Have you ever been given a gift card you know you won’t use? Or do you have a gift card that you meant to use but left it at home? Luckily, there are many legit places to sell your gift cards for cash and
Approximately $1 billion in gift cards go unused every year! That’s why selling your gift cards at a discounted rate to somebody who wants them is a win-win for you and the buyer.
You are probably here because you have a gift card (or a wallet full) you wish was hard cash. Explore the best ways to sell your unwanted or
In This Article
Where To Sell Your Gift Cards
Selling gift cards online is the easiest option, but you should expect to pay a commission up to 15% of the selling price.
1. Raise
Raise is the largest online gift card marketplace. I’ve sold a few gift cards on Raise and they usually sell within 24 hours of listing. When a card sells, you can be paid by PayPal, direct deposit, or check. I request payout as soon as the card sells and receive my PayPal payment within 48 hours.
Another reason to consider Raise is that you can name your own selling price. If you have a $25 Walmart gift card to sell and the competitors are selling for $23, you can list yours for $22.95 to become the top listing and make a quick sale!
There are no listing fees on Raise, but you pay 12% of the selling price when you make a sale. If you sell a card that must be mailed, you will pay an additional $1 or 1% fee, whichever is greater.
2. Gift Card Granny
Gift Card Granny might be the easiest place to sell because you can compare the selling prices on several marketplaces with a single query. For high demand gift cards, you can earn up to 92% back of the card value.
When selling on Gift Card Granny, you have these three selling options:
- Sell It Now
- Name Your Price
- Trade In
If you want the cash immediately, go with the Sell It Now option to be paid by PayPal, direct deposit, or check within three business days. But if you have more time to sell, you can earn more with the other two options –Name Your Price and Trade In– to get paid in cash or swap your card for a more desirable brand.
Popular brands on Gift Card Granny:
- Apple
- Target
- Starbucks
- Gamestop
- Best Buy
- Home Depot
- Nordstrom
If you have one of these gift cards to sell, it should sell right away.
3. CardPool
If you need cash immediately, CardPool also lets you sell your gift cards in-person at select businesses and self-serve kiosks. For example, I can exchange my unwanted gift cards for a Target gift card at the Electronics department in Target or for cash at the self-service kiosk at a nearby Kroger grocery store.
CardPool also lets you sell your gift cards online for up to 92% of the card value or you can name your own selling price.
4. CardCash
You can either sell or trade at CardCash. By trading, you can get up to 14% more for your card. CardCash makes instant offers for cards you want to sell and you can earn up to 92% of the card value for in-demand gift card brands.
Payment is sent via PayPal, direct deposit, or check with 48 hours when you choose to sell instead of trade.
5. CardKangaroo
When you only have physical gift cards to sell, you can also look at CardKangaroo; they don’t accept digital gift cards.
If you like CardKangaroo’s offer, you mail your gift cards for free and they typically send your payment within 48 hours. CardKangaroo also lets you trade your unwanted gift cards too.
6. ClipKard
ClipKard will buy just about any giftcard on the market. All you need to do is input some information about the card. They’ll give you an offer based on the retail value and retail brand.
You can select one of two methods to ship your cards. If you choose to ship USPS First Class, ClipKard will pay for the shipping! In the end, it’s up to you to mail the cards off.
Payment can come directly to a Paypal account the following day or by a check in the mail. It’s up to you how you get paid. Not only can you make money on giftcards, but you can earn ClipKard rewards!
1000 points equates to $10 which you can redeem on future purchases on the site.
7. GC Spread
GC Spread works similarly to ClipKard with one major difference. You get to pick the selling price of the giftcard! That’s right, you decide how much you think your giftcard is worth. Send the information off to GC Spread and they’ll either accept the offer or give you a counter-offer.
Once the deal is made, you have 24 hours to upload an ID and credit card information to get your payment. GC Spread will trade your giftcard to someone who wants it and you make the profit.
8. eBay
Another option is to sell your gift cards on eBay as you can potentially sell your card for a profit, but keep in mind that this can be more hassle. By selling through a gift card marketplace, they verify the balance and offer seller protection in case the buyer has trouble redeeming the card.
To avoid fraudulent buyers on eBay, follow these tips:
- Never listed the card number or pin in the listing
- Buy your postage through PayPal so eBay can track the shipping details
- Don’t email the card number and pin even after the buyer pays for it, make them wait to receive the actual card
Most buyers are honest, but a few bad actors give everybody a bad name. A common eBay scam is for the buyer to pay for the card and receive the card number and pin in an email.
The buyer quickly makes a purchase with the card and then files a complaint with eBay stating the seller sold a bad card. Sellers that don’t follow the three safety tips above end up refunding the buyer and lose the gift card in the process.
9. GameFlip
If you are a gamer and win gift cards, this is a great place to flip them. They allow you to get cash for gift cards for places like Xbox Live, Amazon, PSN and Google Play Cards.
The most popular gift cards on Gameflip are Steam cards, PSN, Xbox Live, Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play cards.
10. QuickCashMi
QuickCashMi is yet another site that lets you cash in those cards. There are hundreds you can cash in on. Cards from Abercrombie to Zales. And even Yankee Candle.
The site is pretty easy to use. Simply find your card from the drop-down list, enter the current value, then select if there is a pin. Then hit Get Offer. It’s that simple.
11. CheckIntoCash
The site that lets you cash in your checks also lets you cash out those gift cards.
Checkintocash.com is ready for you to cash in unwanted plastic. They accept hundreds of brands and will give you same day cash.
12. GiftMe
GiftMe.cards has a new easy to use app that lets you easily cash out those gift cards. The app has a slick dashboard that helps selling your gift cards a breeze. You can track your sales, funds and more right on your phone.
