Paperback Swap: Trade Paperback Books

If you love to read as much as I do, you've probably found yourself wondering what to do with all of your old paperback books (and hardbacks) once you've finished reading them. I'm an avid reader and I used to accumulate tons of books. Most of my books were purchased brand new and read only by myself or, at the most, one or two others.

I tried donating them to the local library but they weren't really interested in paperbacks. I couldn't even consider the idea of throwing them away - I can't believe people actually do that! Even my local charity shops said they were overwhelmed with too many paperbacks.

The only avenue that really made any sense was going to the used book store and I still think that's one of the best options. However there's another option I stumbled upon that's just as good as utilizing the used books stores - maybe even better.

It's called Paperback Swap. It's a website where users swap paperbacks. I've been a member since 2005 and I've swapped a ton of books. Here's how it works.

You sign up for an account which is fast and easy and best of all - Free. Once you receive your confirmation email you're ready to begin by listing nine books. You can't list just any book - they have to be in good condition, no stains, rips, torn covers, broken spines etc. It's ok if the pages are yellowed - you won't get dinged for that. Once you list your nine books you will receive three free credits. Each book is worth one credit. Now you are ready to sit back and wait for orders to roll in or you can start browsing and ordering books for yourself using your free credits. Each book that you mail to someone else will earn you an additional credit.

Right now the site has almost 1,500,000 books listed. Some are hardcover but most are paperback. You'll find every genre available such as mystery, romance, true crime, travelogues, sci-fi, fantasy, religion, home and garden, children, young adult, and well, you name it and you'll find it.

One of my favorite features of the site is the wish list feature. If you're looking for a specific book and it's not currently available, you can add it to your personalized wish list. When the book gets listed into the system it will go to the first person who wish listed it. There is also a reminder list, so if you're not ready to order a certain book right now, but you don't want to forget about it, you can place the book in your personalized reminder list.

One of the best things about Paperback Swap is that the books you order will arrive right in your mailbox. This means you get new books to read without ever having to leave your yard! When it comes time mail your book orders out, you will be able to utilize Media Mail as an option, which is usually less expensive than other postal rates. In fact, if your book weighs less than a pound, you can mail it right from home using regular stamps - now that's convenient. Paperback Swap will even generate a mailing label for you with the recipient's mailing information all filled in. It's as easy as:

1) Print wrapper

2) Add postage

3) Put the book in the mail.

As soon as the member marks the book received you'll get your credit.

Paperback Swap also offers additional options for example the Box of Books feature. Box of Books is only around $8.00 per year and will enable you to send large orders of books to other BOB members without having to use any of your credits. All you have to do is search the BOB members' bookshelves, pick out the books you'd like to read and submit a request. The other member will review your request, take a look at your bookshelf, choose the books they're interested in and you're on your way to receiving an entire box of books.

Now, if you don't have many books to swap when you're just starting out, that's no problem either. You can purchase book credits at reasonable rates (currently $3.45 per credit) and start ordering books right away.

Paperback Swap also has an active chat room and more than 20 active forums. In addition, genre specific forums make it easy for you to find other members with reading styles similar to yours.

Please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions. Please CLICK HERE if you're interested in joining Paperback Swap and when registering please use the name AQUA in the "Referred by" box. Remember it's completely free and you'll be able to start swapping all of your old books right away.