Want to be able to buy things from your favorite store at a discount? 

Here's a new way to do so, without waiting for a coupon or sale to come around : gift card resale sites.

One rising trend of late is the purchase of gift cards for Christmas and other special events, instead of giving cash or items that may end up at a white elephant exchange.  However, with the current financial crisis, some folks really need the cash now for necessities.  Thus, a series of gift card resale sites have emerged to facilitate the process.

The clearing price for the exchanges depends on supply and demand, so the size of the discount available for those willing to purchase the cards depends upon the popularity of the store and how many gift cards are available for sale.

Of course, one way to buy gift cards from someone else would be to use eBay or Craigslist, but you would likely need to sift your way through a bunch of listings that may or may not be relevant.  In contrast, these gift card sites appear to be an efficient way to transact.

In scanning one of these sites, PlasticJungle.com, discounts seemed to go up to 40%, which is a substantial savings off of face value.  Other gift card exchange sites include : CardAvenue, GiftCardBuyback, and GiftCardRescue.