SwapSimple.com Weblog

Instantly trade used textbooks, general literature, DVDs, video games, and audiobooks.

Friday, August 21, 2009

New Feature: Post 10 Items, Get 10 FREE Credits!



We just launched an exciting update to the SwapSimple system that benefits both new members, and folks that have been swapping with us for a while.

For new members, or those that just haven't gotten around to listing a bunch of items yet, we are giving you 10 FREE credits the second you list your first 10 items for swap - to help you get started swapping fast.

For members that already have at least 10 items listed, we haven't forgotten you either. Simply list at least one more item and the system will credit your accounts with 10 free credits as well.

We hope you all enjoy this new feature, and please email us with any feedback you have or if you run into any trouble.

Talk soon, and thanks for using SwapSimple!

Elliot
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com
http://www.swapsimple.com

Saturday, March 07, 2009

SwapSimple is on Twitter!


Hi fellow Swappers!

We just started tweeting all the coolest stuff that turns up on SwapSimple. So please follow us on Twitter, so you can be the first to get dibs on the best swap items.

Follow us on Twitter >>

We will be tweeting daily - including not just the cool new items that are listed, but older items too that are hidden deep down in our inventory.

Please let us know what you think, and what else we should include in our tweets that would be most helpful to you.

Talk soon, and thanks for using SwapSimple!

Elliot
Co-founder, SwapSimple.com

Monday, July 21, 2008

[Site Upgrade] - July 21, 2008




Hi Gang,

Over the last several hours you may have noticed intermittent periods where you could not access SwapSimple. This was due to several upgrades we were installing on the back-end of the system.

These upgrades have now been successfully installed, and the system has been restored to full functionality. If you have any questions, or notice any technical problems, please use the "contact us" link at the bottom of any SwapSimple page to let us know.

Talk soon, and thanks so much for using SwapSimple!

Elliot
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com
http://www.swapsimple.com

Labels:

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Review [Sortof]: Wall-E is a Must See!




Hey Gang,

The advertising is fairly inescapable, so I assume you're at least vaguely familiar with Pixar's latest feature release - "Wall-E." I had the opportunity to see it over the weekend - running from 4th of July fireworks to catch the last show for the night - and I have to say it's a must see on many, many levels. I'm not going to bore you with any analysis. All I wanted to do was encourage you to watch the little guy in action.

When it comes out on DVD we're going to buy a few and post them to spread the Wall-E love around a bit. If you want one, make sure to have it on your wishlist so that you get notified!

Anyone else see it? Comments are welcome!

Talk soon, and happy swapping!!

Elliot
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com

Labels: , ,

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

SwapSimple Launches Swapping Cart!




It's been months in the making, and today we have finally launched the first version of the SwapSimple Swapping Cart!

"So, what the heck is a Swapping Cart and why do I care?"

All very fair questions. Let me explain why this is so exciting:

You see, before the Swapping Cart, if you ordered more than one item from the same user at the same time, you still needed to have them shipped individually. This was wasteful because the Postal Service would charge a high fee for each package - regardless of how much it weighed. Now, using the new Swapping Cart you can bundle items together and avoid all those unnecessary fees!

For example - if you ordered three DVDs from the same user, you would need to pay individual shipping rates on each item. That would be a total of around $7.50. Using the new Swapping Cart, that same shipment will only cost you around $2.50!!

So if you want to save some major cash, and you find an item you want to order on SwapSimple, make sure to explore the other items that user has up for swap. If you find a few that you want, and you order them at the same time, the savings really add up.

We hope you get a lot of use out of this new feature, and of course, please share any comments, suggestions, or bugs you may find while using the new SwapSimple Swapping Cart.

Talk soon, and thanks for using SwapSimple!!!

Elliot

Elliot E. Hirsch
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com

Labels: ,

Monday, October 15, 2007

SwapSimple Users Save the Planet By Re-Using Their Media



It's Blog Action Day today! "What's that mean," you ask? It's a day when all bloggers on the Net write about one of the most important topics facing the world today - The Environment.

SwapSimple is very proud to play a small part in helping our planet's environment. Whether it's as simple as making a swap instead of buying new, replacing the incandescent light-bulbs in your home with energy efficient florescents, or simply not running the water while you brush your teeth - it all makes a difference.

Enjoy Blog Action Day, and we hope it starts some very interesting and productive conversations between you and those you care about.

Talk soon, and have a great day!!

Team SwapSimple
http://www.swapsimple.com

Labels:

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Arrrrr! Swap Like a Pirate and get FREE SWAPS!

Ahoy!!

In honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, we're giving away a free swap to anyone who lists one or more pirate-related items between now and Monday, September 24th!!

Arrrr! Here's ye orders from Cap'n Swappy:

All you need to to is list them for swap, and then send us a photo of yourself holding all your pirate booty, with your best pirate face. Everyone who sends in photos will get the free swap, and we will choose the best photo on Tuesday to receive an additional 10 FREE SWAPS! Shiver me timbers!!

Email photos to: contact [arrrrt] swapsimple [darrrt] com

If you need some inspiration, here is a link to an article about this most important holiday:

Wikipedia: International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Have fun!!

Cap'n Swappy
http://www.SwapSimple.com

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

SwapSimple Beats Beyonce as #4 in Stuff Magazine's October 2007 "Hit List"

Wow - what a week! Stuff magazine just named SwapSimple.com as #4 in their "Hit List" for October! We beat out Beyonce by two places, but Kevin Bacon beat us by landing the #3 spot. Good job Kevin, and sorry Beyonce - we still love you both!

Check us out in this month's edition of Stuff Magazine, on shelves now (October 2007 Edition)

This amazing national press is bringing word of SwapSimple to millions of people around the country, and as a result the SwapSimple community is exploding with new swappers, and new items to swap for!

Happy swapping everyone!

Elliot
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com

Monday, September 03, 2007

SwapSimple launches Facebook application - creates world's largest library of free goods.

It's here!

We have just launched a new SwapSimple Facebook application that lets you use the power of Facebook in combination with SwapSimple's swapping technology. Now you can swap right in Facebook, and use it's vast social network to fast create the worlds largest library of free goods!

With this application you can use SwapSimple right in Facebook. This lets you swap with all your Facebook friends, promote your swap items in your Facebook profile and News Feed, as well as automatically let your friends know when you add items to your wishlist.

Start swapping in Facebook by installing the SwapSimple Facebook Application (Click here to install)!

Please let us know your feedback, and have a swappy day!

Elliot
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com

Friday, August 31, 2007

Watch Video: SwapSimple Helps Clean Up the Environment - Through Swapping!



Hey Gang,

We had an awesome week with NBC in the office. They were great and did a whole story on how swapping helps save the planet. It's true! People buy so much stuff, and then just throw it away! Now with swapping, they can find new homes for their unwanted possessions, get more things in return, and help save the planet in the process!

It really does make a difference, and we couldn't be happier about playing a small role in helping our planet stay healthy.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

New Feature! Buy credits if you need them.

Hi Gang - Great news!

We've received numerous requests to enable the purchase of SwapSimple Trade Credits, and we've just released a Credit-purchase system that works great!

Now, if you simply are short a credit or two, or want to buy an item outright, the system will be able to accommodate your needs. Best of all - all money collected from the purchase of Credits will be used to stock the SwapSimple inventory with items you and other community members have placed your personal wishlists!

You can purchase SwapSimple Credits at a rate of 1 Trade Credit for $1. These credits are usable for anything listed on SwapSimple.

The "buy credits" link is at the top-right of every page, once you log in. Please give it a try, and share your thoughts with us via email, or on our discussion forum.

Talk soon, and thanks for using SwapSimple!!

Elliot

Elliot E. Hirsch
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com
http://www.swapsimple.com

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Swap for Free!! SwapSimple launches new free-swap friend network!

Today we launched an important new feature
on SwapSimple that enables you to swap FOR FREE with
all your friends, all their friends, and all their
friends' friends too!

Not only does this let you swap for free, but it also
helps you swap more reliably too. Who better to swap
with than someone you know, or someone your friends know?

To get started - simply login and add a few friends.
Then, sit back and watch how fast your network grows!
If you have any questions, or have comments / suggestions,
please feel free to email us at any time.

Talk soon, and happy swapping!

Elliot

Elliot E. Hirsch
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Scheduled Maintenance - Sunday June 17, 2007

Hi gang,

Just a heads-up that we're going to be doing some routine system maintenance this Sunday, June 17, 2007 from 12:00 AM -- 4:00 AM MDT.

During this time you may have trouble initiating swaps.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you, but it's all part of keeping the service running strong.

Talk soon, and thanks for using SwapSimple!

