Tips & Tools of the Coupon Trade

I have been coupon trading for a while now, and it is a great way to swap those coupons you don't use for those you do. I started talking about coupon trading in my post "Tradin' On Up". Here are some of the tips and tools I have picked up in my coupon trading experiences.

• Sign up for everything. If you are an expectant parent or the parent of an infant, sign up on all the infant formula sites. Enfamil, Similac & Nestle Good Start all have registrations that will net you free gifts and formula checks. If you are formula feeding, trade the checks of the brands you aren't using for the ones you are. If you are nursing, trade 'em all! Since formula is so flipping expensive, those checks & coupons are highly sought-after by your fellow coupon traders. Unfortunately, I didn't figure this out until my youngest was 9 months old, so they haven't really sent me much. The above applies to baby food, diapers, and organic food (especially milk), all hot commodities in coupon trading.
  

• Clip everything. Similar to signing up for everything, clip every coupon you find. Like the mantra of garage salers "your trash is someone else's treasure" implies, "your coupon trash is someone else's coupon treasure". Every time I have thrown a coupon away, thinking "there is no way anyone could possibly want this coupon", someone posts it on their wishlist and I kick myself. If it's a product out there on the shelf, someone's probably buying it.

• Expand your demographic. I am a member of Baby Cheapskate Coupon Traders. It is a VERY active coupon trading site, which is great. The only downside is they are mostly all moms of young ones, like me, so we are all after some of the same coupons. (The recent $5 Luvs coupon comes to mind). If you can find a site that has a wider demographic, it might help you out in snagging some of those baby food and diaper coupons (for example). I tried out CouponChix, which is reported to be a really active coupon trading group but, so far, I just haven't had much luck. I'm still on the lookout for more great coupon traders. If you know one, share the love!
  
  
• You get what you put into it. You can post a list of the coupons you'd like to trade, and a wishlist of the coupons you are looking for. You might get some bites, but you might not. I have found that reading other people's posts and emailing them with the coupons I have that they are in search of generally scores me a lot more trades. Be proactive, and it will pay off.

• Be willing to say goodbye. I go through a lot of diapers. But, right now, I have something like 8 or 9 Huggies diapers coupons. Watch how many coupons you are stockpiling and be willing to trade "extras" for something you might be able to use to snag a BETTER deal NOW. Watch your expiry dates and, if you don't think you're going to be able to use coupons before they expire, post them so someone else can.

• Don't be a pushover. You want to be nice, polite & courteous when coupon trading. But good trades need to work for both parties. Make sure you're getting a deal you're happy with. That doesn't necessarily have to mean $ for $, but you want to make that 42 cent stamp worth it!

Finally, a few acronyms that will help you find your way...

SASE... "self addressed, stamped envelope". If you need a coupon but don't have any coupons that person can use, sometimes they will ask for a SASE. Just make sure the coupons you are getting are worth more than 82 cents.

ISO... "in search of". That person's coupon wishlist. IDSO means "in desperate search of".

What are your best tips & tools for coupon trading? Do you have more acronyms to share?