Getting Crafty With Crochet Thread - Without Knowing A Single Stitch!

My grandmother likely never imagined a time when sewing and needlework in general would be out of fashion... But had she known that people would be sitting around with balls of crochet thread in attics and whatnot, she would have liked this idea for turning unused supplies into something pretty and useful: Floss Vases.

Where Are My Vintage Cookbook Fans?

I found this nifty quote on a Facebook Page called Cookbook Love. If you love -- or even hate lol -- vintage cookbooks, you should follow the Page. And the blog too.

From that Page, I found another cool Page, Vintage Recipe Cards, which also has a website. Worthy of following and reading as well.

Anyway,  back to the quote...

I wrote about this a bit at my personal blog before and it's why I've amassed quite a collection! I do share some of the practical things, including recipes, here at Things Your Grandmother Knew; but my main interest is in the cultural stuff. Anyone else collect cookbooks? If so, for the recipes or the culture? Comment here or on my Facebook Page. I really do want to hear from you! Thanks!

Get Ready To Save & Sell With NerdWallet Indie Shopping

Have you heard about NerdWallet? It's a site to help consumers save money and make smarter decisions about their personal finances, travel plans, higher education, and shopping -- and now, it's got a new service to help people find and promote indie shops while helping people save money while supporting mom and pop shops online!

In order to give you all the scoop, I interviewed Rita Chu, Community Manager for NerdWallet Shopping.

Hi, Rita, give us an overview of the site and the new indie shop opportunity.

Our mission at NerdWallet is to help consumers save money and make better-informed decisions. All of our tools help empower people to make better decisions about their personal finances and more through clear and unbiased recommendations and thorough research. NerdWallet Indie was created out of the desire to help consumers save money on online shopping while also supporting handmade artists and independent retailers.

NerdWallet Indie is the best place to discover products and gifts from handmade artists and local small businesses. Everyone needs a little help to save money and hoppers can find great discounts on items like jewelry, toys, housewares, vintage and more that are all made and/or sold by independent artists and small businesses. Furthermore, Etsy sellers and small businesses can share their coupons on our site to promote their work and drive more traffic to their shops.

When did the site start? Why was it started?

NerdWallet Indie officially launched on November 27th of 2012 to help holiday shoppers save money on handmade gifts. I love shopping for unique handmade finds on Etsy and supporting small businesses so we created a way to help shoppers find great deals on handmade products which also promotes Etsy sellers and other small businesses at the same time.

How does a person use NerdWallet Indie -- as a seller and as a buyer? Do folks need to join to participate?

Any small business and Etsy seller can join our community and sign up their shops for free to submit their coupons on NerdWallet Indie and also share their social media links, blog and website links too to promote their shops to our thousands of visitors.

As a shopper, anyone can browse our beautiful website full of inspiring pictures of lovely handmade products and find that perfect gift for everyone on your holiday shopping list. Just click the "Redeem" button on a coupon and enter the coupon code at checkout to claim your discounts on great holiday presents.

How does NerdWallet differ from all the other coupon and sales alert sites?

We focus on the independent retailer and small businesses that may have a harder time competing for customers next to big name stores and department stores especially during the holidays. Artists who sell on Etsy can make their products shine with our user-friendly website that features fun Pinterest-style browsing is not flooded with advertisements. Shoppers can find the perfect gift that they are looking for while also finding great discounts to save the money and time. Furthermore, I care deeply about the success of the sellers in our community and work hard to promote all the shops and coupons on social media and news sites all day long.

What are the benefits from supporting indie shops, especially at holiday and gift giving time?

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), 97% of all businesses are considered small businesses. Supporting indie artists and your local small businesses is crucial to improving the economy because small businesses have a big economic impact and enrich local communities. Shopping from indie shops, instead of helping big corporations get richer, you will feel good that you're helping people like you support their families and give back to the community which is especially important during the holiday season.

If a person has more than one shop, can they manage them under one NerdWallet account? Or must they make individual accounts -- and are multiple accounts by one person even allowed?

Yes, one person can manage coupons for multiple stores and each store will have it's own personal coupons page.

I see the focus of the site is in Etsy, and that two other sites/platforms/marketplaces (Art Fire and Big Cartel) are also listed. Are any other sales sites allowed? What about places such as eBay, and even individual shops using PayPal, etc.? Can sellers there use NerdWallet? If not, are there any plans to do so?

