It’s like Netflix for Free
Free DVD Swapping Service May Challenge Online Rental Business
<August 13, 2008>Watch out Netflix! Why buy DVDs when you can just swap them? So Swapadvd.com appears to be asking. Announced today is a new online service which is available at www.swapadvd.com that lets owners of DVDs swap their DVDs in an even exchange with other DVD owners for free…other than having to pay the postage to ship the DVD which the company says averages around $1.88 per disc.
The company claims to have 60,000 titles available which, according to founder Richard Pickering, “…is more than you will find at any retail outlet.”
Presented as a “club” for people who have DVDs that they don’t want to keep any more, the concept is a simple one. After registering for a free account, the member lists the DVDs they want to swap. The process is facilitated by having the member enter a UPC code and then the DVDs full description and cover art are automatically supplied by the SwapaDVD database.
The DVDs then become available in the SwapaDVD “tower” for other members to select. When a member sends out a requested DVD, they earn a credit (1 credit per disc shipped) which is then used to request a DVD you would like to receive. Mail a DVD – Get a DVD the company says.
It is then each members choice whether to keep received DVDs, or swap them again after viewing them. “Something that surprises us,” said Pickering, “is that one of the hottest categories in the club is TV series – members are swapping whole seasons of television programs.”
Want to get involved, but don’t have any DVDs? No problem says the company…visit sister sites www.PaperBackSwap.com or www.SwapaCD.com to swap these media. Credits are “portable” and can be moved from site to site.
There are no membership or transaction fees. The only cost is the shipping cost of each DVD shipped. The company even facilitates shipping by providing a shipping “wrapper” which is your printer paper with the mailing address and return address printed out on it. Simply print it out, wrap the DVD, add postage and ship. The company even offers an option to print the postage right on the wrapper.
SwapaDVD.com is offering an incentive to try the service. Simply join and list ten DVDs you are willing to swap…and the company will give you an instant credit to try the service immediately – before anyone’s requested any of your DVDs.