Elliot
Team SwapSimple
http://www.swapsimple.com

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Bibliophiles Unite! Book Group Expo - June 8th & 9th in San Jose, CA


We learned about Book Group Expo many months ago, and the second we heard about it, we knew we needed to be a part of it. That's why we decided to give away free swaps on SwapSimple to all attendees of the Expo! Now you can go to the expo to discover new literature, and then swap it free!!

Anne Kent, the Founder of Book Group Expo, has put together a truly amazing event. You can meet and mingle with avid readers all across the country, meet your favorite authors face to face, or in intimate salon discussions, browse a vast marketplace of everything bibliophile - and much more.

More Info:

Meet over 50 authors, eat chocolate, attend lively
discussions, taste wine, have books signed,
savor fine tea, browse books - and have some
serious fun!!

The festivities start Friday night with Khaled Hosseini
launching his next release, A THOUSAND SPLENDID
SUNS. In true book group expo fashion, you will have
direct access to this talented author through our salon
style conversations. Seating is limited (which means so
are the tickets!).

When: June 8th - Khaled Hosseini book
launch. 6:30P.
June 9th and 10th - 10A - 5P
Where: San Jose Convention Center, CA
Tickets / INFO: http://www.bookgroupexpo.com/?from=swapsimple

Monday, May 21, 2007

New SwapSimple WIDGET Released

Get the new SwapSimple widget!



Now you can show off all the items you have available for swap, by cutting and pasting a bit of code into your blog, myspace, facebook, etc. accounts. It's really easy, and a great way to make even more swaps than ever before.

To the left is my personal SwapSimple widget. Just click on an item and come swap with me. To get your personal widget, just login to your account. You'll see the new widget feature in the top-right of your logged in homepage.

We hope you really enjoy this feature, and we're going to be constantly improving it - so your feedback is welcomed and encouraged.

Talk soon, and enjoy the widget!

Elliot

Elliot E. Hirsch
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com
www.swapsimple.com

New "Hot Items" feature released.

Every day, the SwapSimple editors look through all the items listed that day for ones that are real jems. We call these "Hot Items."

You can now easily find these items by going to the browse page. Once you arrive at the browse page, you will automatically be seeing all the hot items. If you want to then expand your search, just click on the links to the left to start viewing more items, and item types.

We hope you enjoy this new feature - and we're sure it's going to make swapping easier than ever before, and even more fun too!!

Talk soon,

Elliot

Elliot E. Hirsch
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com.

Labels:

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Textbooks 101: A guide to buying, selling, and swapping textbooks online

While a recent college student, there weren’t many things that irked me more than buying textbooks. Long bookstore lines and high prices found at the campus bookstore drove me to the Internet in search of alternatives – and there were plenty to be found.

All Internet textbook sources, be they for new or used textbooks, fall into three main categories, and one new one: traditional vendors affiliated directly with publishers or wholesalers, consumer to consumer marketplaces, auction services, and new alternatives like swapping services such as SwapSimple.com. When searching for textbook bargains, students need to be able to identify and understand these main types of textbook sources, and be able to make an educated decision as to which source properly fulfills their particular set of needs. There is no one source that is good for all situations, and it behooves the consumer to properly choose among the several types of textbook sources, dependent upon the buyer’s current needs.

Online Bookstores - Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc.

The most abundant, as well as the most widely used textbook sources on the Internet today, are large vendors that attempt to bring the traditional brick-and-mortar bookstore to your home via your personal, Internet enabled computer. These vendors include big familiar names such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's. These stores are able to provide discounted textbooks by cutting out the middleman wholesaler and dealing directly with publishers, then passing the savings on to consumers. Another way they are able to cut costs is through their ability to sell large quantities of books – relying on volume sales to enhance profits.

Most books for sale on these services sell for about 2%-15% less than what you would find at your local campus bookstore. These vendors are generally quite reliable and are very convenient, seeing as how you can order the books you need without ever having to leave your home, while being reasonably assured that your books will arrive on time and in good condition, although the savings are not altogether that dramatic or life-changing.

Online Marketplaces - Half.com, Amazon Marketplace, campus exchanges, etc.

Consumer to consumer marketplaces are the second major division in the textbook industry, and have spread widely on the Internet. The majority of these marketplaces call themselves "exchanges," when in fact they are merely a type of classified ad site, with payment and sometimes shipping features built in. Some major players in this classification are companies like Half.com, TextbookX.com, and Amazon Marketplace. Additionally, there are many smaller, campus and regionally based services, all with varying levels of service and support.

All these services allow users to buy and sell books with each other, and normally result in books being sold for about half the cover price (hence, for example, the name Half.com). Unfortunately, because these services are open to all sellers, be they a single student selling one math book, or a large local bookstore that is listing its entire store inventory, things become slightly unfair. Potential buyers tend to shy away from individual sellers, not merely because of price, but also because of fears of product condition and delivery reliability. Therefore, when a single student lists a book for sale, he or she is forced to lower the price far below what the book is actually worth in order to be reasonably competitive with the larger sellers, and to have a better chance of actually finding a buyer for the book.

Because of this, consumer to consumer marketplaces are a really great place to buy books at a considerable discount, so long as one is willing to buy from an individual seller, but are not a very good place to sell if you are only selling for your own benefit and do not own a store. Also, if you are selling, these services charge a sales commission based on the final sales price of your book, which further lowers one’s net price.

Online Auctions - Ebay.com, etc.

Auction services make up the last common division in your online textbook buying options, and when one says the word "auction," one can't help but immediately think of the current industry dominatrix, Ebay.com. There are several lesser known sites out there, but I'm sure you get the idea.

These services are fun to use on a recreational level, and are a great way to locate hard to find books. As far as textbooks go, these sites can sometimes be very fruitful, allowing you to get a book for a ridiculously cheap price as long as the specific book you are bidding on is in relatively low demand. If the book you are looking for is indeed in some type of normal to high demand level - which is normally the case as regards the books required for current classes - you can expect to pay about the same as when buying on sites like Amazon.com, or if you're lucky, maybe around Half.com's price range.

When using auction sites, one can expect to wait several days for an auction to end before a sale is confirmed, so make sure to allot the appropriate amount of time before you really need your book. These sites are fun, usually take more time than buying books outright, and will usually get you a competitive price - sometimes a remarkable one. When selling on Ebay.com, remember to factor in their fee to list items for sale, in addition to the commission charged based on the final sales price.

SwapSimple.com - Eliminating Buying and Selling

Lastly, a final option is SwapSimple.com, which was created as a distinct alternative to all of the above mentioned textbook buying options. SwapSimple.com distinguishes itself from all others by enabling its users to get the books they need without having to buy or sell anything.

Instead of posting books for sale and having to wait for auctions, or otherwise wait to find buyers, SwapSimple.com awards what it calls Trade Credits immediately when books that users are finished with are listed. The Trade Credits issued will be equal to the current market value of the posted book, and those Credits can immediately be used to get any of the other books listed on SwapSimple.com by other SwapSimple.com users from all across the country.

This is a uniquely good solution, because it not only allows one to get needed books immediately, it enables the user to get those books virtually without having to spend any more money. All one pays to use SwapSimple.com is the actual cost of shipping, plus a set fee of $2.00 per book, which is paid at the time a book is ordered. The only drawback to SwapSimple.com is that its book selection is limited to what its users post for exchange; but as SwapSimple.com's user base continues to grow, as it has over the past months, users can expect to find the majority of books they are looking for.

As you can see, there are many choices when it comes to purchasing textbooks on the Internet. We hope this guide was helpful, and if you have any comments or suggested additions, please email us using our contact form.

About the author:

Elliot E. Hirsch is the President and Co-Founder of SwapSimple, Inc., and SwapSimple.com (http://www.swapsimple.com). In 2003, as a recent college graduate troubled by the seemingly endless rise in the cost of textbooks, Elliot, along with fellow recent college graduate David J. Goldblatt and computer engineer Eric R. Haszlakiewicz, founded the company as a powerful exchange solution to give students a modern, effective, and low cost alternative to purchasing costly used textbooks. Mr. Hirsch feels that SwapSimple consistently upholds its goal of positively impacting the lives of students and families across the United States, by giving all students the ability to afford the textbooks which are so vital to their education. SwapSimple is headquartered in the founders' hometown, the tropical paradise of Chicago, Illinois.

Monday, May 14, 2007

New Features, Site Update, May Newsletter

Hi Gang,

New SwapSimple features just released: (more info below)
-----------------------------------------------------

- New site design and layout!!
- See who's online, and swap with them - live!
- See other member's wishlists or the
wishlist for the entire site
- New posting page with additional features
- Bulk posting of items on posting page
- Improved account information
- BOOK GROUP EXPO in San Jose, California June 8th - 10th

================================
Event Announcement!!
================================
BOOK GROUP EXPO

Meet over 50 authors, eat chocolate, attend lively
discussions, taste wine, have books signed,
savor fine tea, browse books - and have some
serious fun!!

