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Book Swap Sites

For discussion about particular book sellers (brick-and-mortar bookstores, online book sellers, auction sites, swap sites, etc.)
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Vanessa
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4378
Joined: August 2008
Currently reading: The Farm at the Edge of the World by Sarah Vaughan
Interest in HF: The first historical novel I read was Katherine by Anya Seton and this sparked off my interest in this genre.
Favourite HF book: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell!
Preferred HF: Any
Location: North Yorkshire, UK

Post by Vanessa » Wed May 5th, 2010, 8:44 am

It's strange how some swappers might mention the fact that they're not animal owners but don't mention the fact that they smoke! I can't see how having a dog in the house would have any affect on a book unless perhaps if the dog sleeps on the books or chews them! Whereas with smoking, the smell just lingers and permeates everything. (I know animals have a smell of their own but I've smelt in on a book.) I'm so glad it's banned from public places (indoors, that is).
currently reading: My Books on Goodreads

Books are mirrors, you only see in them what you already have inside you ~ The Shadow of the Wind

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Madeleine
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 5859
Joined: August 2008
Currently reading: "The Whitstable Pearl Mystery" by Julie Wassmer
Preferred HF: Plantagenets, Victorian, crime, dual time-frame
Location: Essex/London

Post by Madeleine » Wed May 5th, 2010, 8:56 am

Oh it's horrible when something stinks of smoke, I remember where I used to work, the post would sometimes smell of it if the men had been smoking in their little room where they sorted the post. Never heard of animal smells affecting a book though!

I've also had a couple of experiences where a seller's idea of a book being in "good" condition doesn't match mine - a bit of wear is fair enough, especially on an older book, but I received a second-hand copy of a fairly recent paperback a while ago, which was meant to be in "vgc" but was covered in some rather unpleasant looking stains! I hope they were only tea or coffee, but it looked so grubby I didn't even want to touch it. So you're right to complain and get a refund.
Currently reading "The Whitstable Pearl Mystery" by Julie Wassmer

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boswellbaxter
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Posts: 3066
Joined: August 2008
Location: North Carolina
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Post by boswellbaxter » Wed May 5th, 2010, 12:20 pm

Got my credit back, so I'm content now! I just have to find a copy of the book that I can read without it falling apart (which won't be hard, as there are plenty of copies on Amazon, it turns out).

I house an association's library at my house, and someone donated a bunch of periodicals once that were so smoky smelling I had to put them in a plastic tub with air freshener inside for a month before I could bear to be in the same room with them.
Susan Higginbotham
Coming in October: The Woodvilles


http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/
http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/blog/

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Misfit
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 9581
Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by Misfit » Wed May 5th, 2010, 12:42 pm

[quote=""boswellbaxter""]I house an association's library at my house, and someone donated a bunch of periodicals once that were so smoky smelling I had to put them in a plastic tub with air freshener inside for a month before I could bear to be in the same room with them.[/quote]

Oh that has to be bad. I had one out from the library once that just stunk to high heaven and I couldn't read it. At PBS you can add requestor conditions, i.e. I don't accept books from smoking homes, haven't figured if you can do that at Bookmooch. I've lost a couple that way but nothing that broke my heart. I know some people have serious pet allergies and they have to be cautious about taking books from homes with pets (cats do walk all over the books, at least mine do) while they're walking all over your lap ;)
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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Ariadne
Bibliophile
Posts: 1151
Joined: August 2008
Location: At the foothills of Mt. Level

Post by Ariadne » Wed May 5th, 2010, 12:54 pm

About ten years ago, I ordered a trilogy of historical novels from Amazon UK - they were brand new, but the books stank of smoke, so badly I couldn't read them. If the smell's strong enough, I can get a horrible headache that can last for days. I complained and Amazon sent me replacements - which weren't an improvement. They were small press titles, and all the books in the publisher's warehouse must have been like that. Eventually I got my money back, and I did my best to decontaminate them, but I never have read the books. (A trilogy about Pictish queens. Maybe one day...)

I have requestor conditions at PBS re: smoke and that hasn't been a problem, but I'm about to add "no water damage or disgusting food stains" to the description. People aren't supposed to send books like that, but I just received one.

Sharz
Reader
Posts: 249
Joined: October 2009
Location: Chicago

Post by Sharz » Wed May 5th, 2010, 2:17 pm

With smoke that strong, Ariadne, I have to wonder if they were salvaged from a warehouse fire.

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Ariadne
Bibliophile
Posts: 1151
Joined: August 2008
Location: At the foothills of Mt. Level

Post by Ariadne » Wed May 5th, 2010, 2:56 pm

Possible - they had a cigarette odor to me, which is usually the only type I react badly to, so I don't know. It's amazing how long it lasts. I just went downstairs and picked up one of the books, and it still smells faintly of smoke.

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Jemidar
Avid Reader
Posts: 397
Joined: February 2010
Location: Adelaide, Australia

Post by Jemidar » Wed May 5th, 2010, 5:20 pm

I have lots of allergies (dust, mould, perfumes, tobacco smoke ad infinitum) so it makes buying second hand books such a nightmare, I usually don't bother even trying anymore. I just can't do old books at all (even though I love them) because of the dusty musty smell :( .

The worst books I've ever got (this is while I was still trying to buy second hand books) were two of the suppressed Georgette Heyers...one had obviously been propping up a very heavy table as there was a huge square indentation in the cover (it was also very brown and musty!) and the other had a squashed cockroach in the middle!! Funnily enough, both had been described as in good condition :eek: :eek: :eek:.
Jenny

"Well-behaved women rarely make history."
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Currently Reading:


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Ludmilla
Bibliophile
Posts: 1346
Joined: September 2008
Location: Georgia USA

Post by Ludmilla » Wed November 3rd, 2010, 1:05 pm

I have a question about posting a book on PBS. My husband brought home a few boxes of his Dad's old books, and I found one that I already owned and thought I'd post it for trade. The book is a first edition paperback. When I enter the ISBN, the HC edition for that ISBN comes up (the paperback editions listed at PBS have different ISBN numbers). Do I go ahead and select that HC edition and just notify anyone who requests it that it is paperback, or should I manually enter it?

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boswellbaxter
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 3066
Joined: August 2008
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

Post by boswellbaxter » Wed November 3rd, 2010, 1:21 pm

[quote=""Ludmilla""]I have a question about posting a book on PBS. My husband brought home a few boxes of his Dad's old books, and I found one that I already owned and thought I'd post it for trade. The book is a first edition paperback. When I enter the ISBN, the HC edition for that ISBN comes up (the paperback editions listed at PBS have different ISBN numbers). Do I go ahead and select that HC edition and just notify anyone who requests it that it is paperback, or should I manually enter it?[/quote]

I would enter it manually.
Susan Higginbotham
Coming in October: The Woodvilles


http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/
http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/blog/

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