Hi Anthro ladies! Thanks to Roxy for letting me share this tip on EA! This is my first online adventure…:)
We all know that Anthro is bit pricey; well I should say…at least for me. For a long time I have been only window shopping at Anthropologie. I came to know about the store when one of my instructors was wearing a denim skirt that she told me was from Anthro after I mentioned that I am in love with the skirt. Since then I kept browsing the site, drooling over items and waiting endlessly expecting them to go on sale at ridiculously low prices so that I can buy them. After hours/months/years of browsing I came to know that these prices are not going to come down but I have to find other ways to get discounts (one of them is the 15% birthday discount) but that’s only once a year and I need more! I am sure you all are with me on this.
This opportunity came after 2 years….I was looking for something on Craisglist.org and I found this ad about someone selling anthropologie gift card for $20 less than value on the card. I was curious to see why that was the case, when I read the ad I found that the lady did not need the gift card and is selling it for cash to buy something else. I am sure we all have been in that situation before where we got a gift card for a store that we don’t shop at. There was this other thing that caught my eye in the ad “I am going to sell this card on www.plasticjungle.com”. This opened doors for me to shop at Anthropologie.
photo from graphicdesigninger.comNow coming to the point….Plastic Jungle is a gift card exchange site where you can buy gift cards at discount prices and sell your unwanted gift cards for cash. I scanned through the list of cards they sell and guess what excited me the most, yes you guessed it right! Anthropologie is one of gift cards they sell for discount. My happiness knew no bounds!! They offer 13% discount on Anthropologie gift cards; for example a $100 anthropologie gift card is sold for $87 with free shipping! Anthropologie gift cards are in high demand so they are not available always and if one becomes available they are gone pretty quick. You can set up to receive Emails when the card gets available.
I came to know about this site in February and I got 8 anthropologie gift cards and 5 for other stores so far. Their service is great. Gift cards usually ship within 24 hours of purchase via regular mail. It usually takes less than a week to receive your card.
Recently I found another website ABC Gift Cards that offers 16% discount on Anthropologie gift cards. I have been checking their site for other two months now and they always have Anthropologie gift cards in stock. I have not purchased any gift cards from this site so I will not be able to comment on their service.
If you combine your 15% birthday discount with this then it will be total of over 30% discount which is an awesome deal. These sites have lot of gift cards from other stores available that you can take advantage. I think this is a win-win situation for people who are buying and selling gift cards.
For those non-anthros who are reading this, please sell your unwanted gift cards so that we anthro lovers can use it!
I hope you found this money saving tip useful. Now you can buy more for less! Happy shopping.
-Madhavi
Hi ladies, roxy here. I imagine this post is going to inspire some lively discussion. I have used Plastic Jungle before but am unfamiliar with ABC. You can read PJ’s guarantee here for a bit more information. I’d love to hear about your experience — positive or negative — if you have used these services. Please keep decorum in the comments!
Holy cow! That is awesome, I will be checking it out. Thanks!
I think this is a great way to make Anthro purchases that much more wallet friendly – I have now signed up for both websites. I am curious though – The ones on ABC are to be used instore only – does that come from making in-store returns? I don't think i would drop such a large amt of money on the ABC ones though I would be interested if they had smaller amounts.Also – what are the expiry dates on these cards?
Smart tip – what a great way to save some money!
Thanks for posting this! Never thought of looking for gift card sites.
You know, i have seen these site before, but totally forgot about them! thanks for the reminder!!! i'm thinking these would be great for myself OR for purchasing christmas gifts for others!
Oh wow, this is really neat…I am definitely going to check these sites out!!
That is great! I remember seeing Anthro gift cards and merchandise credits being sold on ebay, but I think these sites are better. I will definitely be signing up. Thanks.
