PaperBackSwap.com: Almost Free Books, Pay Only the Cost of Postage
Libraries have always provided a wonderful free resource for book lovers. But sometimes you want a copy of a book for your bookshelf at home. The cost of buying books at local retailers can really add up, especially for voracious readers.
Many localities have good local used book stores, but it isn’t always easy to find the exact book you are looking for. There are some on-line discount sites such as www.bookcloseouts.com that offer a very limited selection of books at greatly discounted prices. And of course www.amazon.com carries almost any book you could possibly want at a slightly discounted price from the suggested retail price.
Now book lovers have another option that seems almost certainly the cheapest way to purchase a book. It does have it’s drawbacks and limitations, but www.Paperbackswap.com provides a wonderful, inexpensive way for book lovers to expand their collections. The mostly free on-line site offers a way to swap your unwanted books with other readers for the books you really want. This simple, but very ingenious, idea is a wonderful way to obtain books at an extremely low cost.
The name, www.PaperBackSwap.com, is a little bit misleading because you can swap not only paperbacks but hardbacks as well as audio-books. Also remember that when you swap one of your books or receive a book you requested-the book becomes the property of the person receiving the book. This site is not for swapping in the sense of loaning a book to someone and then getting it back like a library. The books you receive are yours to keep or read and repost if you like.
One of the best features of www.PaperBackSwap.com is that for the most part you are not actually swapping books with other users in the sense of swapper number one swapping a book with swapper number two by having swapper number two send them a book in return. The site works in credits, which makes the site much simpler and makes it much easier for successful swapping. It take the matching process of matching swappers with exact wish lists swapping with just each other and eliminates it.
Here is how www.PaperbackSwap.com credits work. You get three free credits for the first nine book you list. You do not qualify for any more free credits after the first three. After that, for every book you swap you get one credit on the site toward another book. Each book is only one credit, except for audio-books which are two credits. Weather a book is hardback, paperback, cheap, expensive, rare, etc…it doesn’t matter. A book (except for audio books)is always worth one credit that can be used to purchase any other book on the site.
After signing up at no cost on www.PaperBackSwap.com, you list the books that you do not want anymore. Listing a book is very simple. To list a book you type in the ISBN, the numbers found either on the back of the book under the bar code or on the title page of the book. After you type in the ISBN numbers, the title of the book and the type of book (hardback, paperback, or edition) is confirmed. Then the condition of the book is confirmed.
Books listed on www.PaperBackSwap.com are not expected to be in brand new, pristine condition in order to be listed. So if you are expecting a perfect book, you will be disappointed. Expect books to look like what you would see in a library or reasonable used book store. Guidelines for book conditions include:
-no paperbacks with torn off covers (but note that hardbacks do NOT have to have their dust jackets)
-no writing inside (except for the name of the owner inside, etc… no notes, highlighting, etc..in the book unless it is a textbook or workbook and even then the condition must be described in a personal message to the requester. Then they must agree to accept the book in that condition before the book is sent-but please note this is only for textbooks or workbooks)
-no tears on the cover (books that used book stores that cut 1″ or less off of a corner are acceptable)
-if the book originally contained a supplementary CD this needs to be included
Books MAY have:
-some page yellowing
-spine creasing
-some dogeared pages (but you probably wouldn’t want to list excessively dogeared books)
-library or bookstore stamps inside the books
For those who want to be even more specific about the types of books they would accept on www.PaperBackSwap.com, the site allows you to set requester conditions. Some examples are: if you want books only from a pet and/or smoke free home. If you set this up in your user account, and only if you do so- since this is not automatically done otherwise-a message with your swap terms is sent to the member with the book you want. Then the member lets you know if they can comply with your requirements. If they can not, and another member has the same book they are offered the chance to send you the book, and so on and so on…
Since many people have copies of the same book, you are probably wondering how this works. It is done on a first come first serve basis. If ten people post the same book, it is calculated by when you posted the book. The first person who posted, is the first person to be asked to swap the book and then the second, third, and so on.
This is also how it works on requesting a book. If the book is immediately available and is not on someone’s wish list, you have the opportunity to request it immediately. If a popular book has many requests, they are handled in the same manner as the swapper’s book, first come first served by when they put the book in their wish list.
A wish list on www.PaperBackSwap.com can be set up to automatically request a book when it becomes available. If a book you want is currently unavailable, you should put it on your wish list. I would also recommend checking the box next to the book to have it automatically sent it if you are absolutely sure you want the book- and you have enough credits in your account.
If a book is on your wish-list and you are offered the chance to accept it as a swap and you decline, you automatically move to the bottom of the list again. You then have to take the place on the waiting list for the book the same as if you had just requested it. There is also a reminder list that can be used to keep an eye on books that you are less sure about. There is no obligation of any kind on the reminder list.