The festivities start Friday night with Khaled Hosseini
launching his next release, A THOUSAND SPLENDID
SUNS. In true book group expo fashion, you will have
direct access to this talented author through our salon
style conversations. Seating is limited (which means so
are the tickets!).

When: June 8th - Khaled Hosseini book
launch. 6:30P.
June 9th and 10th - 10A - 5P
Where: San Jose Convention Center, CA
Tickets / INFO: www.bookgroupexpo.com

=========================================

Well, it's been spring cleaning here at SwapSimple, and in the spirit
of the season, we decided to give the front-end of the site a bit
of a makeover - complete with new top tabs, and a more space-efficient
top menu bar.

>From there we thought we'd spice things up a bit by showing you exactly
who's online at any given time. There's a list of logged in users on
your logged-in homepage, and also on the browse page. Just click over
to their profile, browse their inventory, send them messages, and swap
with them right while they're online! It's a super-fast way to make
swaps, and its fun too.

You asked, and we delivered - wishlists are now public! By clicking on
a user's profile, you can see their entire wishlist, or if you like, the
wishlist of the entire site! List an item on someone else's
wishlist and we automatically notify them of your posting. It's a
great way to make swaps and earn credits faster than ever!

For those of you who have just a few items listed, you may not see the
benefit of our new posting page features, but for those of you who
have 50, 100, 500 or more items listed, you'll love the new posting
page. Before, the page simply listed everything you had posted in one
loooooooong list. Now, you have many ways to sort and display your
posted items. It's very fast, and uses some new web technology
that lets you work without having to reload the page on every click!

Finally, on the posting page we have instructions for listing items
in bulk. If you have your stuff already inventoried somewhere else
we can make it easy for you to simply send us a file with your item
info, and we do the rest - listing all your items for you.

So, please have a look through the new site and features - and be
sure to report any technical problems you run into!! We'll fix them
ASAP, but the sooner we know about them, the better.

Coming this next month, we'll be releasing two new and very
interesting features, so stay tuned!

Talk soon, and thanks for using SwapSimple!

Elliot

Elliot Hirsch
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com
SwapSimple.com

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Scheduled Maintenance - April 28th

Attention Fellow Swappers - Just a heads-up

Our shipping system will be going through scheduled maintenance from 9 PM April 28th to 1 AM (PT) April 29th. During that time you may experience intermittent periods of time where you will be unable to initiate, or complete trades.

We're sorry if this causes any inconvenience.

Talk soon, and happy Swapping!!

Elliot
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

SwapSimple.com's FREE BEER & Live Swap Event - Thursday, March 29th, in Evanston, IL





Yes that's right - we're having another "Live Swap" event, and this time it comes complete with FREE BEER, and another amazing venue - Pete Miller's Steakhouse in Evanston, IL!

Tickets to this event are FREE, but they are going fast! Please get yours ASAP - GET FREE TICKETS HERE

The event is from 4:30pm till 10:30pm, March 29th (that's a Thursday). Free beer will be available from 4:30pm - 9pm, for those who bring 3 or more books, dvds, or videogames to swap. Also, we are again working with Children's Memorial Hospital on this event, and will be donating all videogames that are not swapped by the end of the night to the hospital - so please bring lots of games for the kids!!

How the Event Works:
In general, the swap works the same as our last few: you show up with books, dvds, and videogames you don't want, you give them to us at the door, and we give you tickets. You then simply hang out, look through the stuff other people brought, drink free beer, talk - and when you're through, you use your tickets as payment for any items you want to take with you. Its really cool, and tons of fun!!

Food:
In addition to the free beer and swapping, Pete Miller's just happens to have some amazing food - and you will have access to their full menu if you want a big juicy steak, or giant prime burger to go with your free beer.

Details:
Date: March 29th - Thursday
Venue: Pete Miller's Steak House - www.petemillers.com
Address: 1557 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, IL

If you have questions or need more info, just email us at
contact [at] swapsimple [dot] com

Tickets to this event are FREE, but they are going fast! Please get yours ASAP - GET FREE TICKETS HERE

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

SwapSimple - A whole bunch of new features.

Here are some new features that have been recently added
to SwapSimple:

- See Recent Site Activity
- Browse By Credit Value
- Mark Trades as Private
- Added Item Links to Comments/Ratings
- Enhanced Site Speed
- Added Tell-A-Friend Buttons to Items
- Added Auto-Wishlist Buttons to Items
- Added Link in Search Results that Jumps to Unavailable Items

Below is a brief description of each new feature.

---------------------------------------------------
See Recent Site Activity
---------------------------------------------------

When you login, just under the tabs and search bar, you will
see a "ticker" that shows all the major site activity that
happened in the last 24 hrs - like user signups, posted items,
items added to wishlists, etc. We think it's pretty cool!

Using this feature, you can get an instant read on the new items
that are being listed, as well as what is being placed on people's
wishlists. See what people are wishlisting, and then go see if you
have it on your shelf - it's a real easy way to make fast trades.
Oh, and don't worry, we'll be adding a more structured way for you
to see the entire wishlist of the site very soon.

---------------------------------------------------
Browse By Credit Value
---------------------------------------------------

We added a feature to the browse page that lets you see
only items at or below a credit value that you specify.
Only have 4 Credits to spend? No problem! Just enter
"4" and the site will only show items that are 4 Credits
or less.

We have had many community members ask us for this feature,
and we tried to make it function as simply as possible. Just
enter that maximum credit value in the field, click the button,
and SwapSimple automatically weeds out all the items that you
currently can't afford.

---------------------------------------------------
Mark Trades as Private
---------------------------------------------------

We now show in your user ratings, what item was ordered.
If you would rather keep this info private for a particular
item, there is now a check-box on the finalize order page.

We doubt you'll be using this feature regularly, but it may
come in handy - especially if you order a gift for someone
and you don't want them to see the trade in your trade history.

---------------------------------------------------
Added Item Links to User Ratings/Comments
---------------------------------------------------

Now, when looking through a user's past trade comments
and ratings, you will also be able to see which item
a particular trade rating refers to.

Now you can actually see what items people have traded
away, figure out who ordered them, and maybe track that
the user who ordered the item down to see if you can
get them to re-list the item so you can order it. It's
easy using these new links, and our private messaging
system.

---------------------------------------------------
Added "Tell-a-Friend" Buttons to Items
---------------------------------------------------

Every item on the site now has a "Tell-a-Friend" button.
If you find an item on the site that you feel someone you
know may like, you can use the TAF button to easily let
them know. It's also a great way to spread word of
SwapSimple to those people who will truly enjoy the service.

This is a really fun feature. I see items every day that I
know my friends are interested in, and this tool makes it
really easy for me to share these items with everyone I know.

---------------------------------------------------
Added Auto-Wishlist Buttons to Items
---------------------------------------------------

Each item that is not currently available for trade,
now has an "Add to Wishlist" button. Click the button
to easily and automatically add the item to your wishlist.
When the item becomes available for trade, we'll email you
to let you know.

Now that we added these buttons, you simply click and "pop,"
the item is added to your wishlist. No more having to be taken
to a separate page and whatnot. Adding items to your wishlist
is one of the major keys to swapping, and these buttons make
it easier than ever before.

---------------------------------------------------
Added Link in Search Results That Jumps to Unavailable Items
---------------------------------------------------

When you do a search on SwapSimple, we give you a list of
results, starting with all the items that we have available
for trade. If you don't see the item you want, try clicking
the new link at the top right of the search results. That will
show you results for items that we do not currently have available.
This will enable you to easily add those items to your wishlist
quickly and easily.

Now if we don't have an item for trade, you can simply skip down
to the items we don't have, and then easily fire up those new
wishlist buttons to add items to your wishlist.

Labels:

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

So Excited To Swap On Saturday

I talked to Alexandria and Jen at Mercury Cafe yesterday to drop off some flyers an talk to them about Saturday's LiveSwap. I'm so excited!!!!!

I've been thinking a lot about why I spend so much time working for SwapSimple and it really is about community building and sharing. I knew SwapSimple was a great idea, but I've really arrived at a place where I understand its larger meaning. I can't wait to see SwapSimple in action this Saturday.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

New Features - "Auto Wishlist" and "Tell-a-Friend"

When we list stuff for swap, we want others to order our items as soon as possible - right? Of course! Also, we want first dibs on items we want right when they're listed for trade, which is why we have just released the following two new features:

**Remember: both the features I'm going to mention below are only visible when you're logged in to your account.

1. New auto-wishlist buttons:

Even though SwapSimple has hundreds of new items listed each day, there are still some that we don't have. Maybe it's a new release you have your heart set on, or just an old obscure title you have been seeking forever. When that item gets listed for trade, I'd imagine you'd want to be the first to know.

