes them happy. The way the process works is someone will be able to buy a discounted gift card, and they’ll feel like they are getting a deal at a store that they frequent. So it’s not just you that ends up happy from this transaction, but someone else as well, a total stranger.
The card exchange service will make a tidy profit and be happy. They aren’t making huge money on your card, so no resentment is needed. They are just making enough to squeeze out a profit by being able to turn around and sell it to someone else. By processing a large number of transactions they are able to make it a sustainable business, making the business owners happy.
The person that got you the card would be happy knowing that you got something of value for it, and it didn’t go to waste. Of course, you don’t ever have to tell them that you exchanged your card for money , but if they ever ask if you enjoyed your card you can honestly tell them that you did instead of hoping they never see it in your wallet.
Who knew all this happiness could come from getting rid of something you don’t want?
Making the Decision to Sell Your Card
When you finally make the decision to sell your card, it should be in your sweet spot, it should just feel right. Hopefully we’ve shown that keeping a card you don’t want isn’t good for anyone, so you shouldn’t have too many hang-ups about letting go and moving on.
The next step is to find a high-quality gift card buying service that will give you a no-nonsense offer for your card and be able to send the money via PayPal. That way you can put all of this in your rear view and start enjoying your new purchase without dragging things on and on.
Going with a reputable gift card buying service is just one more step in making sure you have a good experience with the whole process. If you end up selling your card to an unscrupulous service and never get your money you will feel worse than when you started.
Putting Your Money to Good Use
When you put your gift card money to good use you keep the happy train going. This is especially true if you put the money towards something that will last a long time, like a high priced item that you’ve been wanting but couldn’t quite afford.
Even a night out could be considered a good use if you’re able to have an unforgettable time thanks to the extra money in your pocket. It doesn’t take much to turn an ordinary night into an extraordinary one, and the money you get from your gift card could be the difference-maker that does the trick.
If at all possible, you could end up spending the money on the person that got you the card. You could take them out to a movie or for lunch if they are an acquaintance, relative, or a friend. And if it is your sweetheart that got you the card you can do something special just for them.
There are a countless number of ways to put that money to good use, and the best person to make the final decision is you.
The Next Time You See the Gift Card Giver
A lot of the hesitation you may have been experiencing might be due to wondering what things will be like the next time you see the person that got you the card. If it’s a close personal friend you might have been acting strange around them, and if it’s a more distant relative you may have been dreading the next time you see them.
There’s no need for any awkwardness the next time you see your friend or family member that purchased the card for you. They’ve probably long-forgotten the purchase and only wanted you to be happy in the first place. In all likelihood they won’t ask what you ended up buying with your gift card, but if you choose to bring it up you can just let them know that you really got a lot of enjoyment from it, and you can earnestly thank them for it now.
Spreading Good Vibes
By spreading the good vibes you get from no longer lugging around a card that you don’t want, you’ll be free of the past and better able to live in the present. Others will pick up on this shift in your energy and you might notice a slight shift in the way things are going in your life overall. We live in an energetic universe and it only takes a small change in our mental state in order to affect what happens to us.
We’ve touched on a few things that you might not have thought of when you were thinking of what to do with your unwanted gift card. Some of it may apply to you, while some of it might not. But hopefully you’ve seen some of the emotions and psychology behind gift-giving and what it means to us. And perhaps you have a new strategy for what to do with that gift card you’ve been holding onto.
Let the Healing Begin
We’re here to help you get back that good karma with your gift card. Dust it off and see how much it’s worth. If our offer is in your happy place all you’ll need to do is enter in the info and tell us where to send the PayPal funds. Once it hits your paypal your Zen experience can continue.
