Online book exchange programs are cropping up faster than reproductions of MySpace and Facebook. The latest trend in online social media might be possession swapping websites.
On local levels people have been using Craigslist to move unwanted items out of their homes – everything from clothes to furniture to moving boxes. If the item is particularly valuable, or the owner has enough time, it might go up on eBay for a listing and auction fee. The draw behind the book swaps? Listings are free on most sites, the books are never sold but simply exchanged – Jane Doe in Wisconsin swaps her copy of Eat, Pray, Love for a copy of Jim Smith’s Twilight in Arkansas. Both parties pay postage on the item they mail from their respective homes.
Swaptree.com
This Boston based company offers free membership and allows the user a chance to send and receive books, DVDs, music CDs and console gaming CDs. Unlike the dreaded days of schlepping down to the post office to mail an eBay auction item to the other side of the country Swaptree will calculate the postage for members and allow them to print a mailing label complete with proper postage.
Paperbackswap.com
It’s all about books here – in print form as well as audio books. Their system is based on a points program and members can purchase additional points through their account. Members can choose to print a postage and mailing label through their account, or take the book down to the post office to be mailed.
BookMooch.com
Another free swapping site that is just for book exchanges. BookMooch is for an International audience though so may be worth browsing for hard-to-find foreign books. They have a points based system and a unique feature allowing members to give their points to charities such as books for prisons that allow that charity to request books through the BookMooch.
Don’t Throw Books Away!
Before a book makes it to the landfill consider donating or recycling it. BetterWorldBooks.com offers free programs for individuals, groups, libraries and bookstores to pass on unwanted books. They work to put books in the hands of literacy programs such as Books for Africa and The National Center for Family Literacy. A helpful search feature allows individual book donors to search for nearby libraries that are participating in library sidewalk sales. Individual books can also be sold to the site or donated to charities – the BuyBack program will pay for shipping costs too.
Amy Kreydin - Amy Kreydin, NBCRT, CCAP, BD is a Board Certified Reflexologist and Clinical Aromatherapist.
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