I have at least 100 books that I need to find a home for..My initial thought was to take them to the library...Then I thought about selling them on ebay..I haven't sold anything on ebay but this would be a good starting point...These just came from my two books shelves, and I know there are more around here in boxes...
What do you do with your books that you no longer need?
[question posted by Feona1962]
responses and comments:
If you aren't looking for the money and just want to get rid of them, there are several things you could do. You could list them on freecycle and I guarantee they'd be gone in a matter of minutes. You could donate to a local veteran's hospital, they love to have books for the patients. There's always Goodwill or Salvation Army too. Where are you? Maybe I'll take them! happy [Ldyjarhead]
Not really looking for money...that is why I thought of the library..They are all in really good shape..most are like new..some aren't even read...I live in northwestern pennsylvania..warren county..I have never heard of freecycle, but will check into it...I know alot of people can't afford books and if I can help anyone that would be my ultimate goal...I should make a list of what they are and whether they are hardback or paperback...The veterans hospital would be a great place.....thank you... [Feona1962]
We have a bookshelf downstairs in our apartment block garage that we put our old books for anyone who wants them. I have given some away to my neighbor and have also donated them to our local public library. Hmm let me know when and if you sell them online :) [maddysmommy]
That is a great idea...I am going to put together a list just to see what I do have...PM me and let me know what you like to read... [Feona1962]
wouldn't say Ebay is the best place to sell books on unless they are sought after books, most run of the mill books don't sell. Would suggest a yard sale is the best option not sure whether US has carboot sales like the UK has? [mrtimharry]
Ebay was just a thought..Really not excited about selling them there because I do see alot of them are already listed...I thought of yard sales too! It is that time of year here....thank you.. [Feona1962]
Well depending on the book I firstly see if any friends or family want it, or are willing to buy it off me. If that's not the case then I tend to sell them online, as some books will sell well (rare ones and first editions) and if I still have the book after tryin to sell it on Ebay then I just give them to charity shops. [beki710]
I too would not suggest putting them on ebay, I too have hundreds of books and I thought that they would go no problem I mean some of them are brilliant books. But the only ones that sold were the newest released books. So if you have any that are really new then put them on, but not older books. [gemini_rose]
Thank you...That is what I thought.. [Feona1962]
selling them is a good idea. if you donate them in some library, you're not getting any credit on that hahahaha..lol Anyway, I wonder what are those books because I might check it out. I'm also looking for cheap books online. Books that I'm looking are so expensive here. I hope you could message me one day. thank you.happy [MGjhaud]
I strongly suggest you try selling your books on Amazon Books instead of eBay unless they are very old books without ISBN numbers (eg. At least prior to 1970) Ebay is not a good bibliophile's site and you have to pay to list each book. You're also expected to put up pics. On Amazon, you can list quickly without photos, get a better price and you don't pay a penny until the book actually sells. I sell books on both sites but only the really rare or oddball books ever make it on eBay. [irisheyes]
Thank you, I didn't know this..I don't have any really old ones... [Feona1962]
Books don't sell well on Ebay. I would try listing them on Half.com or you could try ioffer.com instead--I have sold a lot of books there. If some of them are paperback you could check out www.paperbackswap.com, its a book trading website--you could accumulate credits to use when you want to read again. There is also bookcrossing.com where you can put a label on a book then leave it in a coffee shop or somewhere for somebody to find and you can track the book as it travels around the country. And Libraries always welcome donations. If you donate them be sure to get a receipt for them as you could probably claim the donation on your taxes. [Aurone]
I do think I am going to check into the Paperbackswap..I'm in no hurry..thank you again... [Feona1962]
Well i read your replies Feona,i think everyone has covered everthing,like freecycle etc. How about asking your neighbours ? [LoudnProud]
most things I don't even try to sell on ebay unless I know I can make a really good profit for it, books are hit and miss unless they are highly collectable. Most of the time I used to just throw them away or take them to the swap shop, or something like that, if they are romance novels you can pick those up cheap .... If you can't sell them I would find a place that takes donated books.....and just not deal with listing them...as there are listing fees, final value fees, paypal fees, you name it associated with ebay. If you do sell them on ebay I would consider putting them in lots.... Mooch [oneandonemakesix]
