Mike Morrell of Zoecarnate sent me an e-mail regarding a free book swapping club called Paperback Swap. I am a book aficionado, so I was immediately interested. Paperback Swap is a fantastic idea! Frankly, I am surprised it has taken this long for someone to birth this idea into virtual reality. Paperback Swap is a free club wherein members can swap old books they have read for new books they want to read. It’s a great way to share resources, make new connections, and free oneself just a little bit more from the suffocating limitations of consumer consumption.
The following is, according to Mike, the “canned” explanation of the Paperback Swap Club.
“Do you have any used books lying around? Ones you’ve already enjoyed, but you’re never going to read again? I did, and I finally found a great way to share them with other people!
It seems that a few guys were sitting around one night talking about all the paperback books that they purchased over the years while traveling on business. Each of them had a large stack of books that they had read, so they decided to set up a website at Paperback Swap that allows all of us to swap books with each other.
Let me tell you how it works – because it is so easy! I listed a bunch of books on the site (you need to list at least 9 books to begin trading) and I got 3 free book credits to get started. So you can order 3 books right away – free of charge – and have them mailed directly to you! No strings attached. No gimmicks. No spam mail. Nothing. You just have to love reading books.
When another member selects one of my books that I have listed, I mail it to them. Yes, I pay for the postage. But then I get a book credit and I can select a book that I want. So another Club Member returns the favor and mails me one of his or her books free of charge. For every book I mail out, I get another book in return – a true shared system!
And when someone requests one of your books, all you have to do is print two pieces of regular paper from your printer which includes the mailing address and the recommended postage. Apply the postage, and drop it in the mail. Hey, for a typical paperback, you don’t even need to go to the post office.
Right now the annual club membership is free. Eventually the founders will ask everyone to help contribute to pay for the upkeep of the web site, but for now the annual club membership is free. The annual dues will probably be between $10 and $20 based on the number of people in the club. But again, right now you don’t even have to pay any dues for one year if you become a Member.
You really need to check this out. And if you do sign up, use the following link:
For more information about the site, you can visit the Help area, by clicking the link below, and select ‘About PBS’ to read how it works:
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