Book Swap Helps Avid Readers Save Money
Action News 47/Jacksonville FL (TV) - 2/15/2010 by Beth Milograno
JACKSONVILLE, FLA -- With the troubled economy we're all looking for ways to save, especially when it comes to spending money on our favorite things.
Most of us go to the library to get books, but Lynn Dates goes to her mailbox. Dates is a member of paperbackswap.com, an online service that allows folks to trade books with readers all over the country.
"We signed up in June and we've saved $202, which doesn't seem like a lot, but it is when I see how many books they've received," says Dates.
Here's how it works: You register for free and offer 10 books to other readers. When a reader requests your book, you print out a mail postage label and sent it off in the mail. The only cost is the postage which averages about $2.50. Once a member requests a book and receives it, it then belongs to them to use as they see fit. More often than not, it is traded back into the system, but that is entirely at the discretion of the member.
A member does not have to wait to send out 10 books before receiving credit for trading. New members post 10 books onto their PBS Bookshelf and they instantly receive 2 FREE "start-up" credits. They can be used immediately. The trade value is always the same: 1 credit = 1 book, and it doesn't matter if the book is hard cover or paperback. The only exception is audio books. They trade out at 2 credits = 1 audio book.
Dates says her family continues to look for ways to save money in this tough economy, and the site offers big savings.
"This helps alleviate a little of the cost. Books cost between $7 and $10, some are even more than that. If they are reading fast, it adds up over the weeks."
In this tough economy, paperbackswap.com is making saving as easy as simply checking your mail.
Most of us go to the library to get books, but Lynn Dates goes to her mailbox. Dates is a member of paperbackswap.com, an online service that allows folks to trade books with readers all over the country.
"We signed up in June and we've saved $202, which doesn't seem like a lot, but it is when I see how many books they've received," says Dates.
Here's how it works: You register for free and offer 10 books to other readers. When a reader requests your book, you print out a mail postage label and sent it off in the mail. The only cost is the postage which averages about $2.50. Once a member requests a book and receives it, it then belongs to them to use as they see fit. More often than not, it is traded back into the system, but that is entirely at the discretion of the member.
A member does not have to wait to send out 10 books before receiving credit for trading. New members post 10 books onto their PBS Bookshelf and they instantly receive 2 FREE "start-up" credits. They can be used immediately. The trade value is always the same: 1 credit = 1 book, and it doesn't matter if the book is hard cover or paperback. The only exception is audio books. They trade out at 2 credits = 1 audio book.
Dates says her family continues to look for ways to save money in this tough economy, and the site offers big savings.
"This helps alleviate a little of the cost. Books cost between $7 and $10, some are even more than that. If they are reading fast, it adds up over the weeks."
In this tough economy, paperbackswap.com is making saving as easy as simply checking your mail.