Yes, any online store on any platform can add coupons to our site. Etsy, ArtFire, and Big Cartel are the biggest handmade marketplaces. eBay stores and PayPal stores can sign up too although we currently do not have any eBay or PayPal stores sharing coupons in our coupon tool

There is mention of offering listings on the site's homepage, prime category listings, and other priority features; how do these work? Is there a fee for that?

If a seller adds a link to their store's coupons from their shop or website to promote their coupons, we offer additional features for free that help promote their stores. The seller's coupons will then be displayed on the homepage and at the top of category pages plus the seller can add product images and tags to their coupons to make their coupons stand out and draw customers to their shops. These are all great benefits to online indie retailers which we offer all for free.

Thank you, Rita, I'm off to give NerdWallet Shopping a try!

Things Your Grandmother Knew Update & Link Round-Up

I can't believe I've left you here without a post for so long! Between the new old house to fix up, our expanding antiques & collectibles business, and regular summer stuff, I've just not had the time to get scanning and posting as much as I'd like to. Once the kids get back into school, I will have more time. ...I hope. *wink*

I have been curating at at Pinterest, Scoop.It, and Snip.It. There are collections for my 3-5 year house plans, organization, and, of course, vintage living -- among a host of other topics.

(Also, on a personal level, I've begun collecting vintage Gay Fad glassware!)

Joyce Garris, an avid knitter from Huntley, Illinois, created a time-saving knitting tool called After This Row:

Priced affordably at just $1.99, the After This Row project sheets are designed to relieve the guesswork for knitters returning to their knitting projects. Whether they have put it down for a few hours, a few days or a few weeks, knitters will know exactly where they left off, almost as if they never put their projects down.

(Now all I need to do is learn how to knit and I'll be kept on track! With knitting, at least lol)

In site news, iCardGiftCards is a new sponsor of this site. Keep it in mind for giving sweet surprises and the holidays -- all you need to send a gift is the recipient's email!

Today's Best Value In Home Entertainment, Convenience, And Savings

On a recent trip back home, I think I sold three different households on this fabulous thing which, if you're all about economics in a digital world, I thought I ought to also tell you about. It's Amazon Prime.

You may only know of this service as the way to get items delivered from Amazon with free two-day shipping. While it's only items from (fulfilled by) Amazon, that still millions of items. And you can upgrade to next-day shipping for just a few dollars too -- which is nice when you suddenly remember that you don't have a gift for that five-year-old whose birthday party Johnny's going to on Saturday. *wink*

But Prime is even more than that.

Prime members also receive, at no additional cost, access to more than 17,000 movie and television titles to stream with Prime Instant Video. (If you have a Roku or other box device, I can't tell you how much our family saves for Movie Night, etc. Roku is an amazing thing!)

For me, because I love my Kindle Touch,, the icing on the cake is the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. It works like a library -- only there's no due dates, so no over-due charges! Each month, you can opt to read one of the thousands of ebooks they have for free. The monthly Kindle offerings include over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers, so there's always something you'll want to read -- for free.

Amazon Prime is an outstanding value in entertainment & savings convenience at just $79 a year. Heck, if you just check out one book a month, those savings alone pay for the Amazon Prime membership!

You don't have to take my word for it. Start your one-month free trial yourself and see how much you save today.

We've Come A Long Way, Baby

Or have we. Normally I avoid politics here at Things Your Grandmother Knew, but I have to say that while there's lots we should take from our past, we needn't move backwards And certainly not when it comes to health care and women's rights.

Happy Holidays

I'm not ignoring you or the Things Your Grandmother Knew. It's just difficult this time of year to keep up with the scanning and posting of things found in vintage magazines; piles of old periodicals are simply not conducive to holiday decor -- and room for guests, expected or not. *wink*  (Plus, if the number of dropped needles are any indication, I think the volume of old paper makes the Christmas tree more than a little nervous!)

But I did want to make the time to wish you all a happy holidays!

(And I'll be back to more blogging when the tree's down and I can drag more piles of vintage magazines back up here.)

Image via my lat minute holiday gift list.

My Coke Rewards Is Here To Stay

Coke announced today that My Coke Rewards is here to stay; that means I'll continue to offer them at Listia and trade the credits for things I really do want, i.e. vintage magazines and other "old junk." *wink*

Things Your Grandmother Knew Blogroll Eaten

Apparently, when I got the domain name for this blog, Blogger ate the sidebar blogroll. *sigh* So, please, let me know if you were on it, want to be on it, etc. so that I can rebuild it. Like the 6 Million Dollar Man, we can rebuild it. *wink*

Eco-Friendly Laundry Tips

When it comes to being eco-friendly, we often have the greatest impact in our daily routines. Laundry is one of those routine chores that most of us have to do several times a week, if not every day. Therefore, even a small improvement can make a huge difference in terms of energy consumption and overall environmental impact. With that in mind, here are eight tips that can help you go green in a big way just washing your clothes.

