Read it, Swap it - Recommended!!

[Littlecherublegs]

I may be way behind the times but I've recently discovered this!!

I was having a clearout and wondering what to do with the books I've read that I dont want anymore and got told about this 'book swapping' website.

Since joining 2 weeks ago (which is free), I have swapped 14 books!

Its great that I've got rid of books I've read and exchanged them for some I've been meaning to read for ages - and all just for the cost of postage!

Well I think its brilliant and would recommend it, that is all!!

The website is:
www.readitswapit.co.uk/TheLibrary.aspx

I used to do this but postage is so expensive now it's cheaper to reserve from the library.

I find that on average it costs about £2.20 to send a book (though some have been cheaper) so I see it as getting a book I want for what is really quite a low price (bearing in mind buying new would be around £7 and even buying from charity shops can be around £3).

Libraries are great though they often dont have what I want and of course you are then limited to the time you have to read it.

I also like the idea of recycling and offering books to other people in exchange for something I want.

For me it works a treat!

I tend to get most of mine now from charity shops - often £1 or less per book, no postage and I'm giving to charity too + donating books I've read. And also from the library.

My tastes were too eclectic for read it swap it, made one swap in the year I was on it. I had more success with Bookmooch which is international and isn't a 'direct trade' concept, you send books out for points and then spend the points on someone elses books. Worked well until postage (especially abroad) got too expensive for quite a lot of the members but I got rid of 400 books that way and spent the points on 600 (they had a system where you got more points for sending internationally which is why there is a discrepancy).

Now I use Amazon, the library and charity shops instead, but I rarely spend more than £1.50 on a book. Plus I still have quite a lot unread in the house .

I intermittently use RISI. The forums are great for book recommendations and discussions when this bit of MN moves too slowly for you!

I used it for about a year and had some really good swaps, things I wouldn't have ever come across otherwise. The big drawback for me was having to keep a stock of books I no longer wanted to list for swapping and I couldn't justify the shelf space (small house) so I gave up in the end.

I agree the forums are good though, I really ought to go back and have a look again.

I found that a reasonable number of people wanted my books - but they didn't have books that I fancied. I think its probably great for fiction but less good if you like obscure non-fiction stuff.

I did make a few good swaps, but like WhoKnowsWhere I got sick of keeping books in the house to swap that I would otherwise have got rid of.

I'd definitely prefer a swap-for-points system.

I did some interesting swaps, but postage is expensive and you have to post things quickly, I once got into a bit of a ruck with someone because we'd agreed the swap on the Wednesday and I didn't get to post it until Monday.

Bookmooch does a books for points system and that can work better in some ways - with RISI, it can be hard to find someone who has books you want and who actually wants any of your swap books.

I do love the forums on RISI though, I haven't swapped for ages but I suggested a mini-meetup in Ilkley where we are staying with my mum on Sunday and lots of other people wanted to come along - the original person I was going to meet has had to pull out because other stuff has come up, but 8 of us are having lunch and perhaps looking round the local charity shops/having a bit of a face to face swap.