Raise Review – A Digital Gift Card Marketplace

Jeremy BiberdorfBy: Jeremy Biberdorf

February 6, 2015February 6, 2015

Raise Review – A Digital Gift Card Marketplace

The holidays have come and gone, and this can only mean one thing: you have new gift cards in your life. Gift Cards are a mixed bag. And it makes sense. We don’t know what people want or need, so we purchase gift cards for them instead. It’s when we pick the wrong gift card that there’s a problem. So here we are, with $250 in gift cards from stores we never go to. What is to be done? The helpful website, Raise.com, is here to step into the breach.

Raise.com is a great idea: a marketplace where “used” gift cards can be purchased and sold. Raise sells new gift cards right alongside the used stuff, but its the used thing that makes their model unique. If you have a gift card you don’t want, even if you’ve used part of it, then selling it for cash is an option with Raise.com. Raise gets a 15% cut of your amount of sale, and that’s it. No seller fees, no support fees, no nonsense. For those buying gift cards on Raise, the situation is even simpler. Buyers can select between traditional “physical” gift cards and virtual gift cards, which can be printed or scanned straight from your smartphone.

Click for Raise Pricing and Details.

A Deeper Look

2014 was a huge year for Raise.com. The company has grown tremendously since its early days as a one-man apartment startup. Raise now boasts over 100 employees who provide very good customer service. Investors who bought the hype at the end of 2013 are certainly glad they did so. The company continues to grow aggressively, meaning that 2015 could be another banner year. Raise has recently provided a new Raise app, a payoff to the end-user for all that growth.

The Raise app makes things better for the user, in ways that could make Raise the go-to gift card market for years to come. Sign-up is simple. Your mobile number is stored and confirmed for security. Then your credit or debit card is simply photographed by your phone, recorded in Raise’s system. You’ll get a $1 fee on the associated account, just to make sure your account is communicating with the Raise system.

Raise is beta-testing an app innovation that could really set the company apart and make them a household name. In the future, Raise would contact your mobile if you were standing in a store for which discounted gift cards were available. If you were buy up one of these discounted cards before check-out, you’d essentially be paying with discounted money. Get 20% off your gift card? Get 20% off your order.

Final Thoughts

Of course, this is all possible now (minus the instant notifications). Users who just use Raise’s services for its discounted card feature get the same “free money” described above, just with a little more homework involved. For this user, this arrangement isn’t a problem at all, though I do look forward to the day I don’t have to go searching the marketplace on my own time.

So check your wallet? Do you have a few gift cards sitting around that you don’t think you’ll ever use? What about those partially used cards to Williams-Sonoma with the leftover $12 balance? Raise.com will be more than happy to help you sell your unwanted gift cards, and can probably help you search for ones that you do want. At a discount. It’s a business model that we all needed, and I’m happy to say that Raise.com is here to meet that need. I do hope that this review has experience the services of the site for yourself now.

Click for Raise Pricing and Details.

Rating: 4.9 / 5

Related Investing Product Reviews:

Jeremy Biberdorf
Jeremy Biberdorf

About the Author:

Jeremy Biberdorf is the founder of Modest Money. He's a father of 2 beautiful girls, a dog owner, a long-time online entrepreneur and an investing enthusiast.

6 thoughts on “Raise Review – A Digital Gift Card Marketplace”

  1. Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank

    Actually, I have been a user of Raise.com for months now and am really satisfied with the service. I have saved so much money on coffee alone. They absolutely back up their guarantee and the couple of times that there were issues with the cards I purchased, their customer service was really quick to respond and resolve the problem. I would definitely use it again and again.

  2. I like the idea of a set fee. The other sites I’ve used in the past vary the fee based on the popularity of the store the gift card is for. I hated spending my time researching to find the best site. With Raise, I know how much of a fee they will take without having to research.

  3. I bought a gift card for Olive Garden and tried to use it. But The Olive Garden did not know what the heck this is and did not accept because it did not work. So i sent an email to Raise and 2 weeks later, i got an email and was told that ‘We are unable to refund. Just try again.’. So i tried to sell it again and they take almost 15% off from the price i need to sell for their fee. Some gift cards work but some don’t. It’s a scam. Do not try to buy or sell something through this app. There are many ‘better’ ways to buy a gift card.

  4. We purchased a home depot gift card for $50 but it was $0 when we tried to make a purchase In-store for the first time. We called Raise but they would not work with us at all or refund our money. They would not contact the seller or even open an investigation. Anyone would be able to sell “temporary” gift cards on Raise and then use them before the buyer has time to use it himself. Raise needs to investigate the sellers who are actively committing fraud on their website and take responsibility. I highly recommend not buying from Raise as they support stealing your money. I’ll be filing a report with the consumer complaints through the usa gov website.

  5. WYLMARYE KILLINGSWORTH

    I have purchased quite a few cards from Raise and was a satisfied customer UNTIL I purchased a $50.00 &out card for my son’s birthday and it didn’t work, not only was I upset but embarrassed for my son whotried to use only to be told your card was empty. I contacted Raise the only thing they offered me was $ 5.00 off on my next purchase, along with the purchase refund of the card. I explained to the rep that card was a birthday gift and it empty and embarrassing and $5.00 on my next purchase? Who says there will be a next purchase. That $ 5.00 offering is what they offer first time customers

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *