We’ve all been there. You thought, sure, a discounted weekend at an alpaca farm would be fun. Or that you’d definitely be getting a full body wax within the next six to eight months – at 72 percent off, who wouldn’t?! We’ve all experienced buyer’s remorse, and there’s ample opportunity as our inboxes and phones continue to be assaulted by the barrage of daily deal sites we feel obligated to subscribe to.
But coupon resellers are here to relieve your guilt. As the popularity of Groupon, LivingSocial, and other discount sites grows, so too do their questionable offerings. Now with the help of these coupon auction sites, you can easily and affordably get rid of your poor choices and put the money back in your pocket.
Of course, keep in mind these sites also let you purchase deals you missed out on. If you just can’t help keep yourself from a good Groupon, you may shortly be in possession of half off face-painting lessons. So exercise some restraint and rid yourself of the discounts you never needed in the first place.
Lifesta
Lifesta is probably the most well-known forum for unloading unwanted coupons. It’s most appealing quality is its inclusion of various daily deal sites: digital discounts from Groupon, LivingSocial, BuyWithMe, and over “60-70 others” are accepted for resale. Selling is extremely simple: Creating an account requires an e-mail address, password, and Amazon Payments registration (you can also choose to login using Facebook). You then simply need to supply the original URL of the coupon you’d like to sell. The site also doesn’t access your financial information, instead deferring entirely to Amazon Payments. Buying is even easier still: You go through a standard checkout process, where you can also view the deal on its original site and, of course, login via Facebook in place of creating a new account.
Cost: $0.99 plus eight percent of the sale price
DealsGoRound
DealsGoRound requires a little more information to list your unwanted coupons, but that should make anyone thinking of purchasing one feel a little safer. You need to first create an account (or login with Facebook), and then verify the e-mail address attached to your PayPal account. Add a URL and most of this site’s competitors would call it good. But not DealsGoRound! You’re required to title, choose a category, an asking price, and provide details like the fine print and info on the vendor offering the discount.
It’s more work than many other sites require, but that does lend it a certain air of authenticity. It also has an easy-to-navigate UI that plays off of Groupon’s own site design, so fans of the daily deal trend will feel right at home.
Cost: Free
CoupRecoup
This site takes a very hands-off approach to the coupon resale market. CoupRecoup makes it abundantly clear that it is a marketplace for unused and unwanted daily deals – it’s not going to regulate buyer-seller terms. That said, the process of posting for sale items is literally three steps: Link to the deal, set your asking price, and provide an e-mail address (which isn’t published for buyers to see). Then you’re on your own. When it comes down to payment, the site will only advise its patrons on how the money should change hands: “We leave that up to the buyer and seller, but we recommend that the buyer uses PayPal to send the seller the money, at which time the seller will email the coupon’s PDF (or the coupon code) to the buyer.” Sounds a little lax to us, but seeing as you aren’t paying for the service you can’t expect too much security. It also takes digital coupons from all online vendors, but notes that things get “streamlined” for Groupon, Fresh Guide, LivingSocial, Social Buy, and Tippr.
Cost: Free
Dealigee
This site is currently only available in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago – but if you’re in one these cities, read on. Dealigee also exclusively uses PayPal for exchanges, and lets sellers login with Facebook or create an account. Then you set your price and any other information, share the deal on Twitter and Facebook, and wait. That is, unless your deal doesn’t sell within 30 days…in that case, Dealigee shuts it down.
Dealigee says that you won’t be trapped into any unforeseen fees, but does note that PayPal could charge you for a transaction processing fee.
Cost: Free
Craigslist and eBay
Of course, if you want to go over the heads of designated resale sites and take matters into your own keyboard-bound hands, there are always the old standbys. Craigslist and eBay both yield plenty of results if you search for “Groupon” or “LivingSocial.” You’ll be hardpressed to find alternative daily deals sites, but you can retain more anonymity, and provided you already have an eBay account, save yourself the trouble of signing up for yet another god-forsaken online account (Craiglist’s doesn’t require registration). Of course, such unburdened terms come with consequences – namely, scammers. Craigslist and eBay are rife with them and there’s no guarantee you won’t become a victim. That said, even those who have less than veteran status in the online shopping and selling game can probably spot a scam artist (“>>>GROUPON FOR 50% OFF MERCEDES! WILL SHIP VEHICLE TO YOU! PAY VIA MONEY WIRE!<<<”).
Cost: Free
