Have you got books you don't want? Are there books you do want? Can these two opposite ideas find common ground? Well, yes. There are at least half-a-dozen book-trading sites out there among the Internets.
I knew about BookCrossing, but that's not a trading operation, that's a book giveaway. I admire the concept, but I'd prefer to get something in return for books I give up. Fortunately, the good folks at LibraryThing have done deals with several of the trading sites.
Suppose you have a copy of the 9/11 Commission Report but you don't want to keep it. If you go to the book page for the report at LT, you'll find a link at the right called "Swap this book". Click on that, and you'll get a list of bookswap sites which have copies for trade. There are eight trading sites so far:
Each site has slightly different rules, but most of them ask that you list several books you're willing to trade. The more you add books to give away, the more points you earn. As you receive books, your total points are reduced. Postage and mailing rules are slightly different among them, but none of the restrictions are too odious.
I listed several books I'm willing to give up at Bookins on Thursday and several I'd like to have. Today I got an e-mail from the site telling me one of the ones I want is on its way.
This is pretty cool stuff.
Posted by Linkmeister at December 2, 2006 01:27 PM | TrackBackI am so excited that you posted this. I am looking forward to checking these out. Unfortunately, I can't right now because I'm heading for this place. They're downtown Portland store is huge, not big, not really big. We're talking 7 floors, 4 of which are big enough to house an average Barnes and Nobles, the rest, the size of your average used bookstore.
I love Portland. There are over 60 used book stores within a 20 mile radius of my house. That coupled with thousands of miles of trails, lots of climbing, lots of waterfalls, snow about 45 minutes away - but not 'round my house. I'm in heaven.
I often consider if I could live in Hawaii. I would love to visit sometime, my brother's been twice with his wife. But I daresay, I would have trouble with clausterphobia after a while. The notion that I couldn't just get in a car and drive cross country for days is frightening to me.
Posted by: DuWayne at December 2, 2006 03:46 PMYAY! I *heart* in-kind exchange. It moves us closer to the Star Trek economy to which I think we should aspire.
Posted by: shelley at December 3, 2006 09:12 AM