As the holiday shopping season winds to a close, gift cards seem like the perfect gift, both for the desperate last-minute shopper and the recipient who wants something from a specific retailer -- and remembers to use them.

But they can be less than perfect if the consumer doesn't read the fine print. Gift cards can expire, be used for only a portion of their value or forgotten in the sock drawer. In these dark economic times, it's possible that the retailer issuing them could be out of business before the user can cash them in.

Enter GiftCardRescue.com, a Web site that lets people sell their unused or unwanted gift cards for a percentage -- usually between 60 percent to 80 percent of what they're worth. To sell a card it has to be worth at least $25, and not more than $1,000.

In the current economic climate, many shoppers worry that the gift cards they buy could be worthless in case of a retailer's bankruptcy. GiftCardRescue also will reimburse the full value if a retailer is no longer honoring gift cards because of bankruptcy. (The bankruptcy has to take place within a year of the purchase.)

For example, when Sharper Image filed for bankruptcy, the chain store said outstanding gift cards wouldn't be accepted. The company changed that policy, but consumers still lost out: It accepted them as a discount on a higher-amount purchase.

People looking to buy cards can purchase them through the site at a 10 percent to 20 percent discount. A $25 Abercrombie & Fitch card is currently available for $22.50. GiftCardRescue will also exchange an unwanted gift card for another.

The site offers consumers useful up-to-date resources concerning gift cards. A blog tracks retail bankruptcies and offers information about the impact on the company's gift cards. There's also a U.S. map with state-by-state information on gift-card regulations.

GiftCardRescue also steers consumers to deals on gift cards. For example, Brookstone is offering a 15 percent discount to anyone who turns in cards from other retailers. That's appealing for people with cards worth small amounts -- $5 or $10 -- who can trade them and increase their value with 15 percent off on a Brookstone purchase.