CardPool Review: Make Money Selling Gift Cards or Scam?

Chances are you have received gift cards to stores you didn't use. But obviously you can't be a jerk and tell the giver to take the gift card back. So what should you do? Well, a company like CardPool claims it can convert your unwanted gift card into real money. You're probably wondering whether there's any truth in that and it's why you're going through CardPool reviews.

Well we dug up the good, the bad and the ugly about the company, and we have it all in our CardPool Review. And going by what we gathered, I would strongly suggest you read this review, you've been warned!

What is CardPool?

CardPool found online at CardPool.com is a website that claims to facilitate the buying and selling of gift cards online. The company was founded by Anson Tsai, but it was later acquired by financial services company Blackhawk Network Holdings Limited in 2009. CardPool is headquartered at 6220 Stoneridge Mall Rd, Pleasanton, CA 94588-3260.

How Does CardPool Work?

CardPool claims it can either help you exchange your unwanted gift card for real cash or sell you gift cards at a discount.

But let's break things down a little further.

If you want to sell your gift card, all you need to do is specify the amount on the card and the merchant. They'll then give you an offer for your card. If you accept the terms, they'll send you a check via mail that typically takes up to 7 days to arrive.

If you're buying, all you have to do is browse through the available gift cards and hit “buy”, and they claim you'll get your card within 7 days.

But why buy gift cards when you can get them for free? Did you know you can earn free gift cards watching videos, taking surveys, visiting websites and more; stuff you already do online on sites like SwagBucks.com, FusionCash.com, SurveyJunkie.com and InboxDollars.com? Well, now you know.

CardPool Prices

CardPool claims you can save up to 35% on shopping when you buy from them. But perhaps the case is a little different if you're looking for gift cards from popular stores. At the time of this review, an Amazon gift card fetched 3.5% discount, while an AMC Theatre Gift Card was going for 12% less its dollar value.

If you're selling, it helps if your gift card is of a popular merchant like Best Buy, Apple, Amazon or Sam's Club. They claim these could fetch you 80%-92% of the dollar amount on the gift card. But the less popular choices go for far less the equivalent dollar amount, usually within the 50%-70% range.

Selling gift cards isn't necessarily a stable way to make consistent money online especially when you don't get the full value of the card you sell. If you're looking for ways to make consistent money that can lead to a full or part time income, then check out My Best Work At Home Recommendation.

CardPool Refund Policy

CardPool claims you get a 1 year guarantee from the time of purchase. You can get a refund if you don't redeem the full value of your gift card. But the guarantee is limited to $1000 per customer.

CardPool Complaints

If you've ever fallen for a scam, this is the part of the review you don't dare skip. Read along and decide for yourself if CardPool is worth your time.

Awful Customer Service

For starters you can't reach CardPool customer service via phone, they don't seem to have a phone number. That's probably why so many customers are finding it hard to get their money back when things go wrong. Others say customer support takes forever to answer emails or direct messages and they can spin you around for ages before having your issue sorted out.

You can easily buy an invalid gift card

Several customers reported that the gift cards they bought turned out to be invalid. Some were unable to recover what they spent despite CardPool claiming they have a full year money-back guarantee. Actually most of the complaints on their Better Business Bureau page point to this exact case.

Why go through all that and you can get valid gift cards and real cash for free is through sites like SwagBucks.com, FusionCash.com, InboxDollars.com and SurveyJunkie.com, just by doing what you already do online.

But if you're looking for more than just gift cards and want to make real money that actually pays the bills, then definitely check out My Top Work At Home Recommendation.

Shipping Delays

CardPool claims if you buy a gift card today you should expect it in your mail within 7 days. But according to some customers it can take weeks or even months to get your card.

CardPool Alternatives

I wouldn't blame you if you choose to look elsewhere, given the complaints you've just read. Well there are other places you can buy and sell gift cards including Card Cash and Gift Card Granny.

Is CardPool Safe?

CardPool appears to be a legit way of trading gift cards online. But their customer service is unreliable and sometimes the gift cards can take forever to reach you. But all in all the general buzz is that the company is safe.

But why buy gift cards when you can get them for free or earn real cash? Sites like SwagBucks.com, FusionCash.com, and InboxDollars.com will give you free gift cards and real cash just for doing what you already do online like watching videos, reading emails, visiting websites and more. You can even earn more gift cards taking surveys at SurveyJunkie.com. Then you're free to do what you want with these gift cards, including selling them for real money on CardPool.

However, selling gifts cards probably won't pay the bills consistently. If you're looking for an opportunity to make real money working part time or full time at home, then check out My Best Work At Home Recommendation.

Well, that's my two cents about CardPool. Do you have yours? Feel free to chime in on the comments section below. And of you still have questions about the company, you can read their FAQs page here.

Until next time

Eddy “with a Y”