Recommending IconBuffet
I stumbled across a site recently that I’d like to mention here because I feel like a lot of people could get some use out of it. IconBuffet provides both free and non-free stock icons along with a kind of community whereby the free icons are obtained by trading with other members.
There are many different styles of icons involving many different subjects. I’m especially fond of the Marseilles sets, but there are tons to choose from and they have all sorts of different uses. Lately, I’ve been using mine for my gTalk icons, but they’d be wonderful for websites, programs, avatars… One person said they use theirs to spice up their kids’ homeschool assignments. They come in many versions – PNG, GIF, bitmap, Windows Icons, etc. Super useful.
Apparently on the old version of IconBuffet, users were able to obtain all the free icon sets (over 60!) within a couple of days and then they wouldn’t return to the website. With this system, there is incentive to keep coming back, and the people there are very friendly and genuinely want to help you get the icons you want/need.
You get 10 tokens to use per month, and each icon set is worth a certain number of tokens. I managed to collect six sets with my 10 tokens – I chose to try to get the sets I really wanted first and then start moving on to ones I desired less – but in theory you could start with the “Bronze” level (1 token each) sets and collect those first. Of course, I ran out of tokens within two days and don’t get them refilled until April 20th, but that’s how it goes, I guess.
That said, you can pay to upgrade to VIP status and get 30 tokens per month instead of just 10, and being a VIP gets you big discounts on their paid icon sets too.
This version of the site is still pretty new, so of course there are some adjustments being made, but I like it a lot. It’s fun to check back to see who has added you as a friend, or who has offered you an icon set, or who you can share an icon set with. If you’d like to join (do it! I’ll add you as a friend), I’ll ask that you use my referral link so I can get some points out of it. 
6 Comments
Oh awesome!
I can think of a ton of uses for more cool icons like that. I’m definitely bookmarking that place…and if/when I sign up, I’ll use your referral link! 
I made an account over a year ago, but I haven’t been picking up my free deliveries or anything recently *lazy*
Do they still allot you more than one copy of each icon so that you can send a copy to someone else?
*trying to figure this out*
We could trade and stuff if it does. What sets do you have?
I have
-Marseilles Cafe
-Manhattan Finance
-Ashbury Welcome
-Mallow Symbol
-Pumpkin Eve 2
-Alexandria Archetecture
-Modena Alfanumeric
..and I had two more, but I didn’t pick them up in time and I think they’re gone now!
Um, I’m actually not sure how it worked before. I joined after the switch.
You keep your icon sets, but you can “send” them to others if they need them. It doesn’t take yours away or anything, though it does use up a set number of your “stamps” to send icons to people.
I don’t have any more tokens, otherwise I’d grab some of your sets.
ooh, shiny..
but I’m useless and would never come up with any uses for the icons so there’s not much point me joining. heh
I feel like my wife could use these icons to spice up the assignments she gives her class of 3rd graders. Will you show me some more about this on Monday? Good find!
Happy Easter, Meggan!