Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion
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Book Swapping Sites?
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I've been debating signing up to these for awhile, but was unsure if I'd like em...
I do bookins which I like because you pay postage on books you receive instead of books you send. I'm sure it would work out either way, but I like to stock up points so I can get whatever book I have my eye on.
I joined Bookmooch a couple of months ago, and immediately registered ten books so I could get the points to start with - only most of them were snapped up at once, and I ended up at the post office with seven international packages to send, costing me over $90! Ouch! I wasn't sure about it then, but I've since received my fair share of parcels in the post, which is always exciting (two in the last two days, in fact, one from the UK and one from Portugal). My username on BM is josieruth, if anyone would like to befriend me :)
I use paperbackswap and bookmooch, but I prefer PBS over BM. PBS has a much greater selection of YA and the wish list boards have seriously filled my bookshelves. I joined PBS with about 50 books in August of last year. I now have well over 600.
I also use paperbackswap and LOVE it! I often make deals on the Book Bazaar forum, like 4 dor 1 or something and my shelves are overflowing at home.I'd be glad to buddy up with anyone from here to make deals with! :-)
I'm shoey924
You can find me on Paperbackswap as 'seeford' - send me a buddy request!
I signed up for Paperbackswap, but haven't used it yet. You have to pay the outgoing shipping for a book you're sending, and I'm always worried that somehow it won't pay off for me.I use the bookswap here on GR all the time! I like it better because you just pay and print labels through GR. I typically pay $3.50 for a book to be shipped to me. I've only had one issue with someone who never shipped after I paid and GR refunded me for it.
Pretty decent selection too... about the same as PBS.
I am a long time user of paperbackswap, started using bookmooch a couple of months ago, and recently took up with swaptree.I really love paperbackswap! I always get books in excellent condition, due to the restrictions, and people are almost always open to deals. The wishlist is awesome, even if it does take awhile to get the book you want. I basically use it for books I've read and decided I'd like to own, not for book I'm dying to read. They have just recently added a feature that allows you to purchase from the paperbackswap "market" and even use a credit to lessen the cost. It's awesome!
Bookmooch I don't care for much because there is no waiting list. There are wishers, but they ALL get notified when a book they wish for is posted, so usually by the time you get to the website the book is gone already. Very frustrating! But, if you are just browsing for some books and aren't picky you're bound to find stuff.
Swaptree could be really great, but I'm having a bad experience with them right now. I sent a book that never arrived and they have suspended my account! I have 3 successful transactions with them, but the one and only time a book goes lost in the mail and, BAM! Suspended! I have repeatedly emailed them and stated that I have a receipt ( although no DC# which was stupid on my part), and that I would like to know if the suspension is permanant or temporary. No response a week later. :-(
Seems pretty harsh to me. What I do like about them is that you can almost get any book you want as long as you have something somebody else wants, even if it's a CD or a DVD. They do all the work in matching up people and you just send stuff and get stuff.
Hope this helps prospective book swappers!
Oh, and I do use goodreads swap as well. VERY easy to use and lots of available books. You pay shipping when you want a book and they print your paid for label and send.
I have been doing the swap here. NOw they have this thing where if you send 10 books you can get one for free. I son't know if this is of interest to anyone but on GR it makes life easier. I am waiting for more people ot do this because there are a lot of books on my TBR that are not listed here.
The only issue I have with using GR to send out books is that I have a bunch of books that my husband has read that he doesn't want to keep, but that I have not read. Since I haven't read them, I don't want them on my shelves here on GR. But I do want to unload them, so what to do?Haven't found a 'fix' yet, so I'm sticking with PBS right now. Besides, although on PBS I pay to ship something out, I'm only paying about 2.38 per book (paperback). So far, I've only had one book lost and one arrive damaged, and in both cases the user either refunded my credit or sent a replacement book. I've done almost 200+ books in/out at this point.
Good to hear that the GR system is working so well, though!
My schedule doesn't allow me to go to the PO much so here on GR it has been working.THX!
I wish GR would hurry up and make it available to the UK.
Oh it's not? Hmmmm Did not know that! Well in that case I hope so too!
As far as I know Donna. I listed some to give away in a list somewhere (never been able to find it again!) So was going to list on the bookswap but it says not available. Wishlist too. But that's just made me realise I can just do an 'up for grabs' shelf can't I?Doh, I'm having serious senior moments too often.
GR is looking for a way to do it internationally, but right now it has only found an online hookup through the USPS, which does not do international transactions (online, not the USPS as a whole, of course! = )Anyways, if you hear of an app built to help with that, let Otis&Co know - they are always on the lookout.