Very interesting! Like Usha, though, I find it odd that the cards at ABC are in such high increments, and they are fairly random amounts. As someone who has worked retail for a long time, huge merchandise credits in strange amounts are red flags – it generally means there was a very large return at some point with no receipt. If someone has a big return and no receipt, we usually think the worst – if you were going to buy a bunch of stuff and you weren't sure about it, wouldn't you keep the receipt? But without the receipt, the most we can give is a gift card. Perhaps this is the easiest way for shoplifters to get cash out of their merch credit cards – easier than selling the merchandise on ebay and better than a merchandise credit. Just a thought: the gift cards might be legit, but who knows how they were obtained. With regards to expiration dates, they vary by state, as I understand. Here's a state by state chart:http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_financial_services/003889.html
JanAlyssa made the point I was going to make. I don't know if these are true "gift cards" or merchandise credits. If there are merchandise credits being sold, I would also assume the worst, that items were stolen and returned to the store for the credit. Easiest way for a thief to get cash is to then sell the credit for cash, even taking a small hit on the total. I purchased a bunch of Pottery Barn Kids cards on ebay when I was pregnant with my daughter to purchase a really nice rocking chair at PBK. When I went to the store to buy it and told the sales associate how I'd purchased the cards on ebay, she informed me that the cards were likely being sold by a thief/thieves who had returned the merchandise for store credits. I vowed to never support those endeavors again. Like JanAlyssa said, if you were returning a large amount to a store, wouldn't you want either the credit to your card or cash, however you purchased the items? And further, with the Anthro program, they are able to track all of your purchases too. I don't know. Just my $.02.
Yeah, I just checked out ABC Gift Cards and that is definitely stolen merchandise being returned for credit and then sold for cash. The amounts are way too unusual and who in the heck buys clothes in those large amounts and doesn't keep a receipt (or at least try to get a statement from their bank if a receipt is lost, which I once had to do). I would urge all of you to refrain from supporting that. I know we all like a good discount, but not that the cost of funding shoplifters. That's just my humble, honest opinion.
Just want to say that I too felt priced out of anthro and had it be just an occasional splurge. This blog has really helped me be able to fit anthro into my budget… that is, by teaching me how to shop there. I stop by the store a couple times a month, try on the new items and see which ones are wishlist worthy (and very occasionally full-price worthy), and wait for them to go on sale. Then I purchase online or at my store. Haven't tried charge-send yet. The gift cards seems like a good system to save a bit more, but I don't know if I am enough of a planner to take advantage.
Those are some very interesting points that I definitely would not have thought of on my own. Thank you guys for bringing them up!However I do want to point out that whenever I return items (at least at anthropologie), I have it credited to a gift card instead of back on my credit card. I do this to limit my bank account transactions and force myself to stay on budget. The result is I often have merchandise cards for strange amounts (although admittedly not for as much as on those sites). Also it might be possible for someone to receive a large gift card but only want something small and then decide to sell the gift card with the remaining balance. That would also result in a gift card with a high balance in an usual amount.Anyway just a thought. I don't think we can say definitively that they are stolen.
Sophie, you make a good point too, but I don't know too many people that give gift cards for $800+. You're right that no one can say definitively that the merchandise is stolen, but if I were placing a bet, I'd say "yes" without hesitating.
I agree with you, Sophie – we cannot definitively say these are cards obtained through fraudulent returns. I also don't think it's necessarily the fault of ABC; they probably just don't ask where their sellers obtain their gift cards because they would rather not know. However, the large, odd amounts are strange – I would rather use Plastic Jungle, where the amounts seem more reasonable; I could certainly see someone wanting to sell a $100 giftcard for quick cash.My store, a very large women's retailer, instituted a new policy where we track returns with the customer's ID; customers can only return $500 worth of non-receipted goods within 90 days. As a company, we have seen our shrink (the difference between what we have and what we SHOULD have) go down, as nobody shows up to the counter with $1000 worth of items they want to return for a gift card without a receipt anymore. I'm also noticing that there are no gift cards from my store on ABC.Michelle is also right about tracking purchases – the Anthro card tracks it, but almost all stores have a way of tracking gift cards to figure out their origins, too.
