I just signed up on a great website called Bookins. It is a website for trading used books and DVDs. It works really well--you post the books that you have for trade and each book is given a point value (most of the ones I have listed for trade are worth 6 points). You can also create a list of books that you are looking for.
When someone wants to get one of your books, they pay $4.49 to Bookins, and Bookins notifies you and sends you a postage label that you print and use to ship the book (I am assuming they are sending everything via media mail). The postage costs you nothing, and the point value of your book is added to your account.
When you want to get a book for yourself, you buy it with your accumulated points and pay $4.49 for shipping. Buyers and sellers never "meet" or communicate, it is all handled through Bookins.
I think this is a fun idea, and a great way for getting rid of old books and picking up new ones for very little cost. In the past I had sold books at used bookstores (i.e., Half-Price Books) but lately have been getting less and less for them. This looks like a better way.
Unbelievably, about 90 minutes after having posted all my books that I wanted to trade, I had takers for two of them. I got an email with a link that allowed me to print up a media mail postage label. I packaged the books in used padded envelopes (as they suggested) and they are ready to go out in the morning mail. I got 13 points for the transactions, which I can use to get more books.
