Trade your goods for better ones on worldly web
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 7, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 Illustration by HINGYI KHONG/Daily Bruin
By Kristen Lara
Daily Bruin Contributor
The practice of swapping ““ trading goods for other goods
““ was one of the earliest forms of commerce. With the rise of
the Internet, this practice can now be integrated back into our
lifestyles with a worldwide trading base.
At Switchouse.com, you can trade the stuff you already have for
stuff you really want. It’s the largest online swapping site,
with members in 113 countries.
At the top of the site’s home page are seven categories:
Music, Games, Movies, Books, Software, Hardware, and Electronics.
People can search through the huge online catalog in order to list
the items they want, as well as those they already have.
“It stems back to the earliest days of commerce …
swapping took place hundreds of years ago in villages. People would
swap goods for services, goods for other goods,” said Arra
Yerganian, CEO of Switchouse, Inc.
“Now because of the Internet, we can bring swapping to a
worldwide audience,” she said. “People can get the
things they want with the stuff they already have ““ cash is
no longer king.”
www.switchouse.com One of the greatest advantages of using the
site is that trades can be set up very smoothly with only a few
clicks of a mouse.
“We’ve made it really easy for users to do something
productive within a short period of time,” said Yerganian.
“The beauty of our business is that it’s a
catalog-based system … no typing is involved. All you have to do
is click on the item you want or have. It literally takes seconds
to list stuff and make a trade.”
If an item catches your eye and you want to set up a swap, all
you have to do is click on that item and a list appears of people
who have it. Beside the user name is the total number of swaps
they’ve already completed.
The act of swapping itself is free. Because the site also serves
as a market for selling items, however, Switchouse charges a 10
percent transaction fee on items sold through their site.
In addition to this, in order to further ensure the security of
the trade, a rating appears to indicate how safe it is to swap with
each particular user. Switchouse claims that the site is one of the
safer places for online trading.
“All of the feedback ratings are initiated by other
members. After a trade, one would post feedback on the site,”
Yerganian said. “A good rating would appear in the form of a
smiley face as opposed to neutral faces or frowns for bad
ratings.”
“It gives (members) a benchmark from which to choose, to
decipher if it’s a good risk,” she said.
“Incidentally, there have been very, very few incidents of
fraud because the site is member-policed.”
In addition, Switchouse further assures member safety by
guaranteeing a reimbursement of up to $50 should something go
wrong.
If a swap goes badly ““ say a member sends the wrong item,
or a damaged item, or doesn’t send one at all, users need
only contact Switchouse Member Services. They would then
investigate the situation and work quickly to right the
problem.
At the Switchouse home page, users are greeted with the
site’s mission statement: “Bringing People Together to
Swap Unwanted Gifts.” Not only does the site give new worth
to the junk sitting around your room; it also serves as a place to
trade all the unwanted presents you’ve gotten over the
holidays.
“Right now (swapping) is somewhat of a seasonal experience
because of the holidays. It’s a great alternative to returns
““ no waiting in long lines, and it’s anonymous,”
said Yerganian.
“Look at your CD collection; people listen to about 10 out
of 100 of their CDs. The others that you don’t listen to are
now worth something to you,” she said.
The site offers a wealth of items ““ both hard to find and
popular. For example, if someone wants the latest Dr. Dre album,
all they have to do is click on that item and browse the list of
music that people are willing to swap for it. Right now, people who
have Dr. Dre 2001 are looking for Britney Spears, Kid Rock and
Eminem albums.
“Our site is based on the premise that swapping is
something everyone enjoys doing,” Yerganian said.
“And specifically for college students who don’t
have a lot of money, now the things that just gather dust become a
new type of currency,” she continued. “Get rid of your
old junk and get something you really want.”
