It was supposed to be the kind of gift that would keep people from having to exchange and return gifts. But not everyone sees gift cards as the perfect present.

Sometimes, they're the right present but at the wrong store.

The Internet is spawning businesses that let people sell or swap their unwanted gift cards.

SwapAGift.com lets people exchange or sell gift cards.

SwapAGift allows one-for-one trades, deals involving cash and other combinations. It charges $3.99 for every transaction, regardless of the value of the deal. It says that some other sites charge a percentage of the value of the cards.

In addition, sites like eBay are doing a pretty brisk business among those looking to secure or unload a gift card or two.

The Internet businesses have taken steps to make sure that people are getting legit gift cards when they buy or exchange them.