PaperBack Swap is an online book trading club with a user friendly interface. Get rid of books you have read, and replace them with new ones for FREE.
Once you join, the first thing you need to do is list some books you have that you no longer want. The books must be in good condition, have front and back covers, all their pages, no water damage, no writing or highlighting, and cannot be Advanced Reader Copies. It is easy to list the books using the ISBN which is found on the barcode of your book. Once you have listed 10 books you get 2 Free Credits, so your first two books are free books! PaperBack Swap is free to join, they seem to make their revenue from selling postage (optional) and from selling credits if you need one, and don’t have any available.
Getting Books
Once you have received your credits, Browse through the books they have available and pick one ! Request the book and the member will ship it to you for free! All books are 1 credit with the exception of audio books, and they are 2 credits. If you don’t see the book you want, add it to your wish list. When it becomes available, you will receive an email asking you if you would still like the book.
After you have received your book, log back into the site and let them know you have received it. You are not obligated to relist the books you have received, they are yours to keep, or SWAP!
Sending Books
When someone requests a book that you have listed, you will receive an email. Follow the instructions on how to ship the book. You do have to pay for shipping, but Media Mail is inexpensive. It usually costs me $2.67 to send a small book. I print my labels using Paypal Multi-order shipping, so that my postage is included in the label. This is especially handy if your package weighs over 10 oz, because the mailman won’t pick up heavy packages bearing stamps. But if your package weighs less than 10 oz anyway, you can generate your label right from PaperBack Swap (it even estimates the weight of your book, so you don’t ever have to go to the post office!! You can do everything online and then stick the book in the mailbox! Be sure to mark the book shipped.
I have been a member of PaperBack Swap for years, and absolutely love it! I have only ever received 1 book of dubious quality, most of them are like new! What an inexpensive way to enjoy my favorite reads.
Have you used PaperBack Swap before? What was your experience?
