Swap A CD Bites
Entertainment, Online, Rants and Raves - 8 Comments » - Posted on January, 2 at 4:30 pm
I might enjoy using Swap A DVD and I certainly adore Paperbackswap, but the folks behind these sites must have been on something when they set up the guidelines for Swap A CD. I just signed up not that long ago, posted the cds I’d like to swap out and began browsing the cds that are posted in the system that I might want to request. I finally found a cd that I had been wanting to listen to, but was too afriad to buy it for fear it sucked. I clicked the order button and was given an error message telling me I couldn’t order it. The hell? Yup, see for yourself:
Oops.. You currently do not have enough SwapaCD Money available to order this CD, but you do have enough credits. To purchase additional SwapaCD Money click below. Ordering a CD requires 1 CD credit and $0.49 debited from your SwapaCD Money account.
Unlike the other sites, having credits isn’t enough to do a swap, you also have to pay as well. So I have to pay when I request a cd and I also have to pay out of pocket when a cd is requested of me. Someone care to explain to me how this will really, in the long one, save me any money? Yeah, $0.49 isn’t much, but if you think of it in terms likes this:
- cost to mail a cd $0.69 (so they estimate but their estimates have been off before) so you can even get a credit to request a cd
- gas money to reach post office if you don’t have postage on hand at home
- $0.49 to request a cd
Add that up and I might as well just go to Hastings and buy used cds from there. At least I know their used cds really will work, I don’t have to rely on someone’s honor, it’s not getting damaged in the mail either, and most importantly I’ll get the inserts that come with the cd as well. Huh? Yup, apparently you can post cds that you don’t have the album stuff for. So in theory, I can slip a cd in a plastic sleeve, or just even wrap it up in the mailing paper, and send it off. Hey, if I’m going through the trouble of swapping cds I want the damn inserts.
Add to that the fact that the minimum amount of swap a cd money (to cover that .49 cents fee) you can “purchase” (read deposit) is $5 and if you need to purchase credits, because no one is requesting your cds, it’ll cost you $10.35 for 3 credits (cheapest). So if I go and request a cd right now with the measly one credit I was given for adding 10 cds to the system it will essentially cost me $5. Given the fact that no one is requesting my cds, if I want to get more I have to shell out $10.35 to get 3 more. Seriously, it’s not worth it.
So yeah, I’m not using this service after all, and since I cannot see a way to delete my account I’ve set my status to ‘on vacation’ until the year 2020. I was all set to have fun swapping music but the way they have it set up, to put it nicely, just blows.
Tagged: music, swap-a-cd, swapacd, used-cdsPosted in Entertainment, Online, Rants and Raves | 8 Comments »
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Yeah, that program sounds a bit bogus to use. I like swapping things and only having to pay for the shipping. I hate having to pay a fee to the website since I feel as if I would be “buying” the product instead.
Maria,
Exactly! They’ve also always warned that if the overhead cost gets too much they might have to charge a membership fee, but so many members buy the goodies in the shops or extra credits that it’s never been a real issue. The CD Swap doesn’t seem nearly as active as PBS and even the newly created Swap a DVD though. So if they start charging a membership fee plus the .49 cents transaction fee, because that’s essentially what it is, well that would just be crazy. Sorry, not interested. I’d rather be a pirate. Arrgh!
Yuck their rules do suck. I would assume it would be the same process for all 3 sites but I guess not. Bleh on them. You’re better off buying it used on ebay.
Julie,
True that, because hey, if the cd is f*cked up I can sic Ebay and PayPal on the sellers and get my money back anyway.
They say the reason they have the fee is because if you get a bum CD, they reimburse your credit, unlike PBS and SADVD. I dunno. I send out on SACD, but won’t buy from there, I just transfer them to PBS to use. Their new SADVD is a little screwed up. Their wishlist is this complicated mathematical formula instead of first come, first served (they say they are gonna change PBS too which makes me crazy). And you have to have the inserts and case. I don’t keep the cases and inserts. We simplify, so I keep all our movies in these large binders designed for dics to save space. Argh! So, I don’t get to send many out there either. Oh well, I read most of the time anyway.
Candy,
You can transfer your credits from Swap A CD to PBS or Swap a DVD? Please explain how because I really want to do that.
That’s great that they reimburse you, but I’d rather they be more strict like PBS is and just boot the people who swap crap.
As for the wishlist thing on Swap A DVD, it took me a while to understand it myself. What pissed me off is that I didn’t have any credits in my account and even though I had it set up to offer me a certain dvd for 48 hours when it became available again I got an email stating that since I didn’t have enough credits in my account I was automatically skipped over and to be sure to put moe credits in my account. What. The. Hell?!
I still like how PBS is run the best, Swap a DVD second best. Not liking Swap a CD though.
Oh, you are gonna be ticked off when they change the PBS wishlist to be like the DVD one then. LOL. I know I will be! To swap your credits around (the DVDS are 3 for 2), go to “My Account” on SACD or SADVD and you’ll see Transfer Credits. You can transfer to/from PBS and others from there
Candy,
Awesome, thank you hun. I’m going to go transfer some credits around.
I so needed more PBS credits. Well, I might be doing like you do then, sending out my cds and switching the credits to where I actually need/want ‘em.
GAH! I am not looking forward to that day, although, I do always keep at least 2 credits in my PBS account since I’m always getting books from there.
Total book worm here.