October 13th, 2009

By Tom Kessler
Green Right Now

The mantra of “reduce, reuse and recycle” tends to play out in real life with an emphasis on “reduce” (be frugal) and “recycle.” That’s because “reuse” is a harder concept for we Americans to embrace. “Reuse”  makes us uncomfortable — it starts to sound a bit distasteful like “used” or, even worse, “second hand.”

Yech! Let’s not get all “Depressionary” just because we’re,well, living through a depression.

But “reuse” isn’t about looking like you’re so down on your luck you have to shop at swap meets. It’s about reclaiming things that haven’t exhausted their usefulness — or maybe have a new life through some alternative use.

And there are a couple of web sites that may help us all get past the stigma of acquiring “pre-owned” items. They both add a dash of new technology to make the acquisition of “previously enjoyed”  items seem more like an interactive  archeological hunt.  And they have the upside of slashing the amount of driving typically involved in shopping the yard sales– so what’s not to like?

SwapItGreen bills itself as an online yard sale that is giving people across the US the opportunity to “find great bargains, keep secondhand items out of landfills, and have fun at the same time.” The site is an online marketplace where people can buy and sell pretty much  anything, from toys and baby clothes, to computers, MP3 players, jewelry, DVDs, CDs, books and more.

After registering, users get the ability to earn trading points for each item they list and sell. They then use the trading points earned to get new items others have listed for sale. The users are able to barter with any seller to buy an item for fewer trading points.

Yard Sale Treasure Map displays Cragslist yard sales on a Google map.

Of course, there’s a fairly large online marketplace already out there called Craigslist — and Yard Sale Treasure Map helps you navigate it.   The site lets you search for sales by entering your starting address and the number of miles you want to search within. The result is a Google map that displays all of the yard sales in that area that are posted on Craigslist.

The Google map renders with “red pins” that mark the location of each yard sale. Click the pin and you’ll see each listing’s details, such as address, sale times and even items that are on sale. By “previewing” what’s available at the yard sales, you can eliminate some unnecessary trips.

So get out there and connect to your inner scavenger. No more excuses.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media