Wow, thanks for the info. I never thought that the gift cards might be returns from stolen merchandise.
I'll offer a comment from the other side here- just an anecdote. I have a younger sister who's a bit of a lazy mooch, and she routinely sells gift cards for cash. She'd rather get the cash to pay bills, get new tattoos, etc., than spend the money in the store the gift card is from. Just another perspective- all the people doing this aren't thieves, some are just lazy bums who prefer cash, haha!
SarahO, that totally makes sense, and I'm sure there are a good deal of "real" gift cards on the site – but I bet your sis has smaller amounts on her gift cards and does not regularly have $800 gift cards to sell.Excuse all the comments – I am quite passionate about Loss Prevention 🙂
Like JanAlyssa, I have retail experience (not at Anthro, but at a comparable company), and I wanted to add my own words of caution. Yes, it's possible that these gift cards are legitimate (I'm sure some are- like SarahO mentioned, some people would just rather have the money), but it is highly likely that many- especially those for high amounts- are due to fraudulent returns. Anthro's customer service and return policy are both awesome, but unfortunately that means it is easy to take advantage of them. If a deal on a gift card seems too good to be true, it probably is. Upper-end retailers take a huge hit on the return of stolen goods because, since they pride themselves on customer service, they will not refuse a return except in very rare cases (i.e., if they have records proving a given individual has returned numerous times for large amounts without a receipt). Please, please do not support shoplifters! It may seem like a good deal, but in the end the losses the retailer experiences will be passed on to legitimate customers in the former of higher prices, stricter return policies, etc. Subsidizing what is probably petty theft for the sake of pretty clothes may seem tempting, but it's just not worth it in the long run. Thanks in part to this awesome community (Yay, Roxy! You are seriously one of the hardest-working, best-dressed blog admins around), chances are you WILL be able to find that item on sale through legitimate means if you're persistent enough. Just look at the amazing deals people talk about on this blog! Roxy, please feel free to delete this if it comes across as too judgmental- I definitely don't want to offend any community members! I have no experience with these websites personally, I just want people to be aware of these issues when they consider purchasing discounted cards.
JanAlyssa, lol at your "passionate about Loss Prevention" comment. We are kindred spirits. 🙂
Anon – I know! When you work retail long enough, you feel a sense of ownership of your merchandise… nothing makes me angrier than shoplifters, except maybe internal theft!
I don't trust gift cards that much. I bought 2 gift cards from Forever 21 for xmas gifts 2 years ago for my nieces. One niece didn't use it until months later. The store told her that it was not active. By the time she told me about it, i didn't have the receipt any more. The other niece didn't have any problem with it. After this incident, i would make sure to enclose the receipt with the gift card when i give it away just in case.
Hmm… I sometimes prefer to have my returns credited to a gift card, as that's often easier when I'm returning items from different orders with different methods of payment. (I also figure that I'm likely to turn around and spend it at Anthro anyway.)That said, the amounts on the ABC gift cards seem really unusual to me. I just can't imagine not having any record for that many purchases. I also can't imagine giving someone a gift card that large, especially if I wasn't 100% sure the recipient is in love with store. I wouldn't feel comfortable buying those cards, personally; some of them might be legitimate, but there's just too big a risk that they aren't.
Plastic jungle is in fact a place where shoplifters can exchange their merchandise credits for stolen merchandise in exchange for cash-or even better-they can pay their UTILITY bills THROUGH plastic jungle! I have worked in retail in an establishment similar to ANthro and learned this fact this past winter. They steal a bunch of merchandise, and then return it, claiming they dont have a receipt. then get a merch. credit for the entire amount, and sell the mer crecit on plastic jungle. the whole practice is very shady and PJ knows it. That being said, I am SURE there are people who DO sell their unwanted gift cards to PJ because they dont want them. But the percentage of people who use that site who are thieves I am sure is much higher than those who are not. Just my .02. Thieves KILL me:!!
