[pg]

You always have to pay to send someone money. And a giftcard for a store or restaurant also requires your friend to go there.

[pekinb]

Me: "Hey dude, there's this great new Mexican place on your block. Here's $30. Enjoy." = free

Me: "Hey dude, check out this website that's going to tell you about this great new Mexican place on your block. Here's $30. Enjoy." = not free

[wallabe]

Seems like you're arguing against gift cards in general. $100b worth of gift card spending suggests other people feel differently. Maybe you're not the target market?

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1005802

[pekinb]

$X is worth $X in gift cards. I'm fine with that. I hate the idea of paying this company when they don't add any value.

[old-gregg]

"Don't add any value"? I thought the idea/value was to give people the option of sending gift cards for any business. That Mexican restaurant you keep referring in your examples may not even have a giftcard program.

[pekinb]

It wasn't a gift card in my examples. It was cash. Or an American Express giftcard. Just like you'd be getting with GiftRocket, except GiftRocket wants a cut.

[pg]

It wasn't a gift card in my examples.

That's what makes it invalid as an example.

[klochner]

It really depends on whether the cost is worth avoiding the effort to get the gift card and send it to your friend.

I don't see a lot of value add (as a giftcard replacement) for vendors who are already selling gift cards online.

[pg]

Sure, but in that situation, as you say

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2351451

you wouldn't give a giftcard either. Giftrocket is only meant as a replacement for giftcards, not as a replacement for cash.

[pekinb]

I would give a giftcard if one were available. I'd buy a $30 card for $30. If one weren't available, I sure wouldn't pay a company $1.50 to set up a hoop for my friend to jump through.

[pg]

You already said (http://news.ycombinator.com/edit?id=2351451) you'd give cash in that case. It seems clear to me that you're just trying to invent reasons to attack Giftrocket.

[pekinb]

That's unfair. I have no skin in this game. The example I gave originally addressed the establishment with no gift cards. Then I had to respond to the claim that Giftrocket is trying to replace gift cards, so I said I'd always pick a gift card if one were available, and if not, I'd give cash over paying a third party.

You'd use the service. I wouldn't. I argued why I don't see anyone using it. Don't write me off as an internet misanthrope trying to ruin everyone's fun.

edit: I'll be more constructive. I'd consider using this if it somehow felt like a gift card instead of a deposit to my paypal account.

[Smirnoff]

I believe paypal doesn't charge you anything when you send your money to your friend on a non-business issue.

[pg]

That's only true if you pay them out of your Paypal account or linked bank account. If you want to pay with a credit card, you have to pay a fee.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-receiving...

[Smirnoff]

Yes, you are right. It just happened that my bank account is integrated with paypal, so it was always free for me.

[callmeed]

Not any more. "Our fees are now the same for all accounts - Personal, Premier, and Business."

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-fees-outs...

[wallabe]

From your own link:

Free when the money comes from PayPal balance or bank account. 2.9% + $0.30 USD when the money comes from a debit or credit card or PayPal Credit (the sender decides who pays this fee).

[mttwrnr]

I had only heard of Treatful in this space. They said a common use case they didn't expect was buying a gift card for someone on the other side of the country. A lot of times people wanted to get a friend a gift for a local joint in NYC but obviously couldn't pick it up. Makes sense.