SwitchPlanet

Via Thrillist, the lazy dude’s incredibly well-informed, bicoastal best friend (that’s right, it’s in LA and SF now, so if you live in either of those locales, sign the hell up already), we get word of a new way to get things we want for free (and we like that). The website is called SwitchPlanet, and it works like your favorite file-sharing application might work if instead of downloading files and letting others upload your files, you were mailing actual books and movies and receiving physical packages from others.

You sign up for an account on SwitchPlanet and list all the stuff (movies, books, CDs and video games) you have that you’re willing to give away. For instance, let’s say you used to dig the Black Keys but then you got a girlfriend and now you’re willing to give your copy of Thickfreakness away. You post it, and “blueslover19” on SwitchPlanet “buys” it from you with his “switchbucks” (a purely theoretical currency, but you’ve got to keep track somehow), which he earned from people “buying” his stuff. You don’t get any money from “blueslover19” "” in fact, you have to pay to ship the CD to him "” but you earn switchbucks, which you can then use to “buy” stuff you want from others. Basically SwitchPlanet is a fun and efficient way to recycle media. Meanwhile, if anyone is looking for a copy of Frailty, the stunning directorial debut of Bill Paxton, they can contact me directly.