Given the concerns, I stretch my Anthro buying power by regularly shopping the SALE Room! I have found some great buys, you just need to be patient.p
Discounted gift card (16% off) as well as birthday discount (15% off) doesn't equal to over 30% discount if we combine both together. Take $100 for example, $100 * 0.85 (15% off) * 0.84 (16% off) = $71.40. We need to pay $71.40 for $100 purchase，which means we've got 28.6% off, very close 30% off.
I did not even know about the birthday discount! How do you get it? I have an anthro card, should I have received the discount?
Theft was the first thing I thought of as well. I'd be willing to purchase a gift card that was a round number ($25, let's say) before something random like $116.23 just because I have a slightly better chance of the $25 card being a legitimate gift card. Also, on ABC it actually SAYS "merchandise credit" next to those $700+ amounts. Buyer beware, I suppose.Also, I'm going to bet that JanAlyssa works at Sephora. They had the most inclusive, customer-oriented and abused return policy I have ever seen.
I'm guessing JanAlyssa works for the Victoria's Secret conglomerate. :)I gather from your comment that Sephora has changed their return policy? Because you're right, totally abused and way too customer-based. And yes, I do believe there is such a thing. 🙂
Acording to reports there are $80 billion dollars a year from Gift cards and another $80 billion or so from merchandise returns. I have used some other websites like these in the past and have had good experiences.Lets all be careful before we accuse 2 companies that while doing research seem to be running a very honest business online.
does anyone know if you can pay for the giftcards thru plastic jungle with paypal? Thanks
anonymous, no one is accusing these companies of anything other than selling stolen merchandise which is usually a crime. However, since there is no way for these companies to find the source of the gift cards (or, more likely, merchandise credits), they are able to continue to do so. I will continue to abstain from supporting these kinds of businesses because I truly believe it puts cash in the hands of shoplifters. That is my own opinion and others can agree or disagree, but I am entitled to it.
Are you guys forgetting that Anthro sells furniture and home goods?And they are freaking crazy expensive so I think the odd gift cards at ABC can be justified.Thanks for sharing! Did not know about these websites but I already love them!
Anon @3:35, very true; Anthro does sell pricey furniture, but I know very few people who wouldn't keep their receipt from a big purchase like furniture – and even if they didn't, Anthro can likely look up their receipt with pertinent information. Again, I am not accusing these companies of wrongdoing; they likely have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy about the giftcards, so they have no idea how they were obtained. I'm just saying we should be careful – if something looks too good to be true, it generally is.
Oh, what I mean is that if you have your receipt, Anthro will give you back whatever you paid however you paid for it. The people selling their gift cards would obviously rather have cash, so you'd think, if they had receipts, they would use them to get their money back (cash or credit) rather than merchandise credit.
anon, yes Anthro sells furniture and those pieces can be pricey (have a chair from there that I LOVE LOVE LOVE and it was $1500). However, I don't know a single person who would buy such an item, not keep their receipt and accept a refund in the form of a merchandise credit. Wouldn't you like your money back in the form of original payment if you dropped that kind of cash on a piece? And why would you take a hit on an amount that high. In other words, I buy something from anthro for $800. I put it on a credit card or pay cash. I accept a merchandise credit for something I paid for but I am willing to get cash in an amount less than I paid by at least 10-15%? Seriously? Who in their right mind would ever do that. And given that logic, there is no way those credits are for anything other than stolen merchandise. MHO.
I had my debit card hacked and whoever used my information drained my checking account by buying gift cards at chain stores like Express, Anthropologie, etc. So I would bet that lots of these amazing deals are coming at the expense of people like me. Luckily I was able to dispute the charges and get my money back from MasterCard, but it took a lot of time and led to bounced checks, etc.Supporting these sites is definitely risking buying stolen property.
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John, my friend, you are not making a case for the legitimacy of ABC – your name links directly to the site! I am rolling my eyes at you, spammer.