1. Upgrade to an energy-efficient washer and dryer.

Don’t upgrade unnecessarily, but when it’s time, spend the extra money necessary to buy a high-quality energy-efficient washer and dryer set. Energy Star models can earn rebates as high as $250 under the federal Cash for Clunkers program, and a standard pair can cost as much as $150 more per year in water and power usage.

2. Wash with cold water.

Image Source: Last chance training.

Washing in hot water can use as much as ten times more energy than washing in cold water. In situations where heat is required, such as destroying dust mites for those with allergies, rinsing in cold water can still make a big difference. In fact, the EPA estimates that the average person can save at least $100 per year just by washing in cold water whenever possible.

3. Wash full loads.

Image Source: Dryer Vent Cleaning

Even the most energy-efficient washer and dryer set is going to use about 40 gallons of water and a minimum amount of electricity per load. In other words, every time you do a partial load, you’re throwing money away and using far more water and power than you need to.

4. Hang clothes to dry.

Image Source: Learn That.com

Just because you own a dryer doesn’t mean you have to use it. In fact, by using it sparingly, you can save a considerable amount of money each year while extending the life of your wardrobe. Also, consider using an indoor drying rack. It’s perfect for wintertime or when hanging clothes outdoors simply isn’t an option.

5. Use natural detergents.

Image Source: Latest Wall paper

Many people are reluctant to switch to natural detergents and stain removers due to preconceptions based on outdated information. Today’s natural options are effective and cost-effective. They’re plant-based, biodegradable and specifically formulated to work well in cold water better than synthetic cleaners do.

6. Use homemade detergents.

Image Source: Shabby Art Boutique

It’s possible to make homemade detergent that is more effective and cost-effective than even the store-brought options. Not everyone has the time for that, but there are homemade options that are quick and easy: Vinegar boosts the power of detergents and lemon juice is an awesome stain remover.

7. Use natural softener alternatives.

Rather than use an expensive, environmentally harsh store-brought softeners, use lavender water in a spray bottle and lightly spritz the top of the load before washing. You can also purchase reusable dryer bags, which you can then fill with lavender and other natural softeners and scents.

8. Avoid phosphates and other environmental hazards.

Whatever you use on your clothes, a great deal of it makes it into the ground via backwash. Detergent makers use phosphates because they work and are inexpensive. Phosphates, however, don’t occur in the natural world in their pure form, and at great levels are a hazard to people, animals and the environment.

Vintage = Less Slaves

Most everything we own has been produced using slave labor in one form or another -- from raw material to finished product. The Slavery Footprint Calculator shows how your consumer acts affect the enslavement of people, including children. Of course, using vintage, shopping at the thrift stores, recycling items by trading with family and friends, repurposing, etc., really cuts down on this sort of horror.  (Found via Chloe Joe.)

Do You Know What Grandma Called "Organic?"

Probably not her food -- even though it was! Back in grandma's day, there was no need to label food organic or otherwise; food was just plain organic. Until DDT ect. came along, anyway. I'm not saying science and agriculture haven't produced some wonderful things -- and things we can safely eat. But now, unless you grow your own, it's actually more expensive to eat organic. A head-scratcher, right? Anywho...

Chloé Jo Davis, of the fabulous GirlieGirl Army, and her friend Alexandra Jamieson are brainy vegan Mamas with a common goal: helping the world eat cleaner! In the debut of their new monthly series, Little Sprouts/ Big City, they talk about getting deals on organic foods for your family.

Little Sprouts/ Big City: Alexandra Jamieson & Chloé Jo Davis Share Tips On Healthy Eating On The Cheap from Chloe Jo Davis on Vimeo.

Reduce Waste

Listia's blog put out this infographic on waste to inform and to inspire more folks to reduce, reuse and recycle, in part by using their site. (My review here.) But obviously, we thrifty folks know we can do this in many ways, be it the old hand-me-downs, passing things to a friend or a neighbor, or making a buck selling things at a yard sale, flea market, or online. Oh, and by reading here at Things Your Grandmother Knew too, of course *wink*

Moron Coke Rewards

Moron, err, more on My Coke Rewards... Remember when I told you about selling coupons and reward points on eBay? Well, like many things eBay, there's a twist...