Is there a used bookstore nearby where you could trade them for credit? If not, Powell's bookstore online now lets you do that - you enter the ISBNs on their website, in a few seconds they will tell you what they will give you for the book, you send them and get store credit for their online store. Details at http://www.powells.com/info/buying.html I usually take mine to the used bookstore, and donate what's left to the library. My library sells what they can't use in their own book sale, so one way or the other they get something out of it. Another place that takes donations is Better World Books, they provide books to literacy programs all over the world, and also sell books with the proceeds going to those same programs. http://www.betterworldbooks.com [odosbucket]
Thank you for the links..I will check them out... [Feona1962]
I take them to a bookstore where you can trade them in for new ones. [whiteheather39]
I have sold children's books on Ebay before in one big lot. Be sure to check out shipping prices, media mail is the cheapest. Sometimes I pass on by used books to friends. Another idea would be to donate them to a hospital or nursing home. Good Luck! [lolalolacherrycola]
Well, you could look around your neighborhood for a used book store that would buy them off of you. I sometimes do this when I have a lot of books that I want to get rid of but want to at least make some of the money back that I paid for them. You could also sell your books on Ebays partner site, Half.com. I buy a lot of my books there, and actually have sold a few there as well. It's a very easy way to get rid of your books, while still making some money. You could wait until you have a yard sale, and sell the books there. Also, if your not interested about the money, you could donate them to your local thrift store, or salvation army. These are just a few ideas, I hope you can figure out what to do with them. [jenni7202]
My dad had a collection O flouis LaMore books that I got and have past them on to one of my sons. BUt others we have in the closets as we might want to read them again. dont know what I might want to do with them later maybe put them in yard sale! [Lakota12]
Try listing them on half.com or amazon.com i have sold on both sites :) [bronie123]
I generally trade my books to BookMooch.com. I am an avid book reader, so this way, I can share what books I have with someone else and also find new title to read. [BeautifulSoul]
This idea sounds very good to me...thank you.. [Feona1962]
just a thought-take a look at www.bookcrossing.com -it's an online book community with a "Catch and release" method of passing books on..You tag a book with a code that you notify to the site,leave it somewhere for someone to find,they read the book,log into the site that they found the book,and you can follow your book's progress :) [ShepherdSpy]
I've never heard of this before..sounds like a neat thing to do..thank you.. [Feona1962]
i have already donated most of the books that i dont use, or read. those books that are not educational or are novels in nature, i already gave to friends. i did not know before that someone might buy second hand hehehe [chiyosan]
I do know that I am learning about a lot of different ways to pass these books along... [Feona1962]
You can list your books on Craig's list and people will scramble for the freebies. I donated several hundred paperbacks to a local nursing home where they were much appreciated. My local library takes book donations then has a book sale to benefit the library once a year. [dreamcatcher937]
I give mine away. I give some to the local Senior Citizens home so that they have something different to read from time to time. I give some to the batter womens shelter for the mothers and children to escape for a short period of time. I take them to the local hospitals for patients to have something besides magazines to read. [sageivyberyl]
Great ideas. I am not looking for money so these would be great places to share them... [Feona1962]
Well, I am sorry to hear that you want to sell your books. Really, whatever you do, its no good if you sell a book. If you have read the book, honor it by keeping it with you. Its always said, "Buy the books, even if you don't read, Keep the books, even if you don't read" Plus, when you keep them, people also come to know which books you have read, and your nature and quality is usually known from the books that you read, and umm...yeah, even from what and how you write. Some books are such which you will not like to read again, but, some time, it will help you are somebody else. Its not a problem if the books are sold anyways, but its better to hand them out to people without money, since books is knowledge, and IMO, I would rather that knowledge is shared rather than being sold! That said, you know I mean that I will keep the books... and I have a mini-library of my own, and many books, easily over 100 75% of which I have read... [Amagnimo]
