Sell That "Great" Groupon Deal Back for Cash!

I’m not a huge “group deals” fan. This is because, historically, I have made some (um) less desirable impulse purchases. As sites like Living Social, Groupon, ScoutMob, and others continue unfurling their group discount leveraging power, customers like me will continue scouting out ways to unload unwanted vouchers. While some of these resale sites haven’t made it, lucky for us there are two that are not only hanging in there but are still going strong! If you—like me—have a group discount voucher guiltily stashed away, it’s time to resell it for the cash you wish you had back.

1. CoupRecoup

Like CoupFlip, CoupRecoup offers the option to both buy and sell. However, the mechanics work a bit differently. The site has been vetted with the Huffington Post, TechCrunch, USA Today and others. CoupRecoup charges no fees and makes no resale guarantees—rather, the site advertises itself as a “Craiglist for Groupons” where resellers and buyers negotiate their own terms.

• Website: http://couprecoup.com

Selling

1. Click on “Sell Your Coupon Now” to get started.
2. Choose your reseller option: “Easy” (payment via PayPal, which deducts a 3% fee before you get your cash) or “Free” (payment determined between you and the buyer).
3. Upload the PDF of your deal.
4. Wait for interested buyers to email you.
5. Sell your coupon and get paid (CoupRecoup takes no reseller fee).

Buying

1. Click on “Browse Deals in Your City” to get started.
2. Click on “Buy Now” next to the deal(s) you wish to purchase.
3. Click “Contact Seller” to negotiate (if needed).
4. Pay via PayPal or based on the seller’s terms.

What users are saying

Snippets of full reviews are below (click the links to read the entire review for each).

• SaverMetrics gave CoupRecoup a fantastic review: “I have purchased many Groupons through CoupRecoup and have had excellent results so far. Most of the coupons I have purchased were either for online retailers or for restaurants….”
• A SiteJabber user calls CoupRecoup “very valuable:” “CoupRecoup offers a very valuable service—it provides a public marketplace for those Groupons you can’t or don’t intend to use anymore. The site basically acts like a Craigslist for online coupons, simply connecting buyers and sellers who are then responsible for completing the transaction off the site….”
• Several Yelp users give CoupRecoup positive reviews: Taylor asks, “Has anyone used this site successfully?” Katie replies, “Yes. I’ve sold several Groupons successfully.”
• KillerStartups gives CoupRecoup two thumbs up: “There was a real demand for something like this—it is a true secondary market for deal sites.”
• A Wedding Wire reviewer posted about a great deal she got from CoupRecoup: “I got a $70 Groupon for only $7.97 on CoupRecoup.com.”

2. CoupFlip

CoupFlip has been vetted with the likes of Forbes, Mashable, CBS and Dartmouth University (where the site’s co-founders matriculated). CoupFlip CEO Phil McDonnell states that in most cases, customers can receive up to 70% of the original face value of the voucher.

• Website: http://www.coupflip.com/

Selling

1. First, you will need the URL from the original deal.
2. Next, click on Sell Now and enter that URL in the box.
3. Receive your offer (this typically takes less than 30 seconds).
4. Upload your deal PDF and enter your PayPal payment information.
5. Get paid right away!

Buying

1. CoupFlip automatically detects your home city when you pull up the website.
2. You can use sort features to narrow down results (sort options include Original Value, Expiration, Savings, Price).
3. When you find the deal you want, click on “Buy Now” to check out.

What users are saying

To date, official press reports have been excellent, and user reviews have been largely positive (click the link by each review to read the full post).

• A WiseBread user recommends CoupFlip: “If you are trying to sell your deal, try going to CoupFlip.com as they will buy deals instantly. It’s pretty good if you don’t want to hold onto your deal. They also offer a ‘listing’ service as mentioned on the other sites, but for me that seems not as good as selling it now.”
• Penny Saving Princess gives CoupFlip a positive review: “For sellers, the best part of all is that your deal is guaranteed to sell…because Coupflip buys all deals on the spot.”
• Retail Me Not lists CoupFlip deals on their website: http://www.retailmenot.com/view/coupflip.com
• Mashable and Microsoft BizSpark highlighted CoupFlip in their “Spark of Genius” Series: http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/coupflip/

How many coupon vouchers go unused?

As reported in USA Today, approximately 20% of purchased discount vouchers from sites like Groupon and LivingSocial are never used. So if you have a voucher you have not redeemed, you are definitely not alone!

What about expired vouchers?

Both of the sites listed here accept active vouchers. If your voucher has expired, you may not be able to resell it, but there are still a few things you can try to do to recoup some of its original face value.

• Contact the merchant (the issuer) and ask if you can get an extension on the expiration date.
• Contact the merchant and ask if you can swap your expired voucher for a current deal of the same or similar value.
• You can simply use the voucher for a discount on future services with that merchant (so for instance, if you paid $50 for a voucher worth $100 on Groupon, and that voucher is now expired, you can still redeem the voucher’s value of $50 for purchased services with that merchant).