Despite the many offerings for My Coke Reward Points, my recent auction listing for them was pulled.

The generic form message was surprising:

This listing has been removed because you are listing My Coke Reward points. We do not allow listings that promote giveaways, random drawings, raffles, or prizes. These promotions are highly regulated and may be unlawful in many states. Because of this, we don't allow the sale of "My Coke Reward" points as on their website, you can enter a sweepstakes for prizes. We understand that you may not have been aware, but please do not relist these or any other coke reward points on our site.

After a search, I found the details on the Lottery tickets and game pieces policy, under "Other Items" where it reads as follows:

Not allowed: Any product reward code, such as Pepsi Points and Coke Rewards, that can be entered into a sweepstakes, raffle, or drawing for cash or prizes

As for why there's even a Everything Else > Reward Pts, Incentive Progs > Reward Points category for selling such things, it's because not all rewards programs allow the points etc. to be used as sweepstakes entries.

And, it should be noted, nothing in the eBay policy (currently) states that you can't sell the rewards you receive from the points, coupons, collectibles, etc.

All this means is that you'll have to find other outlets for selling your Coke Reward Points, including Craigslist, etc.

Of course, there's Lista. And there are also some forums for trading these points, such as MyCoupons and SlickDeals, and even in regular trading or hobby sites such as SportsCardForum. So check out the communities you are already in; maybe there's an option where you already hang out.

These and other headaches are due to end when Coke ends its "loyalty" points program at the end of this year.

PS This post wouldn't be in good faith if I did not also mention My Coke Rewards official statement on the buying, selling and, it looks like, even trading of program points:

Enrollees may not purchase or otherwise acquire codes from third parties and may not combine codes obtained by others for deposit into a single Enrollee's account. Enrollees may not transfer or sell codes under any circumstance, other than in programs authorized by Sponsor. Any attempt to combine or transfer codes or points will result in disqualification from the Program and forfeiture of all points in the Enrollee's Account. The Coca-Cola Company reserves the right to take any other or additional action it deems appropriate in its sole discretion in the event that The Coca-Cola Company believes (in its sole discretion) that an Enrollee (or Enrollees) have violated any of these provisions.

Coupon Chief: Never Pay Full Retail Again

Coupon Chief is dedicated to the notion that you should never pay full price for anything online -- well, virtually never, anyway.

The theory behind the site is that all the big apparel, electronics, travel, entertainment, beauty, food, and other shopping sites offer online coupons and store discount codes, so why not use them every time you shop? If your excuse is that you don't know about the discounts and codes, well, CouponChief.com takes care of that by having them all in one place for you, easily organized and ready to sort and search. They even have categories and gift occasions located neatly on the home page -- including the coveted free stuff.

The site holds a list of all active online coupons and store discounts for all the big retailers, and a number of smaller ones as well. While this isn't a grocery store coupon place, Coupon Chief does offer for suggestions for saving money on groceries with the site as well.

And, you can make some money with Coupon Chief too.

With their Pays 2 Share program, you can make money just for building the site's database of offers -- 2% of the sales generated from the coupons and codes you upload to the site.

"Laundry is being passed through the mangle"

This vintage photo reminds me of something I spotted on the label of my heated mattress pad...

I removed the electric heating mattress pad on our bed and read the label before washing it and packing it away for the season. On the label there were various methods of washing, by hand, by machine, and one line warning "us" not to put it through the wringer (or "the mangle" as the photo's titled).

Who buys and pays to use an electric mattress pad and also has a wringer washing machine? No judgement; just jaw-dropping amazement!

Save Money & Make Money With Coupons, Rebates, Etc.

In her post about vintage Las Vegas ephemera, Shawnee reminded me of something I've been intending to write about here: How to save money selling coupons, , etc. at eBay.

As I (frustratingly) confessed, I sell my unwanted gift cards at eBay; it's the fastest way to get paid and usually at top dollar. (Usually I get paid the same day I list the card and at 80% of the gift card amount, which is far better than those gift card sites -- so even if you can only sell one card at a time, it's more money in my PayPal pocket and faster too.) This is a great way to make money off your gift card reward programs.

But perhaps you didn't know you can also sell other bits of paper, plastic, and cardboard at eBay -- making green for your wallet and keeping the earth greener too by putting these things in the hands of those who will use them.

