A not-for-profit web site, chanceXchange, set up just after Christmas lets you swap unwanted items that you'd otherwise bin or give away.
The idea, according to the site's creator Chris Timms, is to stop waste and promote the recycling of unwanted products, based on the principle that one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Everything offered up for swapping is treated as having equal value, with each item you give away gaining you one credit that can be exchanged for an item you fancy. The giver has to pay the postage, so small, cheap-to-post items such as CDs, DVDs, games and paperback books are favourite.
Here are the frequently asked
questions from the site:
How private is my info?
We never pass on your email address to others, and your address is private UNLESS you decide you want to acquire an item from the site - in this case your name and address will be made public to the person who needs to send you the product.
We will never share your private contact information with third party companies, we intend to respect & protect your privacy.
How do I receive credits?
Offer your unwanted items here, if someone on the site is interested in your items you'll be alerted by email. Post the item to the matching user and receive a credit which can be used to acquire anything else listed on the site.
Who pays for the postage?
You'll have to cover the cost of the items you send, however when you acquire something from another user they'll cover the postage. Trading is limited by country so you'll never have to cover international postage costs and you should not list anything on the site you are unwilling to post.
Why can't I trade internationally?
International postage can be quite expensive, particularly when you post heavier items (VHS box sets etc), there are also region issues with DVDs and potential custom fees when sending internationally. As such international trading is not something we can offer at this time.
What can I trade?
You can offer anything you own and are willing to post to another chancexchanger in your country. Usually this will be small items which require cheap postage (books, dvds, cds) but you may also offer other items, as long as:
We never pass on your email address to others, and your address is private UNLESS you decide you want to acquire an item from the site - in this case your name and address will be made public to the person who needs to send you the product.
We will never share your private contact information with third party companies, we intend to respect & protect your privacy.
How do I receive credits?
Offer your unwanted items here, if someone on the site is interested in your items you'll be alerted by email. Post the item to the matching user and receive a credit which can be used to acquire anything else listed on the site.
Who pays for the postage?
You'll have to cover the cost of the items you send, however when you acquire something from another user they'll cover the postage. Trading is limited by country so you'll never have to cover international postage costs and you should not list anything on the site you are unwilling to post.
Why can't I trade internationally?
International postage can be quite expensive, particularly when you post heavier items (VHS box sets etc), there are also region issues with DVDs and potential custom fees when sending internationally. As such international trading is not something we can offer at this time.
What can I trade?
You can offer anything you own and are willing to post to another chancexchanger in your country. Usually this will be small items which require cheap postage (books, dvds, cds) but you may also offer other items, as long as:
You DO NOT trade items of
an adult nature
You DO NOT trade illegal items
You ONLY trade things you own
You DO NOT trade illegal items
You ONLY trade things you own
If you notice something being traded with is against our terms and conditions please inform us and we'll remove the item from the site.
What happen in the case of a dispute?
If after 11 days of an item having been posted it has still not been received, the trade can be disputed. In all cases we rule on the side of the receiver unless the poster can present proof of postage. If any user is found to be deliberately abusing the system their profile will instantly be removed from the site.
Why don't things have different values?
As all the items you list should be items you no longer want, we offer you one credit per item traded - this will enable you to acquire one other item from the site in exchange for your unwanted item.
How do you make money?
We don't this is a free service run to help stop waste and to promote recycling.
Home page - spot Bob's swap item (click for larger image)
Okay, here's a clue
Icons on the pages are active
What we've not been able to figure out is how Chris Timms is going to be able to cover hosting and other costs if the site has no revenue stream and isn't intended to make money. When we've spoken to him - hopefully soon - we'll let you know.
So, good idea, bad idea, old idea or what? Check out the site, including its testimonials page, and let us know your thoughts in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle forum.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this articleExternal.links
chanceXchange - home pagechanceXchange - testimonials page
chanceXchange - FAQ page
