Options on unwanted gift card

matthew News

So you just spotted, tucked away in your wallet, that gift card you received over the holidays. You still have plenty of time to use it. Here are some ideas.

Cash it in. Online marketplaces such as Cardpool.com and PlasticJungle.com will buy your cards, but don’t expect to reclaim full value. You can compare how much various sites will pay for a card as a percentage of its value at GiftCardGranny.com. Sites such as Cardpool.com, GiftCards.com, GiftCardRescue.com and PlasticJungle.com will buy only cards issued by major retailers, but you can sell any card at any price on eBay or on Card Hub’s exchange

Get off the ground. Airline travelers may find a new option enticing. United Continental’s MileagePlus Gift Card Exchange allows members of the airline’s frequent-flier program to trade in gift cards from dozens of retailers for miles. Cards must have a balance of at least $25, and you may redeem partially used cards.

Look out for bum cards. Gift cards in stores are vulnerable to theft, says David Jones, chief executive of GiftCardLab.com. Someone could copy the card number, then check frequently to see whether there’s money loaded on it. As soon as a balance appears, the thief makes a purchase. Call the retailer to ask whether you can register your card. Before you transfer a card, make sure the money hasn’t vanished. Try GiftCardGranny.com’s Balance Checker.

Watch the deadlines. You have five years from the date the card was activated or loaded before the money expires.

Trader faces jail for selling fake clothes

matthew News

The owner of a pop-up shop that sold hundreds of items of fake clothing in Oxford is facing jail.

Matthew Croxson, 42, set up Labels 4 Less in the former Borders bookstore in Magdalen Street before it became Tesco.

He was this week convicted of seven trademark offences in relation to T-shirts and tops from G-Star, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Ed Hardy and Ecko Unltd.

He said: “This was a substantial matter and is going to be treated out of the league of the usual market trader passing off goods that aren’t properly trademarked.”

Shop manager Matthew Brooks, 38, from Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, was cleared of eight charges.

Trading standards officers raided the store in April 2010 after a counterfeit ladies’ G-Star top was discovered in a test purchase.

Prosecutor Tim Boswell said: “It sounds too good to be true. It turns out it was too good to be true. The items were found to be counterfeit.

“It was an operation which had the potential to turn over thousands of pounds.”

He said after the first top was found to be fake, trading standards decided to carry out a full-scale search of the shop with police and an expert.

Croxson, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was bailed to be sentenced later this month.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing to recover some of the money made by Croxson, who was last year declared bankrupt, will be heard later this summer.

Natural-fiber clothing that can power your smartphone!

matthew News

CSU researchers and students are working to develop natural-fiber outdoor clothing with built-in solar panels. The project was recently selected to compete in a sustainability design competition this weekend in Washington D.C.

There are other solar-powered outdoor clothing products on the market. But the researchers say few products currently available are made with petroleum-based textiles and are functionally flawed with solar panels that are difficult to launder or wear. The team aims to change that by only using UV-treated natural fiber fabric like cotton or linen. They’ve found the right combination of fabric and weave, thickness, weight, dyeing and finishing of natural fabrics protect from UV rays.

To date, the team has developed prototypes of three jackets, a vest and two helmets– one ski helmet with Bluetooth capabilities and one that could be used by the military. In the second phase of design, the team is considering clothing that could be used by road construction workers. The project was funded by a $15,000 grant from the EPA.

Of course, turning these prototypes into market-ready products will be a much larger challenge. The clothing will have to be functional and stylish, effective at powering devices, comfortable to wear and easy to wash.

Olympic ‘sweatshop clothes’ probe

matthew News

Allegations of “sweatshop” labour conditions for workers producing outfits for Olympic volunteers were being taken “extremely seriously”, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) said.

The Independent alleged that Olympic merchandise which will be worn by British athletes and volunteers at the Games “is being manufactured for Adidas in sweatshop conditions in Indonesia”.
Workers at nine Indonesian factories which have contracts to produce Olympic shoes and clothing for Adidas are allegedly working up to 65-hour weeks and earning as little as 34p an hour.

A spokeswoman for Locog said: “We place a high priority on environmental, social and ethical issues when securing goods and services and take these allegations extremely seriously.”