Any of you use Raise.com to buy or sell gift cards? Raise offers gift cards from a variety of vendors at a discounted price. How and why are these discounts available I don’t know. Supposedly, these are unwanted gift cards that you or I receive but don’t want. So instead of letting the gift cards sit there, you sell them on Raise. Then people who want the cards buy them, giving you value for your unwanted cards.

This is definitely an intriguing idea but where the discounts come from frighten me a little, especially for companies like Starbucks and Apple that don’t typically offer discounts for their in-demand products. But at 15% off, my frugality overcame my fear and I ordered $100 worth of Starbucks cards for $85. The eGift/vouchers arrived via email right away so that was reassuring. But then I didn’t understand how to redeem them – an account number and PIN? Where does Starbucks use that online?

Instead, I printed the physical vouchers with bar codes and took them to a Starbucks. I had purchased four $25 cards and of these four, two had zero balances. Aw boo. The employee said she couldn’t do anything in the store and that I had to contact Starbucks corporate to work this out. Fortunately, Raise.com has an excellent guarantee program. Getting through on the phone took about 15 minutes, but I was refunded for the full amount for the two invalid cards.

So I have mixed feelings about using Raise. It’s a great idea for sure, but you may have to deal with some extra hassles.