Don't really know what all that means Carolyn as I don't know how it works (not having it). International would be nice but starting a simple swap between UK members shouldn't be too hard as you're obviously doing it in the US.
I'm talking about the online software system that figures out the postage rate for a book of 'x' size, and then is configured to print an acceptable postage right onto the paper from your printer, so that you can then wrap the book and drop it in a post box.The swap part is the simple part, it's the printing the postage onto the paper that makes a huge difficulty for international mailings. Figuring out the postal rate is no piece of cake either...
Like I said. I have no idea how it works. Postage didn't occur to me. If someone wants a book from me they have to pay me postage then yes?I haven't needed an online software system so far, I simply box the book and send to whoever wants it ;-)
But...I don't really understand why that same software wouldn't work for the UK or why figuring out the postal rate would be hard. It's done all the time isn't it with PayPal etc (I've never used online postage so don't know).
Oh Jo, it's easy, but I'm a bookseller so perhaps I'm just used to it. I'll check them out, might have to message you ;-)
Bill, it's not just figuring out the postage rate, which can be complicated here in the US as Jo mentioned; I have no idea how other countries calculate it, and each country could calculate it differently. As for PayPal, whenever I've used it, I'm paying the shipping/handling fee set by the seller. The PayPal system isn't figuring the postage out by itself (although that may be different by where you are.) But, more importantly, PayPal isn't printing the postage onto a mailing label - at the most, the system is telling you the cost of the postage needed to send something. You supply the actual postage. That is the big difference.
The GR bookswap is set up so that the person who wants the book pays the postage cost to GR. The GR system then creates a mailing label with actual postage printed on the label itself. The person sending the book prints the label, wraps the book, slaps the label on and drops the book in a post box. No need to go to the Post Office and stand in line, no additional postage required.
I'm assuming the postal service in your country has stamps or something similar, that if a package being delivered did not have a recognizable/valid postage stamp on it, it would not be honored. In the US system, a package would be stamped 'returned to sender' and then returned all the way back to the sender if the postage is insufficient to cover the actual cost, or if it is faked in some way. The agreements and systems to recognize/validate and accept postage printed on a mailing label by GR, THAT is the biggest sticking point for international swaps.
Of course, two people can always make an agreement on the side to do a swap, but the existing online GR (or PBS) system doesn't work for international swaps. In the meantime, your best bet is a shelf in your profile, as you mentioned, and also put it prominently in your review for the book, that you are willing to swap internationally. You may get some takers that way, anyways.
Jo's in the UK same as me.As far as I know that's EXACTLY what PayPal does!
Like I said I haven't used it but have had plenty of packages that have used it. Although I think you have to take it to a PO (which you would anyway as books wouldn't fit in a post box) and they give you a receipt. But you DO print the postage and mailing label via PayPal.
And I do think I get what you're saying.
So GR are paying the postage?
Yes, we have managed to get to grips with stamps ;-)
Like I said before I'm not talking international swaps.
Thanks for trying to explain.
Bill wrote: "So GR are paying the postage?"Well, the reciever is paying the postage costs, but GR is handling all the money transactions, including the one to the US Postal Service.
"Yes, we have managed to get to grips with stamps ;-)
No slur intended, but I know 'franking' is also something used here in the US (as opposed to stamps), and I was trying to be all-inclusive of whatever methods may be used world-wide, not just the UK.
"Like I said before I'm not talking international swaps...."
So, what you're really asking for is the ability to see and swap books with other people in your own country, then? That would probably be a good item to request in the Feedback Group. GR might be able to make the swapping mechanism visible, even if they don't handle the money or print the actual postage on the label. I don't know the technicalities of that though, but it's worth asking! = )
And how does the receiver pay GR?Yes, I said.
International would be nice but starting a simple swap between UK members shouldn't be too hard as you're obviously doing it in the US.
I wouldn't mind too much if I couldn't see it (and wishlist) but having both there is a little annoying ;-)
If you are on there, feel free to add me to your buddy lists. With Paperbackswap (I'm not sure about BM)..I know you can message your contacts before you post a certain book to see if they want it before you post it and then you can give it to them rather than a stranger. I figured that might be nice especially in this group for those who swap their YA books.
Paperbackswap: Here's my profile:
http://jamieleee.paperbackswap.com
or you can search the member directory for me under the nickname jamieleee
Bookmooch: My username is jamicaazy