YOU!

Score “Cool Mom and Dad” points this summer by taking your kiddos to see the highly-anticipated Cars sequel. (Cars 2 opens June 24th.) Join Lightning McQueen and his gang as they race in the World Grand Prix and meet several new friends (and enemies…Muahahahaha) throughout their international adventure.

With movie tickets on the rise, a premium for 3-D flicks, and strain-the-pocketbook concession prices, why not save some extra dough with a discounted movie gift card? And don’t forget all the exciting Cars 2 paraphernalia – Plastic Jungle can help help you save money on that, too!

Here’s how:

Choose from three of our movie merchants and save up to 12%! Shop for nearly 200 gift cards from Cinema DeLux, Regal Cinema and Landmark Theatres. Amounts range from $25 to $240 – treat yourself or the whole neighborhood!

You can also buy movie tickets in advance with a Fandango gift card and save 11%!

After getting revved up from seeing the Cars 2 movie, avoid financial potholes and detours by using a discounted gift card from Plastic Jungle. Since Cars 2 was produced by Walt Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios, you can find a terrific selection of Cars 2 merchandise at the Disney Store. Plastic Jungle currently has Disney Store gift cards for 10% off!

Or shop for Cars 2 products at Target, Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond and Barnes & Noble.

When your tot has run out of gas, let him refuel his zzzzz’s with these cute pajamas from Target. Buy a Plastic Jungle Target gift card, and save 10%!

Not only can you BUY discounted gift cards from Plastic Jungle, don’t forget – you can also SELL your gift cards as well. Exchange your unused gift cards and earn up to 92% on an Amazon.com Gift Card to buy Cars 2 merchandise. They literally have thousands of products to choose from, including these two top-sellers:

And in addition to Cars 2, there are lots of other fun kid movies coming soon!

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - June 29th

The Zookeeper - July 8

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows – Part 2 – July 15

Winnie the Pooh - July 15

The Smurfs - July 29th

Captain America - July 22

So whether it’s racing alongside Lightning McQueen, helping the Transformers save the earth or waving your wand at He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Summer 2011 is bound to be full of adventure and entertainment at the cinema. And with Plastic Jungle, you can save $!

Go grab your big box of popcorn and enjoy the movie fantasy and savings reality.

Wow! Plastic Jungle is experiencing a huge surge in post-holiday gift card exchanges. Clearly our service is becoming the prime choice among gift card exchange sites, and we are truly grateful to you for for that.

As Bruce (our CEO) mentioned in his last post, we’re experiencing a few growing pains.  Please rest assured, our customer service team is working overtime getting gift cards received, verified, and delivered. Above all, you can feel confident that our gift card exchange service is secure, and your transaction is guaranteed.

In case it’s helpful, we thought we’d share an outline of the selling process:

Once you’ve decided to sell your gift card, go to Plastic Jungle’s home page. Then go ahead and click on the “Sell Now” button.

Let’s say you’ve double-checked the balance amount on the card, and you’ve entered the information into the offer calculator. Now, to sell it, you’re offered a few different options for our payout.

1. Amazon.com Gift Card: If you select this option, we pay out 5% more than the Cash/PayPal offer, and we will send you an Amazon.com Gift Card claim code via email within two business days after your gift card arrives at our processing center in CO.

2. Instant Payout via PayPal: For select brands, we offer immediate payout into your PayPal account (and your gift card can have as little as $10 remaining on it).  No need to mail in your gift card.  No waiting for payment.  If your gift card isn’t on this list yet, you can still choose to receive funds into your PayPal account.  We will deposit your payout within two business days after your gift card arrives at our processing center in CO.

3. Cash via Paper Check: If you select this option, we will mail you a check within two business days after your gift card arrives at our processing center in CO.

Once you’ve made your selection, use the free postage label we provide you to mail in your gift card for verification. Remember, we can’t verify your card and send you your payment until we receive it in the mail. Send in that card right away! (Note, as we said above, this does not apply to the Instant Payout option.)

This graphic shows the timing you can expect:

What do I do if something goes wrong?

Yikes! Perhaps you’ve been waiting on your exchange check for seven days…

Well, you’ve got to consider that it takes the post office a few days to get your card to us, and then we take two business days to verify it and process your payout. So once the card leaves your hands, you need to take this time into account.