I have alot that I am keeping..I went through and weeded out the ones I won't read again and some that just didn't interest me...I would rather give them to people than to make a profit anyway... [Feona1962]
If you really don't want to keep your books, I think the best way is to give them to the people who need it. [youless]
You can do something about those books its either donate them in a national library where everyone else who loves to read can have it or you sell it in a cheaper price since it is used.. to make money from it [ayou82]
I keep all my books. I love them, and I display them. The only books I would part with are schoolbooks. I have a lot of those still as well. I just don't want to part with them. If for some reason I was to do so I would give them to some kind of charity. Either to an institution that needed them or to a place that sells them and feed people with the profit [teison2]
I hope I am not too late in responding here Dear, but I'll tell you what you do with those books and I know who would appreciate them beyond measure..pls if you can donate them to the Battered wives and children..they love any donations and it is such a blessing to them. xoxoxoo Call any Domestic Violence hotline and they will direct you. It is usually an 800 number. Happy St Pats to you! xohappy [TheHairDresser]
happymaddys and Feona Yes, the poor dears, the kids in there need good stuff and the mothers too, bless them..I know when I was there years ago, I would have appreciated it very much. Thanks for reading and I wish you both a very Happy St Pats if you celebrate. xo [TheHairDresser]
I'd first put them in a yard sale and what ever didn't sell from that then I'd put them on craigslist.com and possibly ebay. That way you've given all the chances that you could to get as much out of them that you could then I'd take them to Goodwill. [CatsandDogs]
alot of local libraries and schools take donations of books, as well as pretty much every charitable organization. check yer phonebook for charities. my favorite place for years has been the vietnam veterans association. ive had an entire houseful of items ive been sifting through over the past few years and theyve come to make a pickup on a regular basis. they take just about everything imagineable, and i know its going for a good cause. [tessah]
You sound like me. I always have tons of books, my kids have tons of books, and I never really know what to do with them. I have taken to selling lots on ebay when I have a chance, or I give them away to friends or family because we all like reading the same things for the most part. Good luck finding homes for your books, Ebay is a good idea because you can make a couple bucks, too, since you put money out into them! [kfrisk]
hehe~~selling the book means convert the knowledge into money. i used to sell them or just donated them to the rural area. maybe we can just hand them on to another. [xialinye]
Just last week I took two big bags full of books to a Goodwill donation center. I didn't know what else to do with them, and then I figured I'd go with taking them there, and at least now they're out of my way. [valerie37]
Hi, Feona! I would recommend either donating them to charity or giving them away or selling them for a low price at Listasaurus.com. Listasaurus.com is a free online classifieds web site that pays users to list (25 cents per ad for qualified ads) and also offers video classifieds. So many people would benefit from your books, so whatever you do, don't throw them away! [Dinolist]
I usually donate them or take them to half priced books. But ebay sounds like a good idea. I just like the idea of if my books have been sitting around and I have read them and I am not going to re read them, then I will pass them on to someone else. [luvingmygirls]
Hi Feona, I usually give them away, sometimes to the local library, sometimes to a hospital, or a seniors home. There are many places that will gladly take books. I've never tried selling anything on ebay, but as you say it would be a good starting point. Blessings. [Pose123]
As other people have mentioned, Freecycle.org is a great way to get rid of stuff. And since you're giving it away, there's no hassle about listing it, haggling over the price, etc. Another thing you can do is ask a local library or high school or college if they want them. Or, a hospital: I used to volunteer at a hospital and they welcomed contributions of books and magazines in the volunteer office. The hospital had a library, but the books there had to be checked out, so the volunteer dept. maintained its own stock of books that patients could borrow without any hassle or procedure. [Idlewild]
Well I'm not sure what type of books they are but here are a few suggestions. I noticed several already said goodwill or freecycle.org (both good ideas) but here are a few others: Check at a local hospital. Many could use books to be able to share with patients. Same with nursing homes. Many of the residents don't have the money for books and can't get to them so this would enable them to have some on hand. If they are children's or teen's books you could check with local DCF, children Services or abuse shelters. I'm sure they could use them for various reasons. You can also check at work or social gathering places to see about setting up a "Sharing Library". Where people put up books they don't want and others can then take some they want. I've had several work places have areas like this. Hope these help. [emeraldisle]
