Discussion Forums - Questions about SwapaCD

I'm just wondering...why do we have to pay 49 cents to request Cd's?  Isn't the cost of postage enough by itself without tacking on extra charges.  I know that we can get Cd's much cheaper through here than buying in a store even with the postage and the 49 cents but, still, they're used.  Thanks,

Brenda E.

I would guess, the 49 cents is to help keep the site running.  Its not free to run a site.  And 49 cents is a steal.

After awhile you will realize this is a great way to experience music you are unsure about.

Scott

The request fee keeps the site up and running. The owners can pay for the costs of running the show...and, hopefully, make a little profit for themselves (they've definitely earned it).

The fee also guarantees our credits. If I mail out a CD that gets lost in the mail, for example, then I get my credit and the recipient gets his/her credit and fee back.

And I'm sure that the fee also accomplishes other things that I don't know about. I'm happy to pay .49 for each CD that I request because it's a very reasonable price to pay for the outstanding experience that I've had here so far.

I don't mind the fee, but I am curious why this is the only sister site with the fee? I was under the impression it was to guarantee our credit, but SADVD also refunds credits for problem transactions, doesn't it? Or does it? I'm unclear, and I haven't had enough experience there to know how it works. Anyway, I was surprised to see no fee there.

I was surprised to see no fee as well on the dvd swap site and hope they don't decide to have a fee  Maybe it is because of the transfer credit rate, I don't know though. As long as it is just one site that has a fee I don't mind.

I don't think they do on SaDVD.  I know the help files were in the process of being updated when I was reading them, but I understood it to work like PBS--if you have a problem, you work it out with the sender. They stay out of it.

Here, they handle it.  I kinda like it.

Thanks for the clarification, Kayote. I guess I was confused because SADVD was using SACD's Help Info when they first launched. I agree, I'd rather pay the 49 cents and have a guaranteed transaction.

Edited to add: I had a damaged disc this week at SADVD, and my credit was refunded just like here, so ... so much for that theory!

Yea, I was stunned to see a transaction fee here and only here.  Maybe that fee makes them enough money that they don't need to charge a fee on the other sites.  Don't forget that they also charge an additoinal fee when you buy credits, and they basicly get to keep those extra pennies left over in the money accounts.  That's a good chunk of change I bet. 

I really like the swap sites, it's just the transaction fee here seems a little over the top.

I think the fee that they charge to buy credits and swap money is for the paypal/credit card fee. I have sold some things and had people pay me through paypal and paypal charges a fee to sellers which is usually around .50 or more depending on how much the selling price was. I like all of the swap sites as well and sometimes it does become an inconvenience when you have one credit left and no swap money.

If they pulled the fee I'd fully expect them to start requiring CDs be shipped in cases.

The fee is cheaper. :P  And it goes to the site instead of the PO.

However, that sayd, I was surprised there was no fee at SaDVD, and actually am not happy about it.  I think they originally intended one at PBS but started it and decided adding a fee after the fact would be hard.  They started SaCD with a fee, which made sense.  But SaDVD not having one does irritate me that SaCD has one--it would make a lot more sense to me if SaDVD did as well.   And it also means SaCD won't grow as fast--but if SaDVD had one, then there is one free site to convince people it works well, and then fee sites for the two with cheaper postage (books cost more).  Made sense to me--right up until no fee at DVD.

Maybe it's b/c it's harder to print postage for thin first class pieces, so they can't sell postage here?  I don't know, but I think SaDVD should have had a fee otherwise it seems quite rude to SaCD.  But it's too late now. 

I agree, Kayote, it bothered me to see no fee at SADVD only because it seemed to unfairly disadvantage SACD, which is my personal favorite of the three!

At this point, I'd be thrilled to see them get of rid of the fee here and change the shipping rules to something more reliable than the wrapper + boxboard. The two biggest complaints I see from people that are keeping them away from using SACD more are: 1) I don't like the broken discs, and 2) I don't like the additional fee. I think that changes in these two areas would likely attract new members.

the sites all need to have the same erules and regulations. why the 49 cents i am still puzzled? who pays the 49 cents the sender or reciever and must  i have $ in the acct before i cn send one

dana

The requestor (receiver) pays the fee. You do not need money in your account to send CDs out, only to request them.

Does it also cost .49 to transfer credits to PBS?  And if so, is it per transaction or per credit?

you don't get charged to transfer credits between the sites.

I'm OK with the 49 cent fee, but when I purchase swappa money for the fees, Swappacd adds a transaction fee, so I feel like I am paying twice.

The way I see it, the 49 cent transaction fee is to even the playing field between SaCD and PBS.

Think of it this way, when I send a Book I often pay $2 or more for postage.  I've paid as much as $3 or $4 and I'm sure others have as well. (Darn Hardcovers!)

On the other hand I have NEVER paid more than $1.50 to mail a CD even with a bubble mailer.

So there's the 49 cent difference.

By charging the 49 cents you can exchange credits from one site to the other on an even basis.

Now, with SaDVD, they have a 3:2 ratio with the credits to keep those about even so they don't need the transaction fee.

In my opinion they'd lose business on SaDVD with a transaction fee.  It would have to be at least $2 I think and I personally wouldn't pay that much (in addition to the postage and the cost of an original DVD - for credits).  Even buying credits would almost be a loss, $4.95 and another $2, I can find new DVDs for less than $12 usually, $7 for a used one doesn't appeal to me as much as the way the site runs currently.

