1 Simple Trick to Save Money and Clean up Your Bookshelf – A Paperbackswap Review
People are always looking for different ways to save money and spend less, some of which are very creative. I am one of those people and a new site I found not only allows me to save money and time, but also helps me keep in line with one of my decluttering rules: For everything that comes into the house I get rid of one. Paperbackswap allows you to trade your used books for books from other users across the country.
The process is simple
- You put books you don’t want any more on your list for other members of the site to view.
- When someone requests a book from you, you send it to them at your expense although you can use Paperbackswap bulk discount if you so choose.
- You then get a credit that you can use to request a book from the catalog.
- When you request a book it is sent to you by a member who currently has it listed in their available books.
- You are free to keep the book as long as you like, when you receive a book it isn’t a loan. You are under no obligation to put it back on the list, you own it.
Paperbackswap currently lists just fewer than 4.6 million titles in their catalog which is ever changing. You can even put in a request for a book that isn’t listed yet so you will be in line whenever someone posts it.
The idea was sound, so I had to try it for myself before I could recommend it. I posted my first 10 books (to get my two free credits) and was shocked at how easy it was; I simply entered the ISBN numbers from the back of the book. They are fairly particular about the books they accept as far as their quality goes, I like to highlight and make notes in my books occasionally and this isn’t allowed unless it was a text book then there are different rules.
I immediately got a personal message from my personal guide. I immediately asked “Are you a real person?” I was assured she was although the first message was automated. So, I do have a personal guide through my swapping needs, always a nice plus to have that kind of help.
Sending my first two books took some time to get used to but it is a very nice process once you understand it. Paperbackswap has a very nice interface to walk you through sending your books. If you want to use their best services, however, you will need to buy “PBS money”, which is used on things like postage, but it did make things much easier. I printed the wrapper complete with postage and a delivery confirmation and wrapped my books
I still need to try just printing the address so I can simply put it in an envelope and send it. Which I think may be my least expensive method.
When I finally received my first book it was in excellent condition and arrived less than a week after I ordered it. If you choose to do so, Paperbackswap tracks the books every step of the way using the USPS delivery confirmation service. So, you shouldn’t have to wonder when your book will arrive.
It seems that the books I read are very popular but have a very specific market. So the books I have posted are going as quickly as I post them.
In fact using Paperbackswap‘s ”wish list” you can automatically request a book as soon as it is posted. Apparently people were wishing for my books because they are flying out my door, it has created a little extra work but you only have to put up the books you are willing to send so the amount of work you have is up to you. However, since I want to read books in this same niche` there are a lot of people wishing for them but not a lot of people posting them. So, I have some credits stacking up.
It seems if you just want fiction books they seem to be easier to come by than their non-fiction counterparts.
Have you tried it? Does it sound like something you would try? Let me know what you thought of the review so I can improve.
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Jason administrator
Jason is the founder of Considering Stewardship he has a passion for helping people to steward all of their resources as gifts from God. Time, money, and Talent.
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