5 Ways to Declutter Books and Make a Little Money

I love books! It doesn't matter the author or the length; if it is a book I will read it with just one exception. I do not read Sci-Fi. The problem is there is only so much room in my home to store all the books that I read and my library doesn't always have the book I want to read either so that leaves me to buy quite a few. Some of you know that one of my goals for this year is to declutter the house and turn it into the home we can love and enjoy. This means I am looking for ways to get rid of books on a fairly regular schedule. So I thought I would share with you what I have been doing to accomplish this task.

1. Local Public Library - I check my local library's online catalog to see if they have the books. (Our local library built a brand new building last year and they do not have a lot of money to buy new books. Also when I walked in to it the first time, I was absolutely amazed at how many paperback books it had compared to hardback. I've had a library card since I was 5 and in all our years of living in many different places have never seen that many paperbacks in a library.)

2. Used Book Store - We are lucky enough to have 2 used book stores close by and a few others within driving distance. (I trade paperbacks here in order to try and save some money not having to pay full price.)

3. Goodwill - I have donated many books to them over the years. If you itemize your taxes they can be written off under charitable donations.

4. CKY Books - This is something new I just found and tried recently. I had several books that the library didn't need and was hoping to get a little money back from them. It was so easy. You go to their site, enter the ISBN and they will tell you what they pay for them. If you accept the offer, you then print out the packing slip & free mailing label, box up your books, drop the box at the PO and wait for payment to your Paypal account. I prepared them for shipping on June 6, mailed the box out on June 7, and received a deposit to my Paypal on June 15 for $22.68.

5. Paperback Swap - I have had a membership there for 3 years and have had 242 transactions. At Paperback Swap after you join, you list all the books you want to swap and then wait for other members to request them from you, when you receive a request you wrap up the book and mail it out. (Only cost to you is the postage to mail.) When you sign up and list 10 books to receive 2 free credits. You then use the credits to request books from other member. For each book you send to others you get 1 credit. According to them I have saved $427.50 trading books. It is super easy and with postage paid online you can drop the book in your home mailbox. The only complaint I have is the wait for books I want to read to be available. I may or may not possibly have issues with patience.

Currently my preferred way is the local library and the used book store, but I think CKY books may quickly become a new favorite way.

Comments

  1. Thank you for the CKY mention! I'm thrilled you had a good experience and hope we can help you out some more. Good luck with the de-cluttering!

    Rhoni@ckybooks.com
    http://www.ckybooks.com/blog

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  2. I also take my books to the used book store when I can, and I donate to the library as well. My problem is finding the time to read them first. I'm a little backed up.

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