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

Post by Misfit » Wed November 3rd, 2010, 11:56 pm

[quote=""Michy""]Thanks for the tips. I'd rather not pay any extra fees to mail the books, if it's not necessary. I have 9 books to send already, and 6 more possibly! The good thing is, I'm getting rid of 9 books. The bad thing is, it's going to cost me about $20 up front before I even get any books myself out of it! :p [/quote]

I know that pain, but in the end it's worth it. WL some of those hard to find (or expensive used ones) and wait patiently. I have more books I could list, but I hold back until I am point "hungry". I use bookmooch as well, sometimes members have books listed there that aren't on PBS. The quality standards aren't always as good. I like the requestor conditions on PBS where you can state you don't want books from a smoking home. I'm not allergic, but the smell on a book will do me in.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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Michy
Bibliophile
Posts: 1649
Joined: May 2010
Location: California

Post by Michy » Thu November 4th, 2010, 12:25 am

Thanks for the tips. The non-smoker thing is pretty common (and so is non-pet dander), I've had two or three requesters with that condition. I guess I should put that in my conditions, also, since I can't stand the smell of cigarettes and I'd be pretty bummed if I got a book that smelled bad -- probably wouldn't be able to read it.

I just lost a request for one of my books, because I PM'd the requester that I had cut off about 1" from the top of the title page to remove my name. Oh, well, I felt like I should disclose that beforehand. And eventually someone else will want it!

How long does it usually take for you to get your credit for books you've sent out -- about a week?

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Misfit
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Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by Misfit » Thu November 4th, 2010, 12:59 am

[quote=""Michy""]Thanks for the tips. The non-smoker thing is pretty common (and so is non-pet dander), I've had two or three requesters with that condition. I guess I should put that in my conditions, also, since I can't stand the smell of cigarettes and I'd be pretty bummed if I got a book that smelled bad -- probably wouldn't be able to read it.

I just lost a request for one of my books, because I PM'd the requester that I had cut off about 1" from the top of the title page to remove my name. Oh, well, I felt like I should disclose that beforehand. And eventually someone else will want it!

How long does it usually take for you to get your credit for books you've sent out -- about a week?[/quote]

1-2 weeks is fairly average for books to arrive for me. The sticky point is the recipient logging on to acknowledge receipt of book.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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Michy
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Location: California

Post by Michy » Thu November 4th, 2010, 1:03 am

Yeah, that's why I'm wondering if it's worth the few extra cents to get the credit immediately, as soon as the book mails.... :confused:

I really am surprised at how quickly my books have been snapped up. Beginner's luck, I guess. :)

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Ludmilla
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Joined: September 2008
Location: Georgia USA

Post by Ludmilla » Thu November 4th, 2010, 1:15 pm

I haven't had any issues with people not remembering to give me credit when they receive a book from me. I'm usually not so anxious to get a credit that I can't wait for the book to get there using the media mail rate. Oftentimes I think they still get delivered as soon as they would using the 1st class mail rate. Only on occasion does it take two weeks for the recipients to receive a book. One week has been the average for most that I've mailed (and received). The last few I've mailed have been received in a matter of 2 or 3 days.

I usually take my packages to the PO office to confirm exact postage (and I usually use the plastic or vinyl envelopes with bubble liners). The postage cost for the extra weight is minimal. Must confess that it drives me nuts to open a book only wrapped in paper. I'm always afraid I'm going to damage the book trying to extricate it from the amount of tape they often use to keep it tightly wrapped.

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Michy
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Joined: May 2010
Location: California

Post by Michy » Thu November 4th, 2010, 2:09 pm

Thanks for the feedback. I'm really not in a hurry to get my credits -- I don't have many books on my wishlist, and they don't appear to be available right now, anyway. I'm just more concerned that people might fail to acknowledge receipt of the books and I'll never get the credits at all. But it sounds like that's not really a problem.....

I think I've decided to gamble on the option of just adding my own postage with no delivery confirmation. This is the cheapest way to go, and since I've got 11 books to mail already and possibly 3 more - !! :eek:
Last edited by Michy on Thu November 4th, 2010, 2:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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boswellbaxter
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Location: North Carolina
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Post by boswellbaxter » Thu November 4th, 2010, 2:20 pm

I've PM'd people on a few occasions when they hadn't acknowledged receiving books within the time I expected them to arrive, because some people do get caught up in something else and forget to mark the book "received." I just write something like, "Just checking to see if you received the book OK," and the nudge has always worked.
Susan Higginbotham
Coming in October: The Woodvilles


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

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Misfit
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Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by Misfit » Thu November 4th, 2010, 2:37 pm

I'm always afraid I'm going to damage the book trying to extricate it from the amount of tape they often use to keep it tightly wrapped.
Isn't that the truth?

Don't worry if points are acknowledged. The system kicks in after a certain period if a book is not received, i.e. one of my recent requests never arrived and I was receiving emails after about three weeks asking if I'd received it. I'm fairly positive I received my point back after hope was given up and assumed lost, so the sender is out on that one. It is rather rare so I wouldn't panic over it.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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Michy
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Posts: 1649
Joined: May 2010
Location: California

Post by Michy » Thu November 4th, 2010, 6:14 pm

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm going to wrap up all the books tonight, mail them tomorrow, and then just sit back and wait for all the credits to come rolling in. :) I've got several Susanna Kearsleys on my wish list -- this might be a good way for me to get my hands on her books, since my library doesn't have them. Although, if I'm number 43 on a waiting list it's pretty safe to assume the book will fall apart before it gets to me. :D

Do any of you have suggestions or feedback re: choosing a paperback version of a book vs. a hardback? I have no preference, but I'm wondering if one tends to be easier to swap out than the other?

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Michy
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Location: California

Post by Michy » Fri November 5th, 2010, 4:01 am

Misfit, thanks for mentioning Book Mooch. I joined there, too, and found new homes for three more books. :)

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