BARTERING WITH BENEFITS

There are now more than a dozen websites that take the swap experience to the virtual level but keep the benefits real. A sampling:

SwapMamas.com. Moms find/trade togs and toys for their little ones and themselves. It's as much a social media site as a swapping site.

ThredUp.com. Men and women can trade in their tops for "new" shirts, while parents can re-wardrobe their kids.

BarterQuest.com. A state fair's worth of swappable goods and services. In the market for an antique John Deere tractor? A user in Springfield, Ill., has one to give, in exchange for a laptop, please.

PaperBackSwap.com. What to do with all those post-Labor Day beach reads? If someone requests your well-thumbed Jaws, choose a fresh title from among more than 4.4 million books.

DigNSwap.com. A wide range of clothes and accessories, from skirts to sunglasses, BCBG to Banana Republic.

ReFashioner.com. A tightly edited collection of high-end style available only to the invited.

SwapTreasures.com. The breadth, and personality, of a flea market. Sample post: User "Taylor" seeks to swap a diamond bracelet for "a car that runs!!!"

RehashClothes.com. Recycle clothes and accessories, or find happy homes for unwanted Christmas gifts (as per one poster).