We’ve come a long way, baby.

The modern-day gift card actually started as a paper gift certificate. But with the invention of color copiers and printers, gift certificates were easily counterfeited.

Enter Blockbuster Entertainment.

In 1994, they became the creators of the first plastic gift card. Neiman Marcus, Mobil Oil and Kmart soon followed. By 2012, the gift card industry is expected to hit the $100 billion mark!

Why are gift cards so popular?

Easy to buy: hundreds of merchants to choose from

Easy to ship: no clunky packages with extra postage

All occasions: birthdays, holidays, teacher’s gifts – you name it!

Sure thing: recipient can choose anything they want from their fave store

Check out these fun gift card facts:

• The gift card is the #1 most-requested gift (clothing is #2)
• Gift cards are the 2^nd most given gift in the U.S.
• Men spend more on gift cards than women
• 98% of teens have bought or received a gift card
• Average gift card value is $35
• Average amount spent on a card is $53
• 54.9% of adults say they like to receive a gift card as a gift
• The most popular gift cards are to stores, followed by restaurants

And did you know?

• There’s approximately $30 billion in unused gift cards
• The average household sits on $300 in unused gift cards

So what do you do with all your unused gift cards? Sell them to Plastic Jungle, of course!

Cash in your unwanted gift cards for up to 92% of the verified balance. You can also exchange your unredeemed or partially used gift cards for purchasing power at stores like Amazon.com, or donate them for the benefit of your favorite nonprofit organization. We pay for shipping, and all transactions are guaranteed!

You can also BUY gift cards from Plastic Jungle – at up to a 35% discount! And we offer free shipping and guaranteed transactions on those, too!

But don’t just take our word for it – check out our stellar review on Top Ten Reviews, where Plastic Jungle took the #1 spot for the best online gift card exchange!

References: Deloitte & Touche, TowerGroup, Big Research, findfreegiftcards.com, nextwave.org.

If life is crazy for you on a regular day, then I’ll bet it’s doubly crazy with holiday madness, when schedules are pushed to the limit. Make no mistake: when you’re in a rush, online holiday shopping is efficient, safe and secure shopping, and with an eCODE from Plastic Jungle, you’ll also save money.

Did you know that gift cards are available in an electronic format? An eCODE is an electronic gift card, aka e-gift cards, e-gift codes, or e-certificate: this is the code you enter at a merchant’s online checkout page as a method of payment. It’s not a “promo” or promotion code that gives you a percentage off, or free shipping: an eCODE is actual tender.

So, when you combine the discounted eCODE with a store’s coupon code or promo code, or even a free shipping offer, you can really stack up the holiday savings.

You can buy a discounted electronic gift card, or eCODE, on Plastic Jungle and have the eCODE ready for payment at the specified merchant in a matter of minutes. When you purchase an eCODE, with the Plastic Jungle discount, the eCODE is sent to the email address you registered with. To gift the eCODE, just forward the Plastic Jungle eCODE to your recipient.

Right now on Plastic Jungle, you’ll find iTunes gift cards available as an eCODE*, so you can buy the gift card for less than face value, and use the full face value for online iTunes purchases right away. Barnes & Noble gift cards are available as an eCODE right now too – for online purchases only.

Inside Scoop:  There will be quite a few Zappos gift cards on PlasticJungle.com starting this weekend!

So instead of running from store to store, checking stock and searching for the best deal, smart holiday shoppers are easily finding their holiday deals online. Plastic Jungle definitely wants you to know that with eCODEs, we’re happy to help you with that.

*Remember, gift card and eCODE offerings on Plastic Jungle change all the time. Check back frequently, or sign up for email notifications, for offers from the store of your choice.