With all that said, I usually don't order CDs, just mail them out and transfer to PBS.  It's not really because of the fee but that does enter my mind a bit.

I just joined SwapaDVD and have been pondering these things as well.  Even more bewildering to me than the fee difference is why do we ship cases on the DVD site and just disks w/artwork on the CD site?  Wouldn't the $1 or so in postage saved with each ship be attractive to the DVD users.  I don't get the 3:2 credit ratio either because $2 is the approximate postage on the DVD site same as the Books according to Peter(I don't belong to PBS).  I'm sure there are good reasons for all these things but if it is explained officially somewhere, I'd be interested in reading all about it.

"why do we ship cases on the DVD site and just disks w/artwork on the CD site?"

Because CD cases break in the mail where DVD cases typically do not. 

"Wouldn't the $1 or so in postage saved with each ship be attractive to the DVD users. "

It would turn a lot of people here off.  Add $1 more per CD more than doubles the cost to send a CD.  I am not interested in paying double just to get broken cases and scratched CDs because the teeth of the CD holder broke.  If you want to send in the CD cases, you're welcome to, but SaCD offically recommends NOT shipping the cases.

"I don't get the 3:2 credit ratio either because $2 is the approximate postage on the DVD site same as the Books according to Peter(

The 3:2 ratio isn't based on the cost to ship, it's based on the value of a used DVD vs. the cost of a used CD/book.  SaDVD conducted a survey to see what the value it's members put on a used DVD as opposed to a used CD and book.  This was one of the factors used in it's determination.  Books typically cost the most to ship.

I'm not offical, but those are some of the reasons they've specified for their rules.

Thanks for the reply Alex.  The more I peruse the DVD site, it is becoming more clear.  They have more of a collector base over there.  My initial thoughts were that it would be the opposite but that was just my own bias.  I collect CDs but not DVDs.  On the ratio I would of guessed the books would of had the highest value, then DVD slightly more than CD in something like a 5:3:2 but I would of been way off on the books.  My reasoning does explain why there are folks here sending CDs to get = book credits.  In any case management seems to be making the right moves as the DVD site is going gangbusters.

I send CDs and tend to request books because more books on my WL show up than CDs.  I also ship books, though.

It is cheaper to ship a CD than a book--if it weren't for the fact I have Way Too Many Books to get rid of, I'd be tempted to only ship here for ALL my credits, since it's less shipping.  Alas, I have more spare books than spare CDs.

CDs sell better used--at least there are never leftover CDs at the end of rummage sales and always leftover books!

I find SaDVD a little anal.  Fortunately, I have a bunch of new DVDs that I bought for a buck or so some years back and I could not sell them because the prices for most of the titles were a penny and so SaDVD has shown itself to be a viable solution. 

I am lucky to have read the rules because I was ready to pack the DVDs just like the CDs.  I did not see a reason to treat DVDs any different.  If people want all the aspects of the product, they could buy some of these titles fairly cheap. 

Someone mentioned cds getting damaged if the "teeth" broke.  That makes sense, however; DVD cases are equally guilty of damaging the discs when the disc becomes loose in the case and moves around, hitting the center knob.  When this happens, I just thow the discs away.  I don't feel up to testing them out just to give them away.  And since I am giving them away, I don't feel much up to having to meet a bunch of anal requirements and spend a bunch of postage either.

Anyway, SaDVD is helpful in unloading these unwanted DVDs.  It would be nice to get rid of them but I don't plan of making much more of this side of Swap.

swapadvd says you have to ship in a case, but if the requestor doesn't get a case they don't get the credit refunded. the rules state you only need to recieve a playable dvd in the end, if it's unplayable then you mark recieved with a problem.

i don't like the fee here only because it makes the trade off seem a little high/wasted. 3 (or 4-5, if you make a deal) CD's for $8-11 seems ok, but it'll eventually build up to not be worth it anymore.

i use SAD the most and PBS the least.... the fee here kinda makes me mad a bit, i ush there wasn't a 99 cent fee tacked on every transaction tho.

More people use CD books and throw away the cases than they do for DVDs. So, it would be hard to require the case when a lot of people don't have any. Yes, you could buy them, but that would be just as much of a turn off as the added postage cost of sending with the case.

The transaction fee is used to support all 3 sites. So, in response to a post from another thread, the business model of the other two sites would not work because they rely on the revenue from SwapaCD as well. TPTB would rather have 2 free sites and one with a transaction fee than charge a membership fee on all 3.

Jon- if you don't receive a case on swapaDVD, you DO get refunded and ordered another copy. The disc has to be 100% playable AND the artwork and case have to be in tact. No artwork or case = Wrong DVD (because it is not what you ordered). Don't let anyone send you just the DVD through the system and get away with it. That should only be done in the Bazaar.

*the transaction fee is 49 cents. that was probably just a typo, though.

I ran into problems trying to mail my third CD.  Because the post office required me to send the first two CD's Parcel Post (over $1.40 each) I tried the prepaid postage route.  You have to buy delivery confirmation with that.  Then I was also being assessed the 49cent swap fee to .  The cost to send one CD, prepaid postage, delivery confirmation AND swap fee was $2.29.  I cancelled it and now just have to get rid of my two credits and the $8.00 I put in my account.  so what's up with this?  I've been really happy with Paperbackswap, but it seems there are still kinks to be worked out of this system.