You are quite welcome. I have a ton of books I'll be getting rid of soon myself. I just have to go through and sort them, box them up and then put them up on freecycle. It's just taking the time to do it. I'm not going to read them again and no one else in the family is interested so might as well pass them on. Now the ones I'll re-read I keep :) or ones I think others might like in the family but other then that I'm tired of holding on to them now. [emeraldisle]
I used to give my old books to my neighbor. She moved a few months ago and now I just keep them. I am a bookworm so I usually rad a book more than once. If I lived near you I would probably buy them all!! How about donating them to your local hospital? [spiritwolf52]
I will change these books with my friends or in the internet. It is a good way since there always be someone like your books. Or maybe you can send the books to school or leave then to your mother school.Why not have a try? [fayfun]
Well as someone who loves to read, I usually keep all my books..But if I needed to get rid of them, you could donate to the local library or sell on ebay like you mentioned or you could also sell at a garage sale or if you have freecycle, that is another good choice..And there are also schools and churches that may welcome a donation of books too.. [carmelanirel]
Earlier, in the town I lived I had a small lending library where I circulated books and made a good number of friends. I collected my books with so much of love and care. Two yrs back I had to leave the place for good and could not carry all the bks here- not dream of it because Mumbai houses don't have enough space and space comes at a huuuuuge premium. So what did I do/ I ditributed them to some good member friends of mine[all the members who would cherish them] and carried some that were close to my heart and sold some of them. [kalav56]
never never throw a book away -if its damaged then recycle it but if its in good condition then either try selling or donate-local hospital ,,school,,thrift store,,senior citizens housing. I read alot,both magazines and books so when Im finished with them i take a box to the low income housing and seniors housing and also the doctors offices, the seniors housing has a small library so they are always looking for more books. [willowchina]
My Granny has a building that has no power and lots of windows, she sells her books out of. She has probably at least 5,000 and buys more all the time to sell. We are in small small Smithville, Mississippi and on a good weekend can make $300-$500 on just books! Now she does have other items but this does not include them. But it is like a yard sale inside. She does the best during the summer though. [SusanShayAvon]
sell them to a second hand shop. Myself,I donīt know if I trust on Ebay [snawitz59]
I pass them on to Friends that I know will read them to That way they are getting used and not thrown out It saves my Friends some money as well No need for both of us to buy the same book [gabs8513]
That's just it..I would rather give them away than sell them... [Feona1962]
you can have a yard sale, or you can sell them on amazon. i buy books from there all the time. I too have hundreds of books but i don't know if i want to sale them. I love my books and to give them up i don't know [34momma]
I never get rid of books. Ever. I now have nearly 3,000. You never know when you might want to read them again. [egdcltd]
remember about shipping and handling it may not be worth it, donate them to a library even a school library, or the church or drop in center [winterose]
I have the same dilemma, Feona, and two of my granddaughters who were visiting recently have promised to come over soon and box up some of my books and take them to a used book store where they will pay you for them. I don't expect to get rich but it will free up some space in my apartment and give someone else the pleasure of enjoying the books. [worldwise1]
Such a difficult thing to find a home for nowadays...the charity shops are full to brimming with them..you can buy them so cheaply on e-bay.Some I have bought from these sources havent ever been read!!...years ago I was a member of a childrens book club..the excitement on book arrival day was beyond belief!!! [ruby222]
I suppose selling them on ebay is a good idea but the postage may cost rather a lot! lol I go through lots of books and I usually pass them along to friends/family - I receive quite a few this way too! There is also things like charity shops or hospitals. xxxx [mummymo]