Still if you’ve got questions, or you’re in doubt, we’re here to help you. Feel free to contact us using our quick online form.

As well, you can consult the Plastic Jungle Guarantee to learn more about the protections we provide.

What has the first week of 2011 brought to you? More work, I’ll bet! Let’s get you back on track with a win.

Get to Office Depot for Office Cleanup Tips

So, say your desk is piled with papers. How bad is it? If it’s really bad, you could win a $10,000 Office Makeover courtesy of Office Depot! Just “Like” the Office Depot fan page on Facebook, upload a photo of how messy your office is, and you’re entered to win. (You’ll need to be logged in to Facebook to get to the page.) Ten instant winners per day get a $100 Office Depot gift card. Check the page for storage and filing tips on how to manage all that stuff, and see funny pictures of offices that might be even more cluttered than yours. Thanks to SweetiesSweeps for pointing us to that one. Contest ends 1/31/11; check the official rules on the same Office Depot Sweepstakes Facebook page for details.

If you can’t wait to win, check out what Plastic Jungle has on offer for discounted Office Depot gift cards.

Win $1000 for clothes, shoes & accessories? Yes please!

Amazon Fashion is giving away a $1000 Amazon.com Gift Card just for “Liking” them on Facebook. When you’re logged into Facebook, go to the Amazon Fashion page, and click on the Sweepstakes tag. Sweepstakes ends 2/17/11; check the page for official rules for details.

Think you’re ready for an Amazon.com Gift Card right this very minute? If you’re ready to exchange a gift card you’re not planning to use, you can trade that and get up to 96% of its value on an Amazon.com Gift Card on Plastic Jungle right now.

Win a $50 Best Buy Gift Card!

Super coupon and deal site MyBargainBuddy.com is giving away a $50 Best Buy Gift Card. Enter by 2/1/11, and check MyBargainBuddy for rules for entry and details. Plastic Jungle has Best Buy Gift Cards at a 4% discount at the time of publishing.

Appliances, Electronics, Music, Computers -- Best Buy!

Win a NookColor!

Are you a reader? Like, really a big reader? Then you’ll love the Bookalicio.us blog. In celebration of the two-year anniversary of blogging, Pam is giving away book collections for eight second-place winners, but the Grand Prize is a NookColor. The Nook is the e-reader offered by media retailer Barnes & Noble. It’s a device that’s a lot of fun — read books, listen to music, play games, show photos – for everyone from kids to seniors. The contest is open through February 10, 2011. Use your Twitter and Facebook accounts and more to enter. Check Bookalicio.us for rules and details. Check Plastic Jungle for discounted Barnes & Noble Gift Cards or eGift Cards to get a discount off your own NookColor.

Get $150 Gift Card to Steven Dann!

Life&Style Weekly wants you to walk away with $150 gift card to haute East Coast boutique Steven Dann. The contest is open until 1/20/11. Enter and see rules at Life&Syle Weekly’s WinIt page.

Good luck! Let us know if you win anything. And get back to work!  : )

Written by John Haydon

It’s no secret that fundraising for a nonprofit in today’s economy is hard work. Donations from corporations, major gifts and private grants have all shrunk. Fundraising with social media is uncharted territory where best practices are in their infancy.

However, a recent partnership between givezooks and Plastic Jungle allows non-profits access to a $40 Billion in unused gift cards. And with Christmas around the corner, the timing couldn’t be more perfect!

Recycled fruit cake and giftcards

According to Plastic Jungle, the average household has about $400 worth of unused gift cards in their top dresser drawers. You know, the Home Depot gift card from Uncle Ralph who always forgets that you live across the street from Lowe’s. The Barnes & Noble gift card you wish you could redeem on Amazon. And my favorite, the Exxon Mobil gift card given to the vegan bike messenger who only last week protested at a rally on clean energy.

Turning donors into fundraisers

givezooks! is a social fundraising platform for non-profits that empower individual donors to become fundraisers. The platform embeds sharing on Facebook and Twitter directly into the donation process. This makes fundraising much more effective simply because folks are more likely to donate to a cause if it’s recommended from a friend.

And now, the partnership between Plastic Jungle and givezooks means that friends can convert convert that gift cards into cash for their favorite cause.

To learn more about the givezooks social fundraising, please visit givezooks.com.