Now, when you search for an item and find that it's not available for trade yet, there are new automatic "Add to Wishlist" buttons for you to use. These buttons automatically add items to your wishlist without even making you go to a separate page! These buttons also have a memory, so they they will appear yellow for all items you have already added to your wishlist.

This makes it really fast and easy to build a huge wishlist of items, so that you will receive an email right when the items you want are listed for trade. Please give them a try and tell us what you think.

2. Tell-a-Friend buttons:

We added "Tell-a-friend" buttons to all items listed for trade. By clicking the button, you can send an automatic, one-time email to a friend to let them know that you've found an item they may be interested in. This is a great way to introduce others to SwapSimple, but is also a great way to make more trades happen, and get more items listed on the site - and that helps everyone!

Well, that's the scoop. We're working on a whole new batch of enhancements to the service, complete with...well...I can't tell ya :-) - so please stay tuned!

Talk soon, happy swapping, and thanks for using SwapSimple!

Elliot

Elliot Hirsch
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com

Labels: , ,

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Live Swap - Feb 17th @ The Mercury Cafe in Chicago

It's that time again - another SwapSimple live Swap! This time we'll be doing it at the super-cool Mercury Cafe in Chicago, Illinois. I love this space. It's both huge, and cozy. The owner, Alexandria Kalika is so nice and she's committed to creating a place that supports individuals, groups and businesses. Definitely talk to her if you stop by.

Like our last live swap, we'll be mimicking the best features of SwapSimple in a live event. People will bring in their books, dvds and video games and we'll offer trade tickets. These tickets can be exchanged for any item type. So just like on SwapSimple.com, you can trade books for dvds, video games for books and so on.

I'm also working to make the event interactive - like coffee and swapping isn't enough:)

Here's how it works:
Arrive at the Mercury Cafe with all the books, DVDs, and videogames you want to get rid of. At the door we will give you tickets for all the items you bring. Here's how the tickets break down:

Paperbacks = 1 Ticket
Hardcovers = 2 Tickets
DVDs and Videogames = 3 Tickets

When you leave, you simply "pay" for what you took with your tickets. All items that do not trade are going to be donated to the Children's Memorial Hospitals. They are especially excited to get videogames for the kids.

Time: Noon - 5pm

Location Info:
Mercury Cafe
1505 W Chicago Ave
Chicago IL 60622
312-455-9924
Mercury Cafe Website
Map to the Mercury Cafe

Please RSVP for this event by sending an email to contact@swapsimple.com - or visit us at SwapSimple.com.

***Also - If you'd like to have a live swap event in your
area, please contact us and we'd be happy to help you set
one up. We have been doing them in Chicago because that's
where we're based, and it's just easier for us - but there's
no reason why we can't do other swaps elsewhere, with a
little help.

Labels: , , ,

SwapSimple on Time.com's Coolest Sites of 2006

So, we made the list last year - just barely. There are other trading sites, but no one else is doing it quite as thoughtfully as we are. There's no other trading site that lets you trade different item types and gives you market-value based credits. It's frustrating sometimes how other sites have expensive PR firms to place their names in glossy magazines.

So we need you, the swapsimple user, to tell Time.com why you've chosen our site. Tell them about the time you traded your textbook on our site and used the credits to get a dvd boxed set or several xbox games. That's what you CAN'T do on other sites. Tell them about the $20 bucks you had to spend on a 30 min Baby Einstein DVD and how you were able to trade it in for a Disney Movie or that Toni Morrison novel you've been wanting to read. That's what they need to hear. They don't need a press release or an over-paid PR pitchperson to convince them - they need you.

Email this woman - maryannebuechner@yahoo.com - and let's see if we can make it to the top of the list for 2007.

Labels:

Friday, February 02, 2007

Swapping Is Just Better

I've noticed that once people initiate their first trade, they always make subsequent trades. After receiving your first item from another SwapSimple member, you're hooked. It's neat. I wish I used SwapSimple when I was in college. I think all I did then was order stuff off Amazon or make photocopies at the library.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Why didn't I know about this show?

I never watched Buffy The Vampire Slayer until I had a ton of trade credits to spend and decided to go ahead and order one of the many Buffy boxed sets posted. What a great show!!! I didn't think that a show about a cute blonde girl running around saving the world would appeal to me, and I was totally wrong.

I'm working my way through season two, so somebody post season three in the next few weeks please.

Labels: ,

Friday, January 26, 2007

SwapSimple.com launches free swapping!

Yes it's true - we've made swapping free for the world! (well, sort of)

We're really excited to announce, by virtue of the new ads on
the site, that we're now able to make all items that are worth
10 Trade Credits or less - FREE TO TRADE!

In addition, items worth 11-25 Trade Credits are now only
$1.00 to swap, and items worth 26 Trade Credits and up are
$2.00 to swap.

We hope you truly enjoy this change, and keep a lookout later
this week for some cool new features we'll be announcing.
They're on the site now, if you can find them...

Talk soon, and happy swapping!

Elliot
Co-Founder, SwapSimple.com

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Bears Win! "SuperBowl Shuffle" Flashback, and more...

Well gang, it's finally happened. Years of freezing in the stands - disappointment after disappointment - but we finally made it. The Bears have finally made it to the SuperBowl, and even without the awesome powers of the man known as Ditka.

Now it's time to snuggle up with your favorite Polish sausage, and count the seconds until the big game...

If you want a fun flashback to the last time the Bears were in the SuperBowl (and won, mind you) here are some fun links:

Oh, and if you thought we just put things on hold here at SwapSimple because of the Bears, think again. We have a very important new release/upgrade of SwapSimple.com due to arrive momentarily...so stay tuned. We know you're really going to like this one!

DA Bears, DA Bears, Da Bears!!!

We at SwapSimple were all born and raised in Chicago, our servers are in Chicago, and so from all of us here at SwapSimple.com (and the whole Chicago tech scene) - we say a collective:

GO BEARS!

Next stop - SuperBowl!


Monday, January 08, 2007

Site Upgrade - New user homepage (SwapBase), power search, easy registration, and more!

We've been working hard over the holidays to release some upgrades to the site.  Also, look for several more very interesting upgrades, scheduled for release this month.

Here are the most recent upgrades, in no particular order :-) :

- New User Homepage, called your SwapBase
We changed your logged in homepage to contain a variety of useful trade and account information. Now you can see exactly what's happening with your account, and your trades, without having to click to several pages. It's a "dashboard" type
overview of your account.

- Simplified Registration
Now, all it takes to create an account on SwapSimple is an email address and password. New users no longer need to fill out any other personal information until
they actually want to engage in trades.

- Improved Search
The search has been learning day by day, and is now extremely stable. To learn about all its new advanced search abilities, simply click the "search tips" link next to the search box.

- Added ads
We have added advertisements to several places within the SwapSimple site. We did this in order to generate some additional funds to help us speed the development of the many additional SwapSimple features we're working on. Hopefully these ads will also help you discover other beneficial websites and services you were previously
unaware of. Please feel free to explore these new ads, as each click earns us a bit of money. Also, if you are interested in advertising on SwapSimple, please contact
customer service and we can assist you.

If you have any questions, or find any bugs we overlooked in this update, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Talk soon, happy new year, and happy swapping!

Beth

---
Beth Larson
SwapSimple Customer Service
www.swapsimple.com

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

New Feature - Search by item type

We have a little change to tell you about, that may save you a whole lot of time when trying to find items on SwapSimple. If you look in the search bar, you will notice a new dropdown menu. This enables you to limit your searches to only the type of items you are looking for.

We have our new intern Alex to thank for this feature, so please feel free to thank him in the comments on this blog post if you feel a desire to do so.

Previously, if you searched for Frankenstein, you would get a list of books, movies, and video games available for trade. Now, if you are only looking for the movie version, you can easily use the new dropdown menu to narrow your search.

We hope you like this additional feature, and as usual, if you experience any trouble, or have suggestions, please contact us at any time.

Talk soon,

Elliot

Elliot Hirsch
SwapSimple Co-Founder

Labels:

Swap the gifts you dont want - it's intelligent re-gifting!

Ugh!  It happens every season - you smile and say thank you for the presents people gave you, but in the back of your head you're thinking, "I'm never going to use this."

Well, you might not have a use for the gifts you were given, but the odds are that someone on the SwapSimple network would love those items - so list them for swap and get something you really want in return!

It's intelligent re-gifting... :-)

Happy holidays, and happy swapping from the whole team here at SwapSimple!

Best Wishes,

Elliot

Elliot Hirsch
SwapSimple Co-Founder

Monday, December 11, 2006

New Search System Launched!

