I’ve been a book lover since I was born. My family traveled a lot while I was growing up. At a young age I would stuff my backpack FULL of my favorite books that way I would always have something on hand to read. Of course I never read them all but I loved having so many different books choose from.
One time in writing class I wrote how books could zip me off to so many exciting new places. Also no matter how many times I moved a child I could always depend on my friends inside my books to be there for me no matter how many friends I left behind.
My husband isn’t a reader. He never has been. He couldn’t understand how in the world I could go to the library and leave with 20-30 books. After adding three children to our family who also love to read well you don’t even want to guess how many books we’d drag home from the library. Only to leave my poor non-reader husband to carry them into the house!
Well Paperback Swap has come to our rescue! I almost cried when I found this website. Such a wonderful idea and a great way to stock our home full of books. I also love how it saves us trips to the library!
Here is how the site works:
1. The Site – Go to Paperback Swap . The site is free to join. Plus you get 3 free credits just for joining!
2. Credits – Paperback Swap works on a credit system. You use the credits to request books from people. So with your free 3 credits you are welcome to start requesting books right away!
3. The Books – Now one of my favorite things about Paperback Swap is that they make sure the books in their system are books you’ll enjoy getting. I mean who would want a dirty, smelly and broken book? When someone posts a book into the system it will remind them of the site’s guidelines. Everyone at Paperback Swap agrees to swap books that are in acceptable shape.
Sadly I have run into people who do not follow the guide lines. I’ve received a book or two that was in poor shape. But on the other hand there are people on the site who seem to forget this is a “used” book site. They will complain about corners being a little worn, the cover a little worn and so on. But thankfully that doesn’t happen a lot.
Paperback Swap has a wonderful set up that let’s you browse their huge library of free books. The site is very easy to navigate. I also love that they have a whole section for homeschoolers!
You can also have a wish list on the site. If there is are some books you want but don’t see listed up for trade you can do a search for “unposted” books and add the book to your wish list. Once someone adds the book to the Paperback system you will get an email about it so you can grab it!
4. Your Account – After you log into your account on Paperback Swap you are shown “Items Needing You Attention”. This includes books you have requested, books requested from you, books that you have mailed and books mailed to you. You are also shown your current credits, books posted and money saved using Paperback Swap.
Don’t let all the info on the page scare you. The site is VERY easy to navigate and very easy to understand.
5. Trading your books – Trading books with using Paperback Swap is very simple.
You start by “Posting” the books into the Paperback Swap system that you want to give away. All books posted on Paperback Swap have to meet the condition guidelines of the site. The condition guidelines are very simple. The way I look at is I simply ask myself if I would mind getting this book. You need to make sure your book is clean, not smelly, not falling apart and pretty much still in good reading condition. You can view the conditions guidelines on Paperback Swap after you join.
Once your books are put into the system you sit back and wait for someone to request from you. When someone finds your book you will get an email about it. Some people may have what is called “Requestor Conditions”. For example if they are allergic to cats they may have it stated that they can not accept books from homes with cats. You are then asked if your book meets their conditions if not you simply deny the request. If your book meets their requests then you tell them you can mail them the book. You will be asked to mail the book with in so many days.
When you are ready to mail the book you can print out what is called “The Book Wrapper”. You can print out a piece of paper with their address on it and your address listed as the return address. I find this very handy. Also you can just use the paper to wrap up the book instead of an envelope. Paperback Swap has great instructions on how to do this but you are free to use your own envelope.
6. Shipping the book – You mean I pay the shipping??? Yes, you pay for the shipping of the book. But the great thing is you will get a credit for the book you sent once the person receives it!
Shipping the book is pretty simple. I use the envelopes people have sent to me. So I simply reuse envelopes which is nice! I also make sure the envelopes are taped up well because envelopes can rip, they can become unsealed and well things happen during shipping.
I use Paypal to pay for the postage of my books. Due to health issues this works for me. I pay online and print out the postage, tape it to the envelope and pop it in my mailbox. Others make a trip to the post office. You will find out what works best for you and your life.
Once you mail the book you get back online and mark the book sent. This ofcourse, let’s the other person know you have mailed the book to them. Then you wait for them to get it. After they get the book in the mail they get online and mark the book received. They can send you a “thank you” message and you then get a credit for the book sent!
7. Box o Books – Box o Books is another part of Paperback Swap. It is optional to join Box o Books. It costs only $8 a year. I joined a few months ago and I just LOVE it!
Box o Books is a way to trade a lot of books at one time with other members. I love it because you don’t have to use credits. Plus it saves you money! It can costs less to send multiple books at a time than single shipments.
The way it works is pretty simple. You can browse other “Boxers” books and pick as many as you want. I usually limit it to 4 or 5. The person you requested from will get an email then they will look at the books you have up for trade and pick the same amount of books. Sometimes people will not see anything they want from you and decline. Other times they may see only 2 yet still agree for the trade. I had one woman just ask for 1 book from me yet she sent us 6 books!
Once the trade us agreed to you can then print out the address plus a list of books to include. You then pack up your box or envelope. I was worried it would cost a lot more shipping more than one book but normally it is under $3 – $4.
When you get the books from the other person you can get online and mark the box received. There you also add comments about the trade. This works like the feedback on Ebay. You can mark the trade positive, negative or Neutral.
I like the feedback part of it. This way you can know who is trust worthy or not. Sadly though I have ran into a few people who never sent me their books. One woman got 4 very nice books from me yet I have the feeling she is lying about even mailing her box. This can happen. But most people are wonderful. A few women have talked to me through email and once they learn we are homeschoolers they’ll add a few bonus books for us to enjoy.
Over All Thoughts on Paperback Swap – I love Paperback Swap. The website and members have been such a blessing! Some days are like Christmas when we have 4-5 packages or boxes of books arriving in the mail. Some weeks are slow and the children are eager to request more books. The people who run the site are very kind and they also have volunteers who offer quick and free online help. The site itself is very well laid out and I have never felt lost. The books that are added to the site daily are amazing!
Cons – I am unable to think of any cons about the site itself. The only con I can think of is that sometimes you may run into someone who is not honest, picky or rude. But that is how the world works. You can never please everyone.
So if you love books, love to have fun & meet new people who also love books then join Paperback Swap!
Hope to trade books with you soon!
Join Paperback Swap for FREE now – Paperback Swap
