5%-15% off Everything at BigW/Woolworths/Coles/JB Hi-Fi/OfficeWorks (and others) using eBay or CardHub.com.au

competecarrot on 06/08/2016 - 14:57
Last edited 06/08/2016 - 16:41

Hi OzBargainers,

I've come across an interesting idea/website that I think we should all be aware of.

Using websites like eBay or CardHub, which allow people sell their unwanted gift cards at a discount (they recommend 5%-15% less than the sticker value of the card), we can consistently get large discounts off mainstream retailers.

Basically my reasoning behind this is if you're planning to buy something that's say $100 from BigW, you should first check the website and purchase a giftcard at a discount, then immediately spend the card (buying online and entering the gift card number + pin). Because the remaining value of the card is automatically verified again when the buyer purchases and CardHub's reputation is at stake for bad transactions, I think it sounds pretty safe (also got safety from using PayPal too).

I have no affiliation with any of these websites other than coming across them last week when I wanted to offload a gift card.

Given the popularity of a few percentage points saving with CashRewards — which basically abuses the affiliate marketing systems, to returns a portion of the growing fees on eBay (which sellers then take into account when they set their prices), I think this gift card idea should be getting much more attention by OzBargain users than CashRewards does.

That nets the buyer a 'free' discount (of a potentially substantial size) with low risk, that's on top of the discount of the deal you found on OzBargain that you're actually buying :P

The way CardHub makes its money is in the additional 10% fee it charges (covers profit margins and PayPal/Bank transaction costs). So a seller places a $40 gift card at $36, and nets themselves $32.40. Seems like a good way for sellers to offload unwanted gift cards relatively cheaply (gift cards are much worse than cash IMO). If the card doesn't sell, there is no charge.

Full disclosure: I have zero affiliation with CardHub. The card I submitted has not been listed yet, because apparently they have a bit of a backlog of JB Hi-Fi cards… (Maybe that's because JB Hi-Fi is becoming a little overpriced :P, or maybe the amount of users on CardHub website is just too low :S)

Any thoughts?

General Discussion

Related Stores

cardhub.com.au
cardhub.com.au

Comments

  • Miksta on 06/08/2016 - 15:32

    Would it be better to sell it on Ebay for $36? After deducting the ebay fees I think you would get back more than $32.40…

    • Savas on 06/08/2016 - 15:36

      Nah I don't think so, they call it feeBay for a reason.

      • competecarrot on 06/08/2016 - 15:58

        Yeah, they had a section on that in the FAQ:

        What fees are associated with selling eGift cards?

        It's free to list on CardHub. Only after your card is successfully sold, will we deduct a 9.8% commission from the selling price.

        You are only charged these selling fees when your card sells. If your card does not sell, you will not be charged.

        For example:

        If you sell a $25 Myer eGift card for $20 on CardHub, then we will deduct $1.96 from your $20 sale price. So, on CardHub you effectively earn $18.04.

        By comparison, eBay would charge you $3.48 in fees for listing the same Myer eGift card. So, on eBay you effectively earn $16.52 (9% less than on CardHub). Also, eBay charges you $1.50 irrespective of whether your card sells or not.

        The automatic confirmation of balance when you make a purchase is something I'm not sure eBay does (I've never bought/sold gift cards on eBay).

        Regardless of whether CardHub or eBay (or another competitor) is the best, the idea is that we can save a amount on goods by first buying a gift cards before making a purchase you were already planning to.

        And sellers would often rather have 85+% of the giftcards value in cash than be forced to buy an overpriced item at say Myer, which may not stock what you're after at the price you're after. Especially given giftcards expire and cash doesn't.

        I've updated the title and description of this post to be online marketplace agnostic :)

        • Savas on 06/08/2016 - 16:30
          +1

          Thanks OP, great post!

  • cwongtech on 07/08/2016 - 10:33

    What's to stop the original owner from selling an egift card then using it up as soon as its been 'sold' via this website?

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