Hi everyone,

We finally finished the main aspects of our new search system. Now you can easily search the entire SwapSimple inventory for items you want, instead of having to endlessly click through items to see if they are actually available for trade.

This has been a massive effort for us all. Please give it a try and tell us what you like about it, and what you feel needs improvement. Also, please report any bugs so we can fix them immediately.

The one point we are fine-tuning now is the speed of the search for very large and complex searches. We will also be adding a few other features to the search over the next week or so, but the core functionality is there for you to use and comment on.

For help using the new search system, click on the "advanced search" link next to the search box on every SwapSimple page.

We look forward to your feedback here in our blog, via email, and in the SwapSimple discussion forum.

Thank you all for your continued support of our trading community!

Elliot

--
Elliot E. Hirsch
President, SwapSimple, Inc.
National Book, DVD, and Video Game Exchange
http://www.swapsimple.com

Labels:

Friday, November 17, 2006

Thanks for coming to our first "SwapSimple Live" party!

This was really a great event!

We had about 100 people come throughout the night to swap, hang out, and have a few good Belgian beers. We also received a great selection of items to donate to Children's memorial - lots of kids books, and even a complete 3DO game system with over 30 games.

We will be posting photos of the event later today, but I just wanted to post something quickly right now to say thanks for the great turnout.

Talk soon,

Elliot
SwapSimple Co-Founder

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

(Please RSVP) Details for our Swap Party - November 16th (Thursday) - in Chicago

SwapSimple - Free Live Swap Party, Thurs Nov 16th in Chicago!

Hi All,

We are having our first FREE live swap party right here in our hometown of Chicago, and you're invited! It will be nothing but free swapping to your hearts content from 7pm to Midnight, November 16th in Chicago.

Here's How It Will Work:
Show up with a bunch of books, DVDs, and video games you don't want. We'll take them at the door and give you tickets that will let you get other items people have brought. All remaining items at the end of the night that don't get swapped will be donated to Children's Memorial Hospitals. There will also be great door prizes, TV media coverage (so you just might get noticed), and just plain fun!

Children's Memorial is very excited about this event because many of the kids in the hospital play video games to pass the time. Please, please, please bring lots of games, and also if you have old video game systems and controllers, please bring them too - they need them.

This is going to be a great way to have a whole bunch of fun, get some things you want, and help a good cause too - and the beers don't hurt either.

RSVP and Venue Info:
Because this is being held at a bar, all attendees must be 21 . We'll be having another event soon for all ages, so don't worry.

Please send us an RSVP to let us know you are coming. If you want your friends to come also, which we strongly ENCOURAGE, please have them send an RSVP to us as well. Simply email us at contact@swapsimple.com, and include your full name in the email so we can add you to our RSVP list at at the door. RSVP's aren't vital, but they will just help us organize things a bit better.


Venue:
HopLeaf Taproom
5148 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL
(773)334-9851
www.hopleaf.com

Map to location:
Clink here for Google Local map

About the Venue:
"The Hopleaf gets its name from a beer advertised outside taverns in Malta, the home country of proprietor Michael Roper's father. But the Hopleaf draws its inspiration, and its drafts, from another tiny European country: Belgium. Half of the bar's 200 beers come from there. "They're unique," says Roper. "The only place where old beer culture still lives is Belgium. A lot of them use wild yeast. A lot of them use wild fruits. There's a country of 6 million people with 1,000 beers."

As a further tribute to the brew, Hopleaf's walls are decorated with original beer posters from the 1920s, advertising Solanis, Biere Titan and other, predominantly German, brands. An expansion to the original space doubled the size of the tavern and added a private party room and kitchen.Their menu consists of typical Belgian bar fare -- think mussels, moules frites and sandwiches, including smoked duck and ham-and-Gruyere."


***Remember to RSVP, and stay tuned for more info.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

"SwapSimple Live" Free Swap Party November 16th - in Chicago!!! Everyone is invited, so bring your friends!

Hi everyone,

We thought it would be fun to have a big live-swap party - so we're actually doing it!

It will be in Chicago, on November 16th (that's a Thursday). There will be books, DVDs, video games, and all kinds of other stuff to swap. Come with a bag full of swap items, and see what you can swap for them. There will also be contests, and giveaways!

I don't have all the details yet, as we are trying to get Children's Memorial Hospital and a few other local groups there to accept items as donations (items that don't get swapped), but for now, remember to save the date November 16th.

We also do have a location. It will be at the Hopleaf tavern, in our own private room. Below is a description of the venue, and a link to their website, and a map.

Stay tuned for more info on the party over the next couple of days. Also, please leave feedback here or in the forums for any ideas you have that may make the event even more fun. We will be taking RSVP's for the party real soon, so get ready...

Venue info:
"The Hopleaf gets its name from a beer advertised outside taverns in Malta, the home country of proprietor Michael Roper's father. But the Hopleaf draws its inspiration, and its drafts, from another tiny European country: Belgium. Half of the bar's 200 beers come from there. "They're unique," says Roper. "The only place where old beer culture still lives is Belgium. A lot of them use wild yeast. A lot of them use wild fruits. There's a country of 6 million people with 1,000 beers."

As a further tribute to the brew, Hopleaf's walls are decorated with original beer posters from the 1920s, advertising Solanis, Biere Titan and other, predominantly German, brands. An expansion to the original space doubled the size of the tavern and added a private party room and kitchen.Their menu consists of typical Belgian bar fare -- think mussels, moules frites and sandwiches, including smoked duck and ham-and-Gruyere."

Website:
Hopleaf Website


Map to location

Monday, October 30, 2006

SwapSimple To Raise $1m In Venture Funding

Hey gang, we're in the paper again. This time it's about how we were selected to present SwapSimple at the 2006 Midwest Venture Summit.

Hopefully there we'll connect with a few investors that we like, so that we can ramp things up here really quickly, and start churning out all the features you've asked for over the last few months.

Here is a link to the article:

Read our Article in the Chicago Tribune

Friday, October 27, 2006

We're adding & moving servers - sorry for the dust!

We're adding to and moving our servers, so there may be some errors using the website over the next few days - such as the forums being down (as they are now). Have no fear, we are just spiffing things up a bit, and moving to a place that can accomodate the growth of the SwapSimple community.

This is very exciting, and we hope you all enjoy our new speed and diggs!!

Friday, October 20, 2006

Yahoo! and SwapSimple have teamed up to grow our community at record speed. Things are about to pick up real soon!

Hi gang,

We are about to launch a new ad campaign in partnership with Yahoo!, so things will be picking up around here pretty quickly.

Make sure to search for items you want (using our search bar on every SwapSimple page) so that you can add items to your wishlist. This will let you get first dibs on them when they arrive for trade - and arrive they will as many new people will be registering and listing items.

I'll keep you all posted, and let you know when we officially kick things off.

Talk soon,

Elliot
SwapSimple Co-Counder

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Great meeting you this last Thursday at Chicago's TechCocktail event!

I just wanted to send a quick "thnak you" to all our SwapSimple community members who attended this event. It was a really great time, and it was good to meet you all.

Additionally, I really hope you enjoyed the event itself. It was a really great opportunity to see just what exactly is going on in Chicago, and all the amazing new tech companies and startups that are doing really interesting things in the Web 2.0 space.

I'll keep you all posted as more events show up in the Chicago area, and all over the country.

Talk soon,

Elliot
SwapSimple Co-Founder

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Attention Chicagoans - Talk tech this evening with the SwapSimple team and others, at the free (yes, FREE!) TechCocktail event, in downtown Chicago.

There are going to be about 350 people in attendance, including other technology enthusiasts, VCs, bloggers and entrepreneurs. A few of the hottest Midwest startups will be demoing their products too. We'll be there with the SwapSimple team and would love to meet you and hear all your feedback on how we can make SwapSimple as great as it possibly can be!

General event info:

Get a chance to discover some of the most interesting tech goings on in the Midwest, and meet the people behind them - and it's free! Come share a few free beers, swap stories, network, and see what amazing things are happening right under your nose.

Here's an excerpt from the event website:

http://techcocktail.com/blog/2006/09/16/tech-cocktail-2-at-the-gramercy-october-12-2006/">TecCocktail Website

"It’s time for TECH cocktail 2! We are pleased to announce that the second TECH cocktail will be held on October 12, 2006 from 6:30 to 9pm at The Gramercy. The Gramercy, in pure web 2.0 fashion, offers a lot of white space so we are sure you will like it.

Just like TECH cocktail 1 this event is free and open to the public with complimentary beer (thanks to Coastr) and is sponsored by midPhase hosting. However, unlike our first event there will also be a cash bar offered - yes you can order a martini if you like! We hope that you join us for an evening of fun mingling with other technology enthusiasts, VCs, bloggers and entrepreneurs. A few of the hottest Midwest startups will be demoing their products."