I have sold a lot of books on www.half.com. You can list them there and when someone buys one you mail it to them. Be sure to check the competitors prices so you can price yours a few cents lower than theirs so it will sell first. This is a good way to make a little cash from your books. If you are in a hurry, just take them to a charity like Salvation Army. Half.com takes a little time, usually, but it is a good way to unload your books and do a service for someone who is looking for them. [getnbuy]
Hi, Feona. I have been told that books don't sell well on ebay. But I am not speaking from personal experience. My husband and I are both book junkies. We occassionally sell our extra books to used or half-priced bookstores. We don't make a huge amount on them, just enough to support our habit a bit. [makingpots]
Hi Feona1962, well 100 books is quite a lot! I have many books from my childhood and old college textbooks. A few of the children's books I give away to younger family members or the local library. I sell the textbook that i will no longer need to other students or to online textbook sites. [mishastar]
I use PaperbackSwap.com. After the first several books you list, you get a free credit to request a book from another person trying to find a home for their books. Every book of yours that is requested and received after the first one gets a new credit for another book you can request for yourself. All you pay is the postage to send the books to the people requesting them. If you decide to join them, just tell them JerZGirl sent you!! ;-) [jerzgirl]
I don't sell my books. I keep them all! I just can't part with them. What kind of books are you looking to get rid of? If they are in good condition and I'm interested in them, I would be happy to give them a good home. [andiesartistry]
o(n_n)o... I sold the books which I no longer need. [yhyuan85]
Ebay is a good source to selling them off. You can also try these following sites of which I am a member of. They swap books and it's good. www.bookmooch.com www.paperbackswap.com www.bookins.com Amazon.com as well as half.com let you sell them as well. then Goodwill, Salvation Army are good places as well. Wish you well in them. [Savvynlady]
I have hundreds of books here too, with more to come. I'm beginning to think my home is actually a library. My father passed away two years ago and I brought about 100 of his books home with me. Now Mom is moving and I am going to be collecting some more books from her. I already have 100 of my own that I have yet to read. So that's 200 unread, at the moment until I bring more home. And then there are the ones I have read - probably another 200. Why do I keep them? I'm a book junkie. I don't even have TIME to read them. lol Last year my kids and I were planning on having a Triple B sale - Books, Beverages and Baked Goods. We had the weekend planned, the flyers printed up, and then we got the schedule for the start of Soccer season and had to cancel. So we still have a couple of boxes of books we want to sell. I could probably add to it with my father's books. Selling on ebay or Amazon are options. If you aren't looking for money there are places like the Salvation Army who would take them and sell them in their store. You can also donate them to a seniors residence. Freecycle is another way as well as Bookcrossing.com where you just put an ID number on the book and leave it somewhere. You get the ID number from the website (bookcrossing.com) and then when someone picks the book up they are to register the book in the online journal. The idea is to be able to see your books travel around the world, as long as people journal it. This year we're having a B-Quad sale adding Bargains to the list as we need to get rid of other stuff too and make money doing it. It is no different than a garage sale with a fancy name adding beverages and baked goods so the kids can make some money. [patgalca]
I will find a room for them as my collection.My husband does have a lot of books some from his college days and some other books.I keep them in the shelves and some in the boxes. [giePortlandOR_08]
You could donate them to Goodwill, the Library, Salvation Army, a Nursing Home, Hopsital or Value Village (if you are Canadian) or do what most people do in our neighborhood when they have too much stuff. They have a garage sale. That way someone who has not read the books, can buy them at read them. You may have to guess what price to put on them. And it maybe that you may have to hold a few garage sales. The reason I am saying this is that many second hand places have too much books of that sort, so they say, "no more romance" "no more westerns" or whatever they have too much of. There are second hand stores where you can trade the books for others. The ratio is usually two to one. So you give them two books priced at $15.00 and they will give you one book at $7.50. [suspenseful]
If you feel they are a rare collection, you can really treasure them for your next generation or give them to a Library where in a lot of people can access them ( only if your are not bothered about money). [vsraovsr]
They are just a bunch of fiction, romance, and mysteries... [Feona1962]
i kept my books in a bookshelves where in from time to time i cleaned them and sometimes if got the time read it again..i like to collect books.. [vanities]
