Paperback Swap

I know I've mentioned that I have imposed a self-ban on visits to library book sales.  The problem is that I come home with a bag of books to add to the already imposing pile of books I currently have on hand.  (And that is after weeding out a bunch when we moved last October)

However, I do still find myself in search of a particular book here and there.  When that is the case, my first source is paperbackswap.com.  This site allows you to list the books you own that you are willing to part with.  (Not an easy thing, I know)

If I remember correctly, when I first signed up, I got credits after listing my first 10 books.  Every time someone requests a book from you, you simply pay the postage to ship the book, and you receive a credit.  It couldn't be easier - you can even print a label with postage and just drop the book in the nearest mailbox.  Once you have credits, you request the books you want from another member and they ship to you.

One of my favorite things about Paperback Swap is the wish list.  If there is a particular book I want, that is not available at the moment, I simply add it to my wish list.  As soon as someone posts the book, I will receive a notification indicating the book is available and giving me the option to request it.  If more than one person is wishing for the same book, you go into a queue for the book in order of request.  You can even see on your wish list where you are in the queue for a particular book, and an estimate as to how soon it might become available for you.

At the moment, I have a handful of books on my wish list, including the last five books in the Trixie Belden series (35-39).  I've got almost a full set, just missing those last five which are harder to come by.  They are pretty expensive, even "used" on Amazon, so I have not yet purchased them.  In the meantime, they are on my Paperback Swap wish list on automatic request.  So as long as I have credits in my account, I will automatically get the request when my turn comes up.

To date, I have shipped 149 books and received 123.  The farthest away was 3,383 miles, although my average is 1,083 miles.  You can even pull up a map of where you have shipped to and received books from, which is pretty neat!

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to pick up new books, and maybe get rid of a few of your own, paperbackswap.com is a great option.