Remember - you must RSVP via the event website, and please say that SwapSimple sent you.

See you there!

Elliot
SwapSimple Co-Founder

We're re-designing your logged in homepage. What features and information do you want us to put on it?

We are currently in the process of re-designing the logged in homepage (the page you see as your homepage once you're logged in). Please let us know what features and information you would like to see there.

We can pretty much do whatever you want, so let us know what would make your experience as productive, easy, fun, and interesting as possible.

The more you suggest, the better the conversation - and features - will be.

Thanks gang!

Elliot
SwapSimple Co-Founder

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

FYI: We're fixing the search - FINALLY!

Originally we created the search feature on the site for one purpose - to enable you to search for, and properly identify a particular item you wanted (regardless of whether it was available for trade or not). We would identify the exact item you were looking for, then you could see if it was available for trade.

We assumed that people would use this to find specific titles, and if we didn't have it available for trade, we would direct you elsewhere to where you could simply buy the item.

This was a poor method of doing things, and made searching for an item endlessly frustrating.

We are now changing the search to first look through our entire inventory, scanning titles, authors, item descriptions, etc - so that if you enter "Sherlock Holmes," the search will return a list of everything available on the site that has "Sherlock Holmes" somewhere in it's bibliographic information. We will also have some more advanced features, but the general goal is to give you the ability to quickly find items you may be interested in that are actually available for trade. We will still give you a 'best possible match' - regardless of if the item is available for trade or not, but that result will show up in a separate section at the bottom.

I hope this makes sense, and we'll keep you posted as to how things develop. We strongly feel this will make a very positive change in the way things work around here, and will totally alleviate the need to browse through items you really have no interest in.

As always, suggestions are very appreciated!!

Sunday, October 08, 2006

New homepage design (the one you see when you are NOT logged in) - any thoughts?

We just re-designed the SwapSimple homepage. What we wanted to do was give a bit more info regarding what makes SwapSimple so different from other trading sites, and also wanted to make the page smaller, so that you didn't need to scroll way down to have to read the whole thing.

If you have any comments, please let us know. Your feedback is the most important thing to us.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

New feature helps you make trades faster

The best way to generate Trade Credits is for someone else to order items you have listed for trade. To help you speed the process and get others ordering your items sooner, rather than later, we have added the following feature:

Login to your SwapSimple account, and then click on your personal Profile. Once there, you will see a link that you can cut/paste and email to all the people you know. That link directs people to your profile, and from there they can see all the items you have listed for trade - they don't even need to be a member of SwapSimple to view your inventory!

So try adding the link to your email signature, forum postings, web pages, Facebook & MySpace accounts, etc.

Have fun, and if you have any suggestions, please let us know.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

New features: Sort by date listed, and real time message indication

Hi everyone, we have added a few new features lately:

- Real-time message indications
Now, when someone send you a message on SwapSimple, and you are currently on the site, we check to see if you have a new mesage every time you click over to a new page (or reload the page). This makes it easier to have live conversations with other members.

- Browse by date listed
Now you can finally stope searching through the entire inventory all the time, looking for newly listed items. From the browse page, you can now see all the items on the site by order or date posted - so that you can see what was listed today, yesterday, etc.

We hope you enjoy these features, and as always, please give us feedback.

Talk soon - :-)

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Wall Street Journal - UPDATE

I spoke with the reporter again. The article will be in Personal Journal next Thursday - written by Jessica E. Vascellaro.

I think it's going to be a comparison / overview of several book trading services, including SwapSimple. I tried hard to make sure she understood how different SwapSimple was from the pack, and I hope she has room enough to get into it.

Either way, it's really great to see mainstream publications like the Wall Street Journal taking notice.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Wall Street Journal interviews SwapSimple

Hi all,

Yay - more national coverage!!

Well, I just got off the phone with a reporter from the Wall Street Journal, and it turns out that they are doing a story about SwapSimple and book swappping in general.

I think it's going to be in this Friday's edition, but I'm not sure.

I'll post here again when I know for sure.

Talk soon...

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

We updated a few things last night

We made a few changes to the site last night, that I think you may notice. The most obvious is the login at the top-right of the screen.

- Removed login form at the top-right of the page, and moved it to it's own page. Now you can use your browser's auto-complete features, and we will be able to give you a bit more information about things before you login.

Here's some other stuff that we updated last night as well:

- Edited the "How SwapSimple Works" page, and made it look a bit more clean. If you feel we should add something else to the page, just let us know.

- Removed testimonials from the homepage - it was just too much to read (I guess that's a good thing in general, but not on the homepage). We'll put them all on a separate page soon.

- Edited the registration pages to make them look a bit better.

I think that's it. As always, if something is broken, please let us know.

Talk soon...

WB (Warner Bros) WGN-TV Chicago to interview SwapSimple founders this Friday

What great news - SwapSimple's on national TV!

Larry Potash, one of the anchors from WGN news in Chicago, just contacted us and is going to do a story on SwapSimple this Friday.

WGN Website and Broadcast Schedule

The show will air at both 6:25am and 8:40am - and will consist of a live phone interview with me and the host of the show. During that time they will be demonstrating the site.

This is really exciting because this is not only the biggest news station in all of Chicago, but it is syndicated over cable to many different states across the country.

Hopefully this will get word of SwapSimple to many people accross the country who need it.

So, this Friday, look for us on TV and if you see us, please send us a note, or a comment here.

Talk soon...

Sunday, September 10, 2006

ABC Radio interviews SwapSimple co-founder, Elliot E. Hirsch

This was a blast!

I had the chance today to talk to a panel of experts about SwapSimple, on a show called "The Internet Adviser" - and all live on WJR Radio, Detroit.

What was really exciting was that they have had some really cool webservices on in the past - like Craig from Craigslist, before they became one of the most trafficked websites on the net.

I tried to tape it but messed up somewhere, so hopefully they will send me a copy. In lieus of that, here is a link to the station's website, and our listing.

ABC Radio, WJR - Detroit

Thanks WJR and ABC for taking an interest in our community - we appreciate it!

Librarything.com integrates with SwapSimple

We are very excited to announce that Librarything has integrated SwapSimple into their service!

So what is Librarything?

"Librarything is an online service to help people catalog their books easily. You can access your catalog from anywhere—even on your mobile phone. Because everyone catalogs together, Librarything also connects people with the same books, comes up with suggestions for what to read next, and so forth." - Librarything

Not only is this going to help share word of SwapSimple with many new people who would truly benefit from our community, but also, we are able to share all of Librarything's wonderful book-related info with the SwapSimple community. This is going to be a great relationship, and we hope you enjoy it!

We have added a link to Librarything in the "Editorial Review" section of every book listing on SwapSimple.

Here is an example listing (look for the Librarything link in the "Editorial Review")

Now, not only will you be able to read the publishers synopsis that we provide, but you will be able to pull up all the user supplied info, reviews, ratings, and reading suggestions on Librarything. So next time you are browsing books on SwapSimple, try clicking the Library thing link and have fun exploring literature!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

New Feature: Photos added to profiles

You now can add your own photo to your SwapSimple personal profile.

See my profile on SwapSimple

Please take a moment and add a photo of yourself to your SwapSimple personal trading profile. This is a new feature that we just released late last night, and we're very excited to finally be able to see all the faces of everyone we have been trading with for so long.

By doing so, you will greatly increase the chances that other people will order your items, because a photo of yourself in your profile significantly raises the comfort level of those that may potentially trade with you. Also, adding a photo of yourself simply makes SwapSimple a better, more personal, and enjoyable place to be.

To add a photo: Login to your SwapSimple account, click on the new "my profile" tab at the top of the page, and then click on "(edit profile / add photo)"

Of course, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at any time.

Talk soon, and have a wonderful day!

Monday, August 28, 2006

2000 new items listed this month!

Hooray! Over 2000 new items listed for trade this month...

...and the month isn't over yet - so come check out all the great stuff that has poured in.

Thank you to the entire SwapSimple community for helping us build the strongest, and most secure trading service on the net!

Talk soon, and have a wonderful week!

Monday, August 21, 2006

Facebook integrates with SwapSimple!

Yes that's right - SwapSimple is now integrated with Facebook!

See SwapSimple on Facebook

For all of you who have Facebook accounts, from now on when you login to SwapSimple, make sure to use the "Login Using Facebook" link (located in the top-right-corner of the SwapSimple homepage). This will enable your SwapSimple account to use all the exciting new features we are currently developing in partnership with Facebook.

Available now in our initial beta release:

- New users are able to come to SwapSimple for the first time, and login using their Facebook accounts, instead of the standard SwapSimple registration.

- We automatically import your Facebook 'About Me' information, directly into your SwapSimple User Profile - so you never need to enter information twice.

