Wondering if you should sell your gift cards online for cash, using a service like EJ Gift Cards? The aftermarket gift card industry is worth millions of dollars – and consumers can save big by selling unwanted gift cards online, and buying gift cards for discounts with their cash!
However, most people still haven’t sold a gift card online. We understand why – it can seem somewhat intimidating, and many folks simply don’t trust online services with their gift cards, because they are worried about scams or losing the value of their gift cards.
But they shouldn’t be. Today, it’s easier than ever to sell gift cards online, and get cash for their value. Whether you choose EJ Gift Cards or another online gift card marketplace, here are the top signs that it’s time to get rid of that old gift card – and get cash for its value by selling it online!
1. It’s Been A Year (Or More) Since You’ve Used It
Even if you have a gift card to a store that you love, it may be a good idea to get rid of it if it’s been sitting unused for a year or longer. You’re probably never going to use it, if you haven’t already – and the longer it sits around, the more likely you are to totally forget about it, and lose the value of the card when it expires.
We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again. Gift cards should be treated like cash – because they’re just as valuable, whether you sell gift cards online for cash, or redeem them at a store.
You wouldn’t leave a bundle of $20 bills in your junk drawer for over a year – and you shouldn’t do that with a $100 gift card to one of your favorite stores, either.
So don’t let your gift card’s value go to waste. Sell all your unwanted gift cards online if they’ve been sitting around in your purse, wallet, or desk drawer for more than a year – and use that cash on something you really want!
2. You’re Stuck With A Small “Leftover” Balance
It can be tough to know what to do with a small “leftover” balance on a gift card. Maybe you had a $500 IKEA gift card and you totally splurged, and got a new couch and some other household items – but now you’re stuck with $8.53 on your gift card.
With that money, you can’t really buy anything online because of the shipping charges – and you probably don’t want to make a trip all the way back to the store just to spend 8 bucks on a pillowcase! So what should you do with that leftover balance?
In some states, there are laws that let you sell gift card balances back to retailers under a certain dollar value. However, these usually only apply to balances below $5, or even $1, in some cases – and some stores may not be aware of them, and will refuse to honor the trade-in, even if it is allowed by law. And most states do not have any protections at all in place for this process, so you could be out of luck, depending on where you live.
However, you can still sell gift cards online, even if they have been partially used! As long as you have a balance remaining – and it’s more than a dollar or two – you can sell your gift cards online. This is usually the best way to get the most out of your gift card, and make sure that the small remaining balance on the card does not go unused.
In fact, low balance gift cards are often highly desirable. People who wish to save a lot of money by buying discounted gift cards online often purchase several low-value gift cards at once, because these are often less expensive than easier-to-use, high value gift cards.
Of course, this often means that the offers you’ll get for low-value gift cards are going to be a bit lower than they would be for a non-used, $100 gift card – but getting cash for your partially-used gift cards by selling them online is still a great idea!
3. You Can’t Sell Your Gift Card To Your Friends And Family
If you really want to sell your gift cards the “old fashioned way”, you can simply see if your friends and family are interested in the gift card! You can usually get a good deal if you sell gift cards to friends and family, as they may be willing to pay a large percentage of the card’s value.
You can put up posts on Facebook, or ask around to see if your friends are interested in your gift cards. You’d be surprised at how often this works!
However, it doesn’t always work – and the process of hunting down a buyer for your gift card can take quite a long time. If you can’t sell your gift cards to friends and family, selling them online is a great alternative. You can usually sell gift cards online in just a few minutes to a gift card reseller – which saves you a ton of time and effort.
4. You’re Fed Up With Getting Store Credit For Your Gift Cards
Did you know that you can actually trade in your gift cards for store credit at some big-box retailers? Target allows you to trade in most gift cards for store credit at their locations. However, they only accept about 100 gift cards, and they don’t offer this service at every location.
