Americans are spending more than $21 billion a year on toys and games, according to NPD Group. Many of these items, though in fine condition, are likely to end up stashed in dark corners of closets, basements, and attics once they're outgrown.
With holiday gift budgets squeezed, many recession-scarred families are looking to the web for low-cost alternatives for acquiring clothes and toys for their kids. In a robust twist on downtown thrift stores and online classifieds, a number of community-based, parent-to-parent swap websites have made clearing out the used but still useful, and trading up for age and size, a lot more friendly.
ThredUP.com, "Where Families Swap Children's Clothing (and Toys) Online," provides a flat-rate shipping box. The sender fills the box and lists the contents on the site. To claim a box, a member pays $5 to ThredUP, plus $10.70 for shipping, and has a prepaid shipping label e-mailed to them. Members then rate each other based on the quality of the items they get.
The swapmamas.com community takes another, somewhat novel, approach. Members can swap for what they want, or choose to donate to another member in need. The site claims, "No buying. No selling. Just loads of good karma." The sender generally handles the shipping costs so, as founder Darcy Cruwys says on the site's "About" page, "This way, no one is actually PAYING to RECEIVE goods."
Other swap sites include Five Boroughs Clothing Swap, a New York City-based clothing exchange marketplace; paperbackswap.com for books; and Toyswap.com and ToysToTrade.com, both focused on toys.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Rachel Botsman, a social innovator and co-author of "What's Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption," said one reason swap sites are growing is because sellers feel good their discarded merchandise is being put to good use.
"Technology creates the efficiency to match millions of 'haves' with millions of 'wants,' whatever they may be, as well as the social glue to create trust between strangers," said Ms. Botsman. "Swapping can provide almost as much choice as traditional shopping."
Discussion questions: Do swap sites in any way threaten traditional retailing, either online or off? Is there a retail opportunity? Will swap sites and their peers continue to rise in popularity once difficult economic times abate?