High Tech Book Swapping

I love receiving packages in the mail. Don't you?

This is one of the great perks of living in the US, like having Netflix, Amazon, and today I bring you...

Swaptree!

So what is Swaptree, you ask me? Basically, it's a trading service that allows members to trade books, music, DVDs, and video games. You sign up for a membership, list the stuff you have trade, and choose what you'd like to receive. Then the website does some algorithm wherein you can trade what you have to get what you like. Users get sent trade offers and it's up to them to accept the trade or not. You can also see what stuff you can get in exchange for the stuff you've already listed.

Image taken from Swaptree.com

You can either print shipping labels off your own computer (you need to input a credit card for this) or you can take your item to the post office and mail it from there. The only thing you pay for, is shipping your item! Most items cost about $2.50 to ship. I like to print out my own labels cause it saves me a trip to the post office. If you print your own label, you can just drop off your package at a blue USPS collection box.

Occasionally, I end up with a book that doesn't quite deserve permanent space on my bookshelf and that's when I list it on Swaptree. It's a good way to get a lot of slightly older, popular books, but you might have to wait a bit for newer titles. Either way, it's a fun way to trade books without having to spend much.

I just accepted a trade for my copy of I see you everywhere by Julia Glass in exchange for The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. 

Sarah Edwards, I hope you enjoy your "new" book! In the meantime, I'm looking forward to getting my new book too!