Everything You Need To Know About Selling Gift Cards Online

Ah, gift cards: The go-to present from someone who has good intentions, but doesn’t know you well enough to get you something you’d actually like.

This holiday season, you’re likely to end up with a stack of them — some of which you probably can’t use or don’t want.

Maybe your boss gave you a Starbucks gift card, but you aren’t a coffee drinker. Or your Aunt Rita gave you a generous $75 for a steakhouse, but you’re a vegetarian.

There is no reason for the gift to go to waste. Instead of letting them sit in a junk drawer or unopened email, sell those gift cards for cash.

Make Easy Money Outside of Selling Gift Cards

4 Best Places to Sell Gift Cards for Cash and Discounts

Ready to start selling gift cards? Start with these five sites.

1. CardCash

Founded in 2009, CardCash is a no-frills marketplace to buy and sell gift cards. It accepts cards from more than 1,300 retailers — all types of popular department stores, restaurants, grocers and more. Although the website states you can earn up to 92% of a gift card’s value, each card is given a unique quote that could be lower. CardCash pays you directly via check, ACH or PayPal if your card is accepted.

Use CardCash’s quote tool to see how much cash your gift card is worth and to find out if you need to physically mail it in. You also have the option to swap the gift card for one at another store, possibly exceeding the value of your current gift card. Gift cards must have a balance of at least $10.

Get started: www.cardcash.com

2. Gameflip

Gameflip is a unique way to get rid of your unwanted digital gift cards and other items. The e-commerce site is a blend of eBay and Upwork for gamers. When selling gift cards, like any other product or service on the site, you’ll have to make a listing, which requires you to first make a Gameflip profile.

You can sell any unused prepaid and non-reloadable gift card for gaming platforms or other retailers. Popular gift cards include Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, iTunes, Google Play and more. With Gameflip, you have full control over the price, though it’s recommended you list your card at a discount of 2% to 15% of its value.

When someone buys your gift card, Gameflip transfers the funds into your Gameflip wallet, which you can withdraw from using Wise, Payoneer, Skrill or Bitcoin. (PayPal is no longer supported.) Gameflip takes an 8% cut of all listings and a further 2% cut of digital-only listings. Each wallet withdrawal method has its own associated fees.

Get started: www.gameflip.com

3. GiftCash

GiftCash is a straightforward way to sell digital and physical gift cards from more than 150 accepted brands. And you can earn up to 93% of the value for in-demand brands.

As with other gift card exchange sites, you can get a quote from GiftCash before you choose to sell it. However, GiftCash does not allow gift-card swapping.

All gift cards must have a value of at least $25. Some brands require a higher minimum value, such as $100 for Air Canada, Apple, iTunes and Petco. Maximum value for all gift cards is $2,000.

GiftCash offers a cash reward program for any gift cards purchased from the site as well.

Get started: www.giftcash.com

4. Raise

Raise is a mobile payment app and e-commerce platform launched in 2013. Among many things, Raise allows you to sell your unwanted gift cards with a balance of at least $5 on its marketplace. That means you’ll need to create a Raise account and a listing for your gift card.

As with any product, the more demand, the more you can ask for it. Gift cards for major retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy tend to sell on the marketplace for about 95% of their value.

You also maintain control over your listing. If your card doesn’t sell in the first couple of days, you can always adjust the price to attract more buyers. Or you can unlist it if you change your mind. Once it sells, Raise charges a 15% seller fee. That means the maximum you can earn on a digital gift card is 85% of its value, if it sells for 100% of its value.

Get started: www.raise.com

To help you determine the best place to sell your unwanted gift cards, we’ve compared several price estimates from popular stores in July 2023. Here’s how the five gift-card sites stack up.

*Note: Estimated exchange prices for Gameflip were based on the rates of digital gift cards currently listed and selling on their marketplace, minus the applicable 10% seller fee.

Tips For Selling Gift Cards Online

There are plenty of websites to sell your gift cards, and each one is a little different. Some will let users bid on your gift card, while others will purchase it from you and then sell it themselves.

Here’s what to keep in mind as you find a buyer for that unwanted present.

Consider Ways to Get Paid

Depending on the service you choose, when you sell a gift card, you can receive a check in the mail, a PayPal or other digital payment or a more useful gift card.

Payment apps might be quick, but keep those pesky transaction fees in mind if you want to maximize your payout. Checks may take a little longer, but they’re as good as cold, hard cash. And depending on your spending habits, another gift card might be the best choice, as the conversion rate is going to be the highest.

Each selection has its own perks, so choose whichever best fits your needs.

Don’t Sell Gift Cards on eBay

EBay has always been a popular place for buying and selling things online — but it might be the worst way to sell gift cards.

First, an eBay buyer isn’t likely to buy your gift card for more than 80% to 90% of its value. For a $100 gift card, you can count on a loss of between $10 and $20 right off the bat.

On top of that, you may be responsible for eBay’s insertion fees, a final value fee and a performance fee if your eBay seller account isn’t in good shape. These fees eat further into your earnings.

You may be thinking, hey, don’t Raise and Gameflip also have seller fees? They do. But these marketplaces specialize in selling gift cards, so the base value of your gift card is likely to be higher on Raise or Gameflip than on eBay. Also with eBay, there’s no built-in way to verify your gift card’s code or balance — making the selling and shipment process much more of a hassle.

In short, stick with one of the five gift-card selling websites above to get the most money for that well-meaning Applebee’s gift card that will fuse together with your wallet before you ever use it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Selling Gift Cards Online

Here are our answers to some common questions about selling gift cards online.

Adam Hardy is a former staff writer for The Penny Hoarder. Freelancers Dana Miranda, Cassidy Alexander and Kent McDill contributed to this report. 

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