Swaptree.com: My Favorite Trading Site for Books, CDs, DVDs & Video Games:

I've been long fascinated by the idea of trading the used books, CDs, and DVDs that I've accumulated over the years. Sure, I could sell them on eBay or Amazon. But the difficulty with selling a movie like, say, Young Guns is that there are approximately 2.2 million men out there with a copy of Young Guns that they never watch. You can find a brand new copy in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart. Why would anyone pay two bucks for it on Amazon (especially since they'd have to pay $2.95 for shipping and handling)?

What I wanted was a Web site where I could trade Young Guns for another movie that everybody has that's always available in the $5.00 bins, but that I actually would throw in the DVD player every year or so. I know there are a lot of people out there with copies of The Rock that they'll never watch again in their life. Why isn't it easier for me to find people who want to trade their crappy movies for mine?

So I tried several Web sites over the course of the last year. Some of them were too specialized (LaLa was great for CDs, and Paperback Swap was great for books, but they weren't all-encompassing enough for me). Some seemed good in theory, but cost a little too much (e.g. PeerFlix). Some had the right infrastructure, but for whatever reason just couldn't draw enough users to make it worthwhile (e.g. TitleTrader).

But I'm as persistent as a Jehovah's Witness, and I eventually found Swaptree.com. It encompasses DVDs, CDs, books, and video games. And the premise of the site is that you're willing to trade any single item you put on your "Have" list for any single item on your "Want" list. In other words, if you're the proud possessor of the cinematic classic Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and you're willing to trade it for Starship's Greatest Hits, then you might be able to find a user who's willing to make that swap.