One For Me, One For You

Swapsites are the new do-good, feel-good sport
By Rachel Kaufman

No matter how well-meaning but misguided, you’d never toss a holiday gift (not even the heinous reindeer coffee mug from the office Secret Santa). And the whole re-gifting thing can be a serious faux pas if you get caught. But that doesn’t mean you should relegate those unmentionables to catching dust in the far corner of your closet.

To get what you really want, log online. For only the cost of shipping, you can trade video games, books, music and even clothing with people all over the world. Instead of having to barter directly with one person — where a successful trade depends on you having exactly what they’re looking for — most online swap sites give you points which can be redeemed for other items down the road. With no fees or commissions to pay, swapping may be the most economical way to breathe new life into your old stuff. And it goes without saying that trading is earth-friendly too: let’s keep the stuff we’ve got circulating instead of investing in something new.

Here are a few of the best places to get your swap on:

Swango.com At just a few months old, Swango is gaining momentum as the web’s clothing swapsite of choice. Free to join, the site’s policy is that buyer and seller go halvsies on shipping. Post ten items, and your first ten trading credits are free — additional credits rack up as your clothes are "bought" by other Swango users.

Paperbackswap.com Trade any book — not just paperbacks — with an ISBN for one of 1.5 million available. The site offers printable postage and delivery confirmation, a wish list and lively discussion forums.

Barterbee.com At BarterBee, trade for music, movies and games. It’s free and hundreds of titles are listed.

[Read More »»]

Know of any more good places for freebies, swapping, or bartering?

You may have read about some of these items before and I feel they're important enough to be dusted off and hauled out again. See what you can do as a consumer to help our planet and global family.

Buy Blue has responsible consumerism and invites you to vote with your wallet. Lists political contributions and ratings. Toyota, Home Depot, Campbell's Soup -- where do they stand?

Free Cycle is where you give things away you no longer need for free. Many countries are involved now. Take a look. You'll probably find your town listed.

Responsible Shopper supports global research & action to stop corporate abuse. The parent site, Co-op America has many more ideas for a just planet.

Bloggers For Darfur
A Global Online Community Calling for Action to Stop the Genocide in Darfur - Created by Marilyn and Jill.
link

RE-BLOGGING

The worldwide Freecycle Network is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's an international grassroots movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Since I first posted about it, many other communities have opened up their own Freecycle groups. Put in your zipcode and check it out.. Best thing I've freecycled or bartered lately? The car I'm driving was bartered for my husband building someone a deck.

Locally, Hendersonville and Ashevilleboth have busy groups.

* Bandnews.org - Live from the Web | Search & Read official Music News - Band Directory - Archive. "Bandnews.org is a search engine keeping track of what is going on in the band scene. A bot collects the news from official band websites and magazines so you can read them on one page." [via: DJ Martian]

Professors publish case study of successful nutritional treatment for cancer. Link [via: Rutabaga Stew]

November 15, 1969. 250,000 War Protesters Stage a Peaceful March and Rally in Heart of Washington. - Link [via: One Thousand Reasons]

AOL has a new stand alone browser. They took some ideas from Firefox, like tabbed browsing, and there's some nice, new features of their own. Check it out @ AOL Explorer. For Windows, Mac, and Linux. 10 minutes download for modems; 1 minute for DSL, Cable.

Now Playing - Incredible String Band - The Sun In Pale Silence

Don't miss the Mowendi Art Gallery. Nice clean graphics with fun back.

Entheogenesisis 2: From Darkness Back To Light is a conference scheduled for May 21-23, 2005, in Vancouver, BC. Great roster and excellent topics. Appropriate venue. Featuring 3 days of lectures & slide presentations, Psychedelic art on display, and one evening gathering with Guest DJ’s, a live acid jazz band, a chill room with special film screenings, treats, prizes & more.

The Goddess Ungirdled: Encounters with the Sacred Feminine
--by Lisa Sarasohn (cross posted to Every Woman Is A Goddess; From Susun Weed's April eZine - [Link])

{Local}
Asheville Freecycle group on Yahoo! that's very busy. We discussed Freecycle here last year. Check a search engine to see if your area has one that you can use.

Today's Quote
As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of being.
- Carl Jung

np: Jefferson Airplane - Wooden Ships

The worldwide Freecycle Network is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns.

Speeding up Firefox the right way. Link His info is more suited to all connections and computer speed. (via: del.icio.us)