I stil have alot of books..I collect series....I do read some of them over....Some of the ones I am getting rid of I've read and others just didn't interest me..but I know that someone would like to read them..... [Feona1962]
I have also been a book maniac. this has lasted since I was very little, back then I collected various comics, magazines, and some adventures novels for kids. later when my book cupboard (yeah, cupboard, no shelf anymore) was full, Mom decided to sort those that I would no longer need, and donate the books to some people. this also happened to my school textbooks. and later, when I entered university, more books to be given to the others. :P actually I'm thinking of selling my current manga collection (Japanese comics, but mine were Indonesian translated version) to some book / comic rentals, but I don't know if they would be interested as I noticed some of them have gotten complete collections. back then when I tried to sell some to a comic rental, but the lady was just too greedy. she wanted to buy with very low prices and well to sell them again with high prices (even almost the normal price of new ones), that's was the first and last time, I never went back to her rental anymore. :( recently I found out that some bookstores here were accepting book donations for the poor children. I think I had better given my books away to these donation boxes, far better than selling them to the greedy books rental lady. :P [bongkarpasang]
I don't blame you for not wanting to go back to her rental anymore..I just don't understand people sometimes...I would rather give my books away too! I know there are people out there that would just love to have a book, but can't afford one... [Feona1962]
I am the same way we moved from a large apt to a smaller and have a bunch of books in boxes stillto be unpacked in our living room and tons of books in our bedrooms too and need some more bookcases. sad to say we should haveweeded some out but every time I suggest that my son says no I wantto keep those. oh boy wish we had a large house!!! [Hatley]
hi Feona1962, how's your day? happy anyway, you consider selling it in your neighborhood or online thru ebay... you could also give it or lend to relatives and friends who might need it... one, good idea also is to build your own public or private library or donate the books to the existing establishments. just a little info, according to Wikipedia.org, A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each side of a leaf is called a page. A book produced in electronic format is known as an e-book. for more info bout this... here's a link for you.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book thanks for posting and sharing this....rolleyes cheers and God bless... [delgar]
I have been getting alot of good ideas from everyone..thank you for the information about books and the link.. [Feona1962]
No longer need, or no longer want? I hae a lot of books that I may not "need" but I still want them, because I enjoy them. I keep those books. As for books I no longer want, there is a really good used bookstore just around the corner from my house, and I take books I no longer want, there. [danishcanadian]
I don't sell them on ebay because it would or could take forever to sell them, as there are thousands of books there, for sale, already. What I do is take them to the second hand book store and I get to trade them in 3 for 1. So for every 3 I give them, I get 1 from them. It's a good way to not have to pay for new books, too. I usually wait till I have about 12 books to trade for 4 new ones, before I go. But that doesn't take me long to accumilate because I read a lot. So I am going to the second hand book store about every 6 weeks. Eventually I will run out of books to trade with them, but I am also getting some books from friends and family members so I tade them too, after I have read them. [chrislotz]
Thank you for this idea..I think there is a book store here that does something similar.. [Feona1962]
Thats my point I do not wantg to sell or give away my books, I reread them and use them and so what if I want to keep a bunch that is my prerogative. So I have two large bookcases full of books and all are well loved by me. [Hatley]
I have alot that I am going to keep...I have 3 huge bookcases full of books..I love to collect them and I do re-read alot of them.. [Feona1962]
If I were a bit closer to your place, I would have asked you to donate them to me. I'd make room for them. :D I think you could commit them to some charity or sell them to a bookstore that rents out or sells books at a much cheaper price. That way, you could part with them with something in your pocket. [augustine87]
If you were closer I would give them to you..That's okay though..I will find a home for them.... [Feona1962]
there is a website called whatsonmybookshelf that you could list them to trade for other books. you get the books for free from other senders..the catch is you pay for shipping of the books others order from you. [saundyl]
That is a great idea too!..I checked into paperbackswap and have been trading some of them on there...thank you. [Feona1962]