One of the features I like is the bulk selling option. Plus you can deposit funds directly into your bank.
13. Craigslist
You can also sell locally by listing your card on Craigslist or another sell local app like Letgo. This option might work best for gift cards to local businesses that cannot be listed on the other gift card balances. When selling locally, it’s best to meet at the local business to verify the balance before the buyer pays for the card.
My wife and I bought a gift card to a local hardware store at a discount using Craigslist. I met the seller at the store and paid him for the card after the cashier verified the balance.
14. Have a Garage Sale
If listing your gift cards online or going to an in-person kiosk is too much work, you can also sell them from home with a garage sale. You may or may not get a good deal for the cards because asking price depends on how much interest the prospective shoppers ask. Do encourage the potential buyer to dial the toll-free 1-800 number on the back to verify the balance before buying.
FAQ
Yes, some sites will give you an offer so you want to make sure you provide the full amount left on the card.
Yes, most sites will include some type of shipping and handling cost. If possible, the best route is to get the money digitally through PayPal or other venue.
Yes, some sites allow you to trade your cards. This can also help reduce selling fees.
Based on our review of sites, some will provide cash with in a day and others a week. Make sure to do your homework and find the one that works best for you. Most sites work the same in that you need to select the gift card brand, enter the current balance, enter the pin then choose your selling price.
Most online marketplaces will convert your physical gift card to a digital version that the buyer can either redeem online or print. Digital transfers instantly transfer the card balance to the buyer and keep selling fees to a minimum.
Trading can be more lucrative because you simply swap balances and the marketplace collects a smaller fee. But, you might need a high demand gift card like Amazon, iTunes, or Starbucks to trade. If no other traders want your card, you can earn more selling.
Summary
Selling your unwanted gift cards can be an excellent way to make a little extra cash with minimal effort. Whether you sell online or in-person, selling gift cards for cash is one of the easiest ways to improve your finances and you also find a good home for your old gift cards.
Have you ever sold gift cards for cash before? If so, what was your experience?
Ramesh K
Another place to find discount gift cards in secondary market is at giftcardplace.com. Goodluck.
Josh Patoka
Thanks for the recommendation!
Andrea C Beslanowitch
Does it work for google play gift cards?
Deacon
I don’t know. Each site could differ on what they will and won’t accept. The best way to find out is to check with each of the ones you are interested in. Look for that info on each site and if you do not find it anywhere, including terms, conditions, and policies, try contacting them to ask. If none of that helps you find a place, you could try selling them through a local buy, sell, trade group on Facebook in your community. I hope you are able to get your gift cards sold through one of these ideas.
Cheryl Boehm
I need to sell 4 $50 iTunes cards. What do you recommend? I need cash asap.
Deacon
You could try one of the sites in this post. You could also sell them through your own local sales page on Facebook, if there is one in your area.
Vince
Cardpool is either a scam or not in operation anymore. You should take it off your list. I sold a Best Buy gift card that remained in review after 2 weeks. I emailed the support and got no response after a week. I was able to cancel the sale.
Deacon
We’ll consider that. Thanks for letting us know. 🙂
SUE
I only use CardKangaroo and CardCash. Cardpool only accepts $20 and over. ClipKard is a scam. They held my order for months and did nothing with it.
Deacon
Thanks for your comments and for your opinion. 🙂
Drew
I have two $100 Cameron Mitchell restaurant gift cards I’m letting go for cheap.
Deacon
Use the links in this post to help you get some money for them. Good luck!
Alexis Alvarez
I have a $200 eBay gift card. Which would work best for me?
Deacon
You could check out the reviews on any of the companies you are interested in as well as comments from other readers on this post. Those might give you some insight as to which companies are good options.
Lee
Where can I sell my home depot in store credit card for cash?
Deacon
Just follow the links and use the information in this post to help you get it sold.
Sam
I used ClipKard and it worked like a charm. They are also very responsive. I had to ask them to expedite the payment process and they were happy to do it.
Deacon
Thanks for the suggestion! Glad it worked well for you!
Melissa Pelletier
I also have EBay gift cards to sell. $800 worth! Almost got scammed today. The red flag was when seller asked me to take pics of the back of the gift cards. Yeah right! Good try tho. So now I’m stuck with these cards. Walgreens don’t give refunds. The only site that I’ve found that buys EBay gift cards is Card Cash. No BBB rating and there’s so many complaints they have have a blinking scam alert on BBB site. In the reviews some say everything went smoothly but scared to take a chance. I also don’t want $800 in gift cards rather than $759 Card Cash offered me. Anyone have any advice? Thanks in advance.
Cat Williamson
Hi Josh, thanks for this info. I am a new widow from Dallas who just found four “$500” GooglePlay gift cards amongst my husband’s belongings. I tried to sell them on GameFlip but was going to lose about $150 per card. Ugh. Any suggestions for these high balance “gaming cards”?
Emily A. Rude
Coinstar does not BUY gift cards.
Julie Bridwell
Thank you Emily. We have updated. Coinstar moved to give gift card credit for coins (and cash).
Greg Preston
GC Spread total scam. Stay away!!! – Went through their process and they ripped me off completely. They got my five gift cards for over 200 bucks and I got nothing! They refused to pay me or send my cards back. They kept the cards and my money. Total scam. I filed BBB complaint.
Jess Nardini
Hey Greg, thank you for sharing your experience with GC Spread. We appreciate any feedback. It helps us get a better understanding of what companies are good or bad. And helps people decide which companies will be the best for their needs! I’m sorry about your experience with them and you definitely did the best thing filing a complaint!