Remember, these new features listed above are just the beginning. We have many other exciting features in development which you will truly enjoy. Believe me, I would love to tell you all about them, but that would spoil the surprise.

Please stay tuned for future updates, and remember to login using your Facebook accounts now, so that you get all the benefits of having your SwapSimple account - Facebook enabled!

Thursday, August 17, 2006

New Feature: Earn cash or fund-raise

We have just added a new feature that lets you easily earn cash with SwapSimple! This program is open to every SwapSimple community member.

Here's how it works:

Simply refer new users to SwapSimple, and you will earn $1.00 for every trade they make for up to one year. It's really simple, and there's no catch, and no limit to how much money you can make!

Example: Refer 5000 new users, each makes 5 trades on average - and we mail you a check for $25,000!

Example: Refer 100 new users, each makes 5 trades on average - and we mail you a check for $500.00!

This is an easy way to earn cash for yourself, but is also a great way to raise funds for your club, organization, or charity. This program is currently in "beta" phase, so if you want in, you need to email me or SwapSimple Customer Service directly.

As always, your feedback is very welcome.

Talk soon, and keep-a-swapping!

Friday, August 11, 2006

Textbooks Textbooks Textbooks

Yes, it's that time again. The site is getting swarmed with textbooks - go ahead people need them. So keep at it everyone -

Sunday, July 16, 2006

(New Feature) Talk to those you've traded with.

Hi,

Cha Cha Cha Cha - Changes!

We just added a way for you to see and communicate with users you've ordered items from, and sent items to.

If you login and click on the 'trade history' tab, you will see all the items you've ordered and sent - including the user-names of those you've traded with, and links to their personal profiles.

Just click on the user-name, and you will be taken to their personal profile. There you can send them messages, see all their other listed items, read their user ratings, etc.

Also, please remember to fill in your personal profile. You can do so by using the link in the middle of the page, right when you login.

Now you can:

- If you have traded with a user in the past, and you know they are a good trader, now you can click over to their profile and see all the other items they have listed. You can also send them a private message.

- If you sent an item to another user, and they still haven't rated the trade, you can go to your 'trade history' page, click over to their personal profile, and send them a message reminding them to rate your trade.

- If you have ordered a video game, you can go to your 'trade history' page, click on the senders user name, and then send them a private message asking if there are any cheat codes they know about, etc.

There are so many benefits - please have fun with this new feature...and hey, you might make a few new friends in the process!

As always, your feedback is very welcome.

Talk soon,

Beth

--
Beth Larson
SwapSimple Customer Service
www.swapsimpe.com

Friday, July 14, 2006

New Site Update!

Hi Everyone,

We are very excited to announce some new features that have been added to SwapSimple!

-- User Ratings
Now you can leave a custom rating for all the items you order. If you have received items in the past, please take a moment to rate those trades - so the sending users can get your feedback. Also, if you browse through the listed items now, and click on an item to see it's details, you will see the new user ratings. This will help you choose who you really want to trade with. Simply click on the rating and it will take you to the owner's personal profile, where you will see ratings from past trades they have done.

--Personal Profiles
You can now create your own identity on SwapSimple. Simply login to your account, click on 'My Settings', and you will see a link that will let you either view your profile, or edit it. Here you can see all your user ratings from past trades, as well as read your new on-site user messages that were sent to you from other users. If you want to see how the messages work, try sending one to yourself.

--On Site Messaging
Now when you see an item on the site, and you want to learn more about it from the item's owner, all you need to do is click on their user rating and you will be taken to their personal profile. Once there, you will be able to send them personal messages right on the SwapSimple site! This is a really great way to meet people, ask questions about items, and just have fun too. I'm sure you will think of may more uses, and more features are soon to be added (like links to personal profiles, right from your trade history page).

--New Shipping Process
To make shipping easier, and more efficient, we have changed how you print labels a bit. Now, when someone orders an item from you, you login to the site as usual. Instead of clicking the 'print shipping label' link as was the case before, you now click the 'confirm trade' link. That sends a message immediately to the user who ordered your item, so that they know you are sending it. Then, when you are ready to ship the item, you can click the 'print shipping label' link - as the USPS requires that you print the label the same day you ship the item.

--Added an ad to the site when you are not logged in
If you look at the bottom of the screen, when you are not logged in to SwapSimple, you sill see a new ad. Please click on it occasionally, in order to help us cover the costs of operating this service for you. Don't worry, this ad ONLY shows up before you login - not while you are actually using the site. Thanks! :-)

--Added estimated credit cost to browse pages
Now, when you are browsing items, you don't need to click on the actual item to see how much it costs. To the right of the item listings, you will now be able to see an estimated credit cost - to save you time.

Please help us test these new features by using them! Please fill in your user profiles, send messages to each other, click on the user ratings, and click on our ad.

There are many new features on their way in the days and weeks to come, and your feedback is greatly welcome. Please let us know how we can make SwapSimple better for you, and everyone.

Happy swapping,

Elliot

--
Elliot E. Hirsch
President, SwapSimple, Inc.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Chicago Tribune Article

If anyone lives in the Chicago area, then go and pick up today's Chicago Tribune, as SwapSimple is featured in the "Q" section.

They wrote a wonderfully complementary article about our trading community, and even now at 1:30pm, as a result, we're getting throngs of new members - listing hundreds of new items!

As they say - any publicity is good publicity, but good publicity is great! [I added that last part :-)]

Sunday, April 16, 2006

New Upgrade Coming Soon!

Just to keep you all in the loop, we are currently completing a massive site upgrade that will take the SwapSimple community, and its features, in exciting new directions.

Also, for the record, we are making browse by subject available soon - so don't worry.

Talk soon - and thanks for your support!

David
Team SwapSimple

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

SwapSimple Listed In Wikipedia

SwapSimple has officially entered popular culture!

We have been officially approved to be included in Wikipedia - Wikipedia is an encyclopedia written by its users in over 200 languages worldwide, and it is a great honor to be included.

Come see our official entry and add some information of your own!

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Happy Holidays & Enjoy Our New User Interface

Happy Holidays from all of us here at SwapSimple! We wish you and yours all the best in the coming months and years, and hope that you have a truly wonderful holiday season.

We have just updated SwapSimple with a new clean look and tabular navigation. We hope you enjoy it, and find it much easier and straightforward to use.

As always, if there is anything you need, or if you have comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact us at any time. We are always here to help, and to listen 24/7.

Again, happy holidays, and thank you for your valuable support of our trading community.

-Team SwapSimple

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Sending things from multiple addresses.

Some of you mentioned that you often end up with some of your books at home, and some at school. Since a SwapSimple account has only one address it's hard to use the shipping labels that we generate for you. The solution for this is to be able to specify an address with each item you post, instead of just one for your account. Well, guess what: you can't do that yet. :-P


In the meanwhile, you can create two different accounts and list what you have in each place under a different account. Then, when you want to order an item you can transfer those credits to the account that has the address where you want things shipped. Yes, we know this isn't ideal, but it should work until we have the actual solution done.


The credit transfer is available on the "Payment" portion of the "Account Settings" page.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

DVD and Video Game Launch Party!

We just added DVD and video game exchange capability to SwapSimple, and we need to "stock our shelves" as rapidly as possible.

We are giving away 6 Months Of Free Trades to everyone who lists 10 or more DVDs or Video Games. When you do, just email us at contact@swapsimple.com and let us know. We will then credit your account for your 6 months of free trades.

Remember, all items listed on SwapSimple come from individual SwapSimple users, and therefore, the more you list - the faster our selection will expand.

Our Statistics show that for every item you list that
another user wants, other users will list 5 or more items to take its place.

You make the difference! Login to your account and list items today - and then enjoy your 6 months of free trades.

Monday, September 26, 2005

DVD & Video Game Exchange Upgrade Launched

Today is the day!!

We have been working...no...slaving...all summer to bring you DVD and video game exchange capability on SwapSimple.

We listened to all your emails, and sincerely hope you enjoy this upgrade.

Please let us know if you see any bugs that we need to deal with. Send comments and bug reports to custserv@swapsimple.com.

Thank you all for your support!

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

BREAKING NEWS -- Loyola Student Government stops endorsement of SwapSimple under pressure from bookstore


Last week, the President of the Loyola University Student Government informed us that they could no longer endorse SwapSimple, due to pressures from their campus bookstore.

The Loyola Student Government reported that they have several programs in place with the college bookstore, including scholarship and fund raising programs, and that if they continued to recommend SwapSimple to their student body, these programs would be put in jeopardy or cancelled all together.

Although privately the Student Government intends on supporting SwapSimple, publicly they must yield to the pressures of the bookstore and stop spreading word of SwapSimple to faculty and students.