The paper, plastic and cardboard I'm talking about here are coupons, "points," and other consumer member reward program materials. 

Even if you participate in any coupon swaps (local, among friends, or groups on the Internet), selling your unwanted coupons etc. can bring you extra money.

(I'm now saving my-hated My Coke Punishments Rewards to sell them on eBay -- because money can be tight, but I can be bright. *wink*)

Of course, those of you into making use of coupons and rewards programs, extreme or not, can find bargains for you and your family too.

Save money with the coupons, use them for promotional proof-of-purchase offers, consumer reward programs and rebates -- or sell them for cash on eBay.

Image of a vintage pudding promotional offer via my Kitschy Kitschy Coo post.

EBay Goes Frugal?

Because I'm busy at eBay these days, I notice far more of their announcements. I don't always read them; but I notice more of them *wink* But this one, announcing the New eBay eXtras, sure caught my eye:

From one easy page, you can:

• Browse for and print coupons that can be redeemed at your local supermarket or drug store
• Request free samples directly from brands you know and trust
• Take advantage of articles and tips designed to help you save money!

...The offers on eBay eXtras will be updated weekly, and the Word to the Wallet Wise section will help you get more bang for your buck by offering a new tip every day.

The "print coupons" rather annoyed me; I don't know about you and your local grocery stores, but mine won't accept coupons not printed by the company itself. (Hence my loathing of My Coke Rewards -- punishments.) But free samples will almost always catch my eye -- especially if A) they are all in one place and 2) legit enough to be partnering with online giant eBay.

And who doesn't want tips on saving money? (Not anybody here, I bet!)

So I headed on over to eBay eXtras to check it out.

First problem: If you use an adblocker, you'll need to switch it off to read anything at eBay eXtras.

I'll admit, I use an adblocker on all new sites. I turn it off at all my regular sites, favorite blogs, etc. because I want to support them if only counting as a view of the ad, therefore helping support them in their advertising revenue hunt even if I don't click and buy anything. It seems the friendly thing to do. I even allow ads to be served in my Blogger dashboard, Gmail, etc. because I love the free services -- but at eBay? They make enough money off me with my seller fees, occasional purchases, etc., so I keep AdBlock Plus on at eBay.

(Even if I had it turned off, I think the subdomain would trigger the ad blocking software to be automatically on -- something I note for those of you who think you have it turned off but still don't see anything but a header and a footer at eBay eXtras.)


Why is the content at eBay eXtras blocked by ad blocking software?

Because all of it, from coupons to articles, is provided by a third party; namely Triad Digital Media, LLC. Put a pin in this; we'll be returning to it later.

OK, so now I've settled the adblocker matter and now could see and read the content. I skipped the coupon offers and went straight for the free sample offers.


Second problem: I must have been late to the offers, because both free samples I tried to get were no longer available. This could be understandable given the amount of traffic at eBay, right? But...

You don't discover the fact that they are all out of samples until after you register, giving the corporation your email address and your physical address. *sigh*

Supposedly I will now receive "exclusive insider offers and news" from these companies -- but if I really had wanted that, I would have already visited their corporate site and signed up. So I'm not thrilled to hand over access to my personal contact without receiving a free sample or anything but a corporate promise or tease in return.

Maybe you'll have better luck with the samples you request.

Third problem: Remember when I said we'd return to the matter of Triad Digital Media, LLC.? Well, here we are.

Triad Digital Media, LLC, doing business as Triad Retail Media, provides all the content for eBay eXtras -- including the promised weekly articles and tips in the Word to the Wallet Wise section.

All content provided herein is for educational purposes only. It is provided “as is” and neither the author, publisher nor Triad Digital Media, LLC d/b/a Triad Retail Media warrant the accuracy of the information provided, nor do they assume any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.

© 2011 Triad Digital Media, LLC d/b/a Triad Retail Media All rights reserved. All articles are written and edited by professionals and reviewed for accuracy by appropriate experts. Neither Triad Digital Media, LLC d/b/a Triad Retail Media nor its publisher make any representations as to the accuracy or efficacy of the information provided. Special written permission is required to reproduce in any manner, in whole or in part.

Now, I'm not adverse to advertising or smart marketing (I can't be when I'm also Big Mouth Promotions and half of the U.P. to the D.L. team), and nobody knows better than I, the obsessive magazine collector, the long complicated relationship between published content and advertising revenues -- but what really exists here is not the Frugal Promise Land but cheap trick soundbite infomercials designed to make you buy things (mostly unneccessary fashions, at eBay, of course).

