ST. LOUIS -- This year the most popular gift under the tree is the gift card, but about 10 percent of the $87 billion in cards issued are never cashed in, according to the National Retailers Federation.
What if you could get cash for your cards? Sound like a scam?
It's not, according to the Better Business Bureau.
Several websites advertise deals where you can resell your gift cards.
They send you an envelope. You send them your cards. They send you a check. At least one enlists check-cashing stores across the country as the middle men.
The catch? A fee, so you won't get your full value for your cards.
Most websites will give you 50 percent to 90 percent of your gift card value in cash.
"If you understand what the discount rate is and you're comfortable with that, this can be a really good option for consumers who get gift cards that they would rather have cash for," said Chris Thetford, director of communications for the Better Business Bureau in Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois. "This could be a good thing for consumers to do."
Most of these sites also offer consumers the chance to buy gift cards for less than face value. A $100 Macy's gift card might sell for $90, for example.