We are saddened by this recent turn of events, but would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank them for all their support in the past, and wish them good luck in the future.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Loyola Student Government Invites SwapSimple.com Founders To Campus

Meet two of the SwapSimple.com Co-Founders at Loyola University in Chicago, August 31, 2005.

On Wednesday August 31, 2005, the Student Government of Loyola University Chicago will be bringing two of the SwapSimple.com Co-Founders to campus, in order to speak to students and distribute information about SwapSimple.com.

SwapSimple.com has been officially endorsed by the Loyola Student Government and has been working hand in hand with them to improve the textbook situation on campus.

The SwapSimple.com Co-Founders will be at a table distributing information and speaking to students alongside the Loyola Student Government. The location is currently at the Student Union, but if anything changes we will post the information here.

We look forward to meeting you all!

Monday, August 22, 2005

SwapSimple.com And StumbleUpon.com

SwapSimple.com is now listed in the StumbleUpon.com directory.

If you like SwapSimple.com, and are interested in learning about many interesting websites you never thought to look for, then take a moment and check out www.stumbleupon.com.

Once you create your free StumbleUpon profile, please remember to vote for SwapSimple.com and submit a review so that other like-minded people can stumble upon it.

Have fun, and be careful. StumbleUpon has a tendency to burn up entire evenings, and seriously impact office productivity.

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Pre-Launch Celebration with 1 Year of Free Trades!

The launch of SwapSimple.com version 2 is very soon to arrive. As you know, this version will support DVD and video game exchange in addition to textbooks and general literature, and to celebrate and get the word out, we are offering this special promotion.

Send your friends, family, and associates a special invitation to SwapSimple.com, complete with a code that will give them 6 months of free trades. Additionally, if one of them registers and posts books, you receive a whole year of free trades for yourself!

So have fun inviting people, and enjoy your free years worth of trades.

Thank you all so very much for your continued support and encouragement!

Elliot E. Hirsch
President, SwapSimple.com

Friday, July 15, 2005

Notification Emails Added

As we said this Thursday, we were going to add several notification emails. These upgrades have been installed on the www.swapsimple.com site and are now operational.

They include:

  • Thank you email sent upon registration, complete with instructions on how to use the site, post books, and get books.
  • Confirmation email when posting books.
  • Email receipt after ordering a book, listing shipping cost, total cost, and item details.
  • Email notification when an ordered book is shipped. This email includes a postal tracking number that can easily be used to track the books progress towards your door.

Textbook Buying Guide Published on SwapSimple.com

Today on the SwapSimple.com website, we published a guide for buying textbooks on the internet, "Textbooks 101: Textbook Buying Options on the Internet" - written by SwapSimple.com President and Co-Founder, Elliot E. Hirsch.

You can find this article under "Resources -> Textbook acquisition Guide" on the SwapSimple.com website - or you can visit the link: http://www.swapsimple.com/resources_101.jsp

We know there are a lot of options out there on the Internet, and after working in the industry now for several years, we thought we would put a summary piece together to give you a general idea as to what one can expect from different types of services.

Please feel free to leave comments on the article here in the Blog.

Also if you have any input as far as additions, omissions, or suggestions, please us know here or at contact@swapsimple.com.

We hope you find the article useful.



Thursday, July 14, 2005

Launch of New Version 1.5

Today we deployed a new updated version of the SwapSimple.com website - Version 1.5

Changes in this version include:

---Changes you can see...
  • Eliminated top tab navigation.
  • Added left-side navigation menu.
  • Optimized the width of the site to a screen size of 800x600.
  • Added a new banner graphic.
  • Added the SwapSimple.com Blog.
  • Removed text messaging notification feature until we actually get it working.
  • Added "Resources" section.
  • Expanded "About Us" section.
  • Expanded "SwapSimple In The News" section.
  • Added automatic "Thank you" email after registration. (coming Friday)
  • Added automatic email which sends you a list of the books you just posted. (coming Friday)
  • Added automatic email that sends you a receipt upon ordering a book. (coming Friday)
  • Added automatic email that sends you the package tracking number when a book is shipped to you. (coming Friday)
Well, that's about it. Keep a lookout for Version 2 to be released soon, with support for DVD and Video Game Exchange.

If you notice any bugs with this new version released today, please let us know either here in the "comments" section, or via email to contact@swapsimple.com.

Thanks everyone. Enjoy!

Friday, July 08, 2005

The SwapSimple Blog - Created Today!

Now we can let you in on all the exciting things that are happening at SwapSimple.com.

"Huh? If the blog was created today, why are there postings dating back for months?"

Good question. The answer is that we did indeed create the blog on July 8th, 2005 at the suggestion of several of our user-friends. In order to flesh it out completely, we back-dated many entries so that you could see what has been happening in the past, in additon to what is occurring in the present.

Please feel free to add your comments to the blog. We value your input.

Welcome!

Friday, July 01, 2005

SwapSimple Gains National Attention - The Utne Reader Writes About SwapSimple.com!

Today, The Utne Reader, a nationally distributed magazine, published a brief article about SwapSimple.com in their July/August edition!

If you are interested, you can pick up a copy at any major newsstand or bookstore (like Barnes & Noble). We are on page 18, in a section called The View.

All of us here at SwapSimple.com would like to say a big "THANK YOU" to the Utnes, and their readership, for their forward thinking and support!

You can order a copy of the magazine at http://www.utne.com

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Loyola University Meeting Turns Into Dream Meeting

It was extremely hot out, and as it happened, the school was having an early summer orientation session just as we were arriving at the Student Government office. Anyone who has been to a school orientation knows it means one main thing - free carbohydrates. After taking advantage of the 15 minutes we had before our meeting by indulging ourselves in the twenty yards of complimentary extra large bagels and cream cheese, cranberry juice, and some form of questionably moist sheet pastry, we were all set for our meeting.

The meeting went exceptionally well! It was very clear to us that Ms. Bityou intended on being a very active President, and only had the well being of her student body in mind. It was great to meet her in person finally.

Come the beginning of the fall semester, they will be bringing us on campus at a Student Government sponsored booth, in order to spread word of SwapSimple.com to the student body and faculty. Additionally, the Student Government will be helping to spread word of SwapSimple.com in many other ways as well, including placing flyers permanently on the information desk in the Student Union.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Loyola University Chicago Endorses and Promotes SwapSimple.com!

We just received a telephone call today from Laura Bityou, Vice President of the Loyola University Student Government. Apparently, at their most recent meeting the Student Government decided to both endorse and help promote SwapSimple.com on all of their campuses in Chicago.

We initially contacted Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois on March 13, 2005. Being very close to our offices, and also such a prestigious institution, we felt particularly drawn to contacting them.

They were extremely exited about SwapSimple.com. In particular, they were very interested in how we eliminate buying and selling, and how we award instant credits upon posting books. They said SwapSimple.com looked as though it would be an extremely valuable alternative for their students and faculty, and that they would do everything they could to promote SwapSimple.com on their campus.

Welcome aboard Loyola, and congratulations to new Student Government President, Laura Bityou!

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

SwapSimple.com Endorsed By University of Nebraska, Omaha.

Today, the Student Government of the University of Nebraska at Omaha has decided to endorse SwapSimple.com and recommend us to their student body.

We began talking to them in early February, while distributing flyers on their campus in sub zero weather. It was so cold that students were taking flyers from us out of shear pity.

In order to warm up a bit, we went inside to the Student Union and happened upon the Student Government office. We went in.

We met a few Student Government Senators, and told them all about SwapSimple.com. As it turned out, they had already been looking for alternatives to their school bookstore, but were generally unsatisfied with the existing services available. After we explained in detail how SwapSimple.com was totally unique, they became very interested.

After many meetings via email and telephone, we got the email today from them today saying that they will be officially endorsing and recommending SwapSimple.com to their student body. In addition, they arranged to purchase 10,000 SwapSimple.com flyers (at cost of course) in order to help them promote the service on their campus.

Today is a good day!. Thank you UNO SGA, and welcome UNO students and faculty!

Thursday, March 03, 2005

United States Postal Service Approval Granted!

Today we received word from the United States Postal Service that our proposal to offer a new kind of electronic postage was approved.

Now we are able to offer full USPS postage on the SwapSimple.com website, fully integrated into the user experience, and complete with support for both Priority Mail and extremely low cost Media Mail.

We would like to especially thank our friends at Endicia, Inc. for working with us for so long, hand in hand, in order to make this new form of postage/shipping possible.

Thursday, September 11, 2003

SwapSimple.com Is Born - Our First Server

Today we activated our first server, and began to host the domain www.swapsimple.com.

We have placed a shamefully poor "under construction" placeholder page/image there just to test the server.

If you are from the future and would like to see what it looked like, click here.