Even more recently, WalMart began to offer a similar program, where you can trade in gift cards for WalMart store credit. These both are decent options for selling gift cards if you have a store near you – but there is a catch. You’ll only be able to get store credit for your gift cards – there is no cash redemption offer.
This makes sense, of course. Target and WalMart want you to trade-in your gift cards and spend your money at their store – not just walk out with cash. But if you need cash – not store credit – you won’t be able to use these services.
If you really want to get cash for selling gift cards, the best thing to do is sell your gift cards online. At EJ Gift Cards, we pay out via PayPal, so you can use your gift card value however you want. Whether you want to spend it right away or deposit it in your bank, the choice is yours!
5. You’ve Got A Gift Card To A Store With No Locations Near You
If you have a gift card to a particular store and it’s a 2 hour drive away, chances are that it’s not worth the trip just to use the gift card. If the store has an online store, that can be a decent way to spend your money – but shipping fees and other costs can eat into the value of your gift card, and prevent you from getting its full value.
This problem is extremely common with restaurant gift cards. You don’t want to drive 45 minutes just for “date night”, and you can’t just order their food online, and have it shipped to your door!
Even if the gift card is to a store or a restaurant that you love, it’s usually a good idea to sell it for cash if there is no location anywhere near you.
6. You Can’t “Regift” The Card
“Regifting” is sometimes frowned upon – but it’s a good way to get rid of a gift card that you don’t need, and still make someone else feel special! It can also help you save a bit of money – because you won’t have to buy a brand-new gift card for that person.
But maybe you won’t be able to regift your card. This is a common issue if you’re given a gift card that’s been personalized – or if you have already used up a bit of its balance, but don’t want to use the rest of it. It’s tacky to give someone a gift card for $100 that has an $87.73 remaining balance, for example – so you probably won’t be able to regift it.
In this case, selling the gift card online is usually your best option. The gift card buyer or reseller won’t care if the card is personalized or not, or if some of the balance has already been used.
7. You Don’t Like The Store Or Restaurant
Even when you’re given a gift card with good intentions, it may not always be the right gift. It’s the thought that counts, of course – but friends and family sometimes give us gift cards that we simply don’t use.
Maybe you’ve pledged to try to support local farmers, so you don’t need a gift card to the local grocery supercenter. Or maybe you’ve chosen to stop eating meat – and you got a gift card to a local steakhouse!
Whatever the situation may be, there may come a time when you’ve got a gift card to an establishment you simply don’t care to go to. If this is the case, selling it online is your best option. You can quickly turn your gift card into cash – without feeling guilty about it!
8. You’re Worried About Selling Your Card Over Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or eBay
You can always sell your gift cards to people personally, using a “classifieds” service like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. eBay is also an option, in some cases.
However, it can be hard to understand who is making a legitimate offer on these websites – and scams and misinformation are common when you’re trying to sell a gift card to someone else in-person. You’ll have to spend time sorting through different offers, and identifying legitimate buyers. And even if you “do your homework” on a buyer, you run the risk of getting scammed by a faulty check, a “chargeback” on their credit or debit card, or a PayPal dispute on eBay.
Selling gift cards online to gift card buyers like EJ Gift Cards helps you avoid this altogether – and gives you peace of mind, knowing that your funds are safe and secure, and will be delivered by PayPal.
Recognize These Signs? Get Started, And Sell Gift Cards Online Now!
No matter what kind of gift card you’re looking to sell, EJ Gift Cards has you covered. We’re one of the leading online gift card marketplaces – and we buy gift cards from hundreds of different retailers, restaurants, entertainment venues, and more.
So don’t wait! If you’ve been thinking about selling your gift cards online, we’re the best choice. You can begin the sales process online now, and get a reversible quote! There’s no commitment – if you don’t like our offer, you don’t have to accept it.
Got questions about what we do? Feel free to take a look at our FAQs, or get in touch with one of our team members by contacting us online. We’d be happy to discuss our services – and the benefits of choosing EJ Gift Cards to sell gift cards online!
