Book Swapping

Ah, I am  in love again. This time, with a site called PaperBack Swap. On it, you can swap books with people around the country. If you have some books you want to get rid of, you can post them on the site. Each time someone "orders" your book, you get a credit. For each credit you earn, you get to order a book that you want. It is fantastic-- and so easy. You print the mailing wrappers right from your very own computer (you can opt to print the postage directly on the wrapper). Then, you send it from your own mailbox... no need to even go to the post office! You are responsible for paying for the postage of the books you send, but do not pay a dime for the books your receive. In essence, you are paying about $2-3 for a book while getting rid of ones that you don't want anymore. 

I have already sent four books and ordered six (you automatically receive two credits for starting your account and posting books). I feel like I have my very own book store! I'm loving getting rid of the books that I know I will never read, and those that I have read, but most definitely won't read again (nor care to have as part of my library). 

This is not the only book swapping site. I learned of another, SwapTree, from a friend. If you google "book swap" I'm sure there are loads more. This is a wonderful way to keep books in the hands of people who will love them, and read them and it's a great way to save some money while you're at it. Instead of letting your books get dusty for lack of reading, get something that you will read and enjoy. For books that aren't requested on the site, there's always donating them to Goodwill or 

your local library. I have several that I will probably do that with if they are not picked up on Paper

Back Swap.

Check it out for yourself and tell me what you think!

xo,

The Coconut Librarian

Comments

[Mallory Woodlee]

Those are great sites! Thanks for the info! I think I am going to try it.

[Lauren]

Hello! I found you through the chic chick media guy and got so excited about your book club. I also hit up the paper back swap, found 10 books I know I will never read again, and can't wait to order 2 with my free credits. Now lets see if anyone actually wants the books I have to offer. So glad I found you!

[Eileen]

Hi, found you off the chic chick media list, glad I came over. Don't forget about good old fashioned book exchanges! Some of us are still around :)

[jaydek]

I have never been to paperbackswap, but use swaptree on a daily basis. I won't speak for the other site, but the one advantage for me is there's no credit system to keep track of -- everything is just one to one basis -- and you can also get dvd's, cd's, and video games for your books...so there's more media involved. I don't use itunes or ipods and never buy CD's, so I've more than quadrupled my music collection by getting rid of some old books. And how good does it make you feel to pass on a book you loved to someone else for their enjoyment? Feels like I've joined a little community. Although, gotta admit, I do go to bookstores less now and admit I kind of miss roaming the aisles waiting for something to catch my eye :)