Smart Shopping: Trading

WSVN -- Author Adrienne Sylver loves books, and yet the habit is hard to keep up.

Adrienne Sylver: "We go to the library, but we spend way too much at stores too, buying books."

Now, when she wants a new read, Adrienne logs on to http://www.swaptree.com/. It lets you swap books, CDs and DVDs.

Adrienne Sylver: "You can target on there which books you want, and they match you up with the people that have them."

When you're ready to trade, just print out the mailing label.

Adrienne Sylver: "I slap it on the envelope, put the book in and walk it to my mailbox, and out it goes. I don't even have to go to the post office."

Robbin Simmons: "To get the most out of the site, Adrienne says put as many things up for trade as possible. Also, be honest about the quality of your items, and when someone wants to trade, act fast."

Adrienne Sylver: "Get them out quickly in the mail because you can rate each other, and so the better rating you have, the more people will trust you as a trader."

Adrienne says, in the end, it's better than making a buck off your used goods.

Adrienne Sylver: "You're not in there necessarily to make money, but if you love books or music and have a lot of things, it's a great trade."

But virtual trading isn't the only way to save.

Laura Hlohinec and Annie Morgan have been to nearly a dozen girl party auctions.

They say, in order to play just clean out your closet and, everything's fair game. Then, divvy out the dollars based on how many items each person brings.

Laura Hlohinec: "Each person gets a certain amount of money just for being there and also for how many bags of clothes or items they bring."

The stakes are high, but losing this money won't break anyone's bank. Annie says the payoff is better than a garage sale.

Annie Morgan: "You know the stuff's good, you know who it's belonged to. It's been well taken care of, it's your friend's."

Even if you leave empty-handed, it's more than a night of swapping.

Annie Morgan: "It's an excuse to get together, eat some food, hang out, tons of fun."

Robbin Simmons: "Also, any leftover or unwanted items are taken to a local Good Will drop-off site after every auction. The girls say, this time the items will go to benefit hurricane victims in Haiti."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Swap Tree:
www.swaptree.com