Overall, I am disappointed with eBay eXtras. ...I might try for a free sample again, because I am a frugal girl; but I certainly won't be looking for tips there.

Your mileage may vary, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Plastic Jungle: It Is A Jungle In There

Lured in by the promise of "instant" sale of my cards, with money deposited into my PayPal account, I just gave Plastic Jungle a try.

What an exercise in being peeved-off.

The Instant Funding option to sell your gift cards for cash is supposed to be simple: You select the store, fill in the card number and PIN, if your card has one, and click submit to get your offer.

What's supposed to happen after that? I have no idea.

After I clicked to submit my gift card information, the screen showed one of those by-now-too-familiar "spin" icons to signal the technology is working.

But, after an agonizingly long wait, nothing happened.

I checked my account in case I wasn't understanding how the process was supposed to work; after all, Plastic Jungle is short on information where you need it. But no transactions or notifications of any kind. Ditto my email inbox.

After trying to submit three times, followed by three checks of my account, with no apparent success, I clicked "help" and that's where I discovered the fine print: cards must have a value of $15 or more. My card's value was only $10.

I wouldn't have entered it had I known that. So why the hell do they bury that info? And why didn't the system tell me I had committed such a sin with a specific error message?

I then tried three other store cards -- three other cards, each from a different store, each well over the $15 minimum, each attempted submission followed-up by a check on my account, and each with the same infuriating result: Nothing.

No error message. No offer. No page change.

No transactions, no notices, no emailed notifications.

I called customer service -- during normal business hours; and was forced to leave a voice mail message (and the list of information they request from you is ridiculous to ask; upset, frustrated people are calling, not some potential date who's really into you). Plus, we all know how frustrating it is to leave a message for a company -- one that boasts how large they are on their corporate page. They are supposed to be there for us; we aren't supposed to sit idle, by the phone, waiting for a call from them who-knows-when, hoping we don't miss it and have to call and start the cycle all over again.

After 30 minutes of waiting, I used the site's contact form. I received an email "thanking me" for my contact (without a copy of what I wrote). But did not hear back.

I then tried a different browser. I'm a huge Foxfire fan, so I hate to use Internet Explorer. Here I discovered an annoying advertising widget that I couldn't close and so had to navigate around it. (As I do not use IE except in extreme circumstances like this, I have not bothered to install Adblock Plus on it as I have on Foxfire so that I can employ it on sites that are uber annoying.)

Navigating around the annoying ad, I tried one of the cards again. This time, the only difference was that after the submission-spinning, the window changed -- leaving only the page header and footer. No offer, no message, just a shorter window.

WTF?

I once again checked my account page; no transactions or notices. So this apparently trying a different browser wasn't the solution either.

You might think I'm not being gracious enough in my waiting for returned phone calls &/or emails -- but this was supposed to be Instant Funding, remember?

The bottom line here: Plastic Jungle is hardly "instant" and hardly any sort of convenience; quite the opposite.

But if you love to be aggravated, frustrated, annoyed -- and not sell your gift cards -- then you'll love it.

UPDATE: More than 24 hours later, I did receive a phone call from Plastic Jungle customer service -- however, as I projected, it was an exercise in frustration. The call came from a "restricted" number, so, fearing telemarketing, I didn't admit who I was and suggested that they call back in an hour. The woman clearly didn't want to call back; "If she has any problems, she can call us back." Which would only start the process again. *sigh*

Several hours after that, I received the following email to my complaint via email contact form:

Our apologies for the overdue response. We have been overwhelmed with phone calls and emails due to the holidays and have been diligently working on resolving every issue for each customer.

We were experiencing a technical issue with our instant paypal but since has been resolved. Please let us know if you are still experiencing problems using this method.

I find this unsatisfactory.

Yes, their excuse may be probable; but then why not use the system to contact all members to let them know there was an issue and it has been fixed? Why not post a note site-wide to communicate that all is now well? Something to assure that the difficulties were temporary and reassure that during this time, our information was safe, etc.

Since that time, I listed my unwanted gift cards for sale on eBay. Each sold -- and I received my payments for them -- within hours of listing them. Still far more "instant" than any other service. No minimum gift card amounts either. The fees were low and I daresay that all-told I received what I would have from any other site buying gift cards. While eBay limits you to listing one gift card per store at a time, once one sells, you can list another rather simply.