Odds are, you have a DVD lying around the house that you’ve watched so many times it’s practically committed to memory. Or a book someone gave you that you’ll never read. You’ve thought about trying to sell these items on e-bay or amazon, but then it hardly seems worth it with the time and costs of listing those things. Well, for those of you who have been holding onto your old collection of movies, music, books or video games, you’ve hit the jackpot.

You can now swap any of your old media for something new through Swaptree. They allow you to set up a list of all your DVDs, CDs, books and video games that you no longer want (a “have list”), and media that you want (a “want list”) and the website goes to work to find you what you want. It’s easy, and it’s free. You’re only responsible for the shipping costs, which can be done on the cheap through the post office’s media mail rates.

Swaptree keeps consumers happy but is also reducing the number of shopping trips, packaging, and new goods purchased. Say you’ve got the last season of “Lost” on DVD, but you’ve watched it so many times you’re sick of it. Instead of tossing it, or even donating it, you can retain its value by trading it for something else you want.

If you’ve always wanted Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, you can put it on your “want” list, and if you’ve got something that somebody else wants, you’ve got the book and it’s yours for as long as you want. For those of us who want to keep books we really love, this is a great system since libraries always have a return policy and buying through bookstores can be expensive.

Swaptree has brought real meaning to “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” The more members, the greater chance of scoring the loot you want. So go ahead and try Swaptree, maybe that novel you just read at the beach this past weekend will be just the thing to get you a copy of your favorite movie.