When you have listed (listed, not swapped) your first nine books, you then have three free www.PaperBackSwap.com credits. Each credit equals one swap for one book of any sort, except audio-books which are two credits. When you find a book you want if it is available you request it. The book is sent to you at absolutely no charge to you of any sort. The person who sends the book pays for the postage and packing of the book.
Since the books are sent media mail, which is usually the cheapest for the sender. They usually take at least a week or more to arrive. So be patient, this is not as quick as ordering from www.Amazon.com. For what www.PaperBackSwap.com lacks in speed, it more than makes up for in value. For the most part, I have received most books in about a week.
When you receive the book you requested, if there are no problems, you log on to the site and note in your account that the book was received. This is done by simply clicking on the appropriate buttons within your account. At this point, the person who swapped and sent the book gets a credit to use on any book from any user of their choice. Remember that two swappers do not have to swap from each other, this is one of the great things about this site. So the more books you swap, the more credits you have to use for the books you want.
If you want more books and don’t have any credits from swapping, you can purchase credits using Paypal at a rate of $8.75 for 3 credits, or $2.92 per book. These credits that you purchase are used in exactly the same way as the credits from swapping are. There are no additional expenses, the person swapping and mailing the book pays for the postage.
Sometimes it is difficult to find a book you want on www.Paperbackswap.com . Making wise use of your wish list and reminder list is very helpful. It can take weeks to months or longer for some books to be posted as available. It can also take days to weeks to months for your books to be requested. You have to remember in both instances that someone else was in line before you and you simply have to wait your turn. It is often very much worth the wait, because of the greatly discounted price.
The cost of each book you receive is either $2.92 per book for each purchased credit or the price of the book you are trading plus the cost of postage to mail the book you swapped for a credit. I often buy used books in good condition that I’m not interested in in thrift shops and yard sales for anywhere from $0.10 to $1.00. I then post the books and swap them for the books I do want at no additional cost to myself.
The cost to mail the book varies by the weight of the book. A typical paperback book costs $1.59 to mail, if the weight is up to one pound. Books over one pound require $2.07 in postage. Heavier books require more postage. www.PaperBackSwap.com is very good about telling you the exact cost to mail the book. When you print out the mailing label, it always tells how much postage you should put on the package.
As to how you package the books you are trading, this is really quite simple. You print out a mailing label and part of the paper to wrap the book on the site. The mailing label is pre-addressed and all you need to do now is package the book and add the adequate postage.
Personally, I always wrap the books (before wrapping in paper to mail) in cling wrap or a plastic bag. This keeps the book dry and makes wrapping the book easier and helps avoid getting packing tape on the book. It does not add any more cost to the book, in my experience using a postal scale and calculating the cost at www.usps.gov .
After wrapping the book in cling wrap, you have two choices. If you want to, you can mail the book in a bubble mailer envelope, but this is not required. If you use a bubble mailer envelope, the shipping may be more costly than what is printed on the label or it may be the same. If you choose to use a bubble mailer envelope, you should either weigh the packaged book yourself and check the postage rate or take it to your local post office. Again, remember that bubble mailer envelopes are not required to mail a book, they are simply one option.
The second, and most common option, is to package the book in either cling wrap or a plastic bag first for protection (although this is not required). Then using regular printer paper and the printed out pages and label from www.PaperBackSwap.com carefully and completely wrap your book. This usually takes three to six pieces of paper including the two printed pages. Be sure to use lots of packing tape and remember that it’s best to use more paper and tape than less. You want the book to arrive undamaged, so wrap the book as well as you would want someone to wrap it for you. I always use tape over the addresses also as a precaution.
After wrapping the book or packaging it in a mailer, if you have a postal scale-weigh it. If you don’t, use the postage printed on the mailing label-again this should be an adequate amount of postage. To avoid overpaying on postage, get some $0.01 or $0.03 stamps to add to the regular $0.39 stamps. Place the stamps in the proper increment on the wrapped book. Do not place tape over the postage. All you have to do now is to place the book in a mail box, mail slot or hand it to your mail carrier.
After you have mailed the book, you should mark it mailed on the www.PaperBackSwap.com site. If you do not mark the book as mailed, you can not get a credit for it. But remember, you don’t get the credit until the recipient marks that they have received the book.
www.PaperBackSwap.com is a wonderful site for readers and book collectors. It does require some slight effort to post, wrap and mail the books. You may have to wait for some books you want, you may wait for quite a long time for some books. Some books may never become available. You also have to wait at least a week to receive your books. Even with these limitations, www.PaperBackSwap.com can help many readers save money on books. So what are you waiting for, gather up nine books you don’t want and sign up and start trading with your three free credits. Sign up today at: www.PaperBackSwap.com You won’t be sorry you did!
