Book Swapping Is a Greener Choice for Book Lovers
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 03.29.08
After pointing out the bizarre, “eco-friendly” claims of businesses trying to rent college books to students via the internet, I recently came across a site which does, in fact, make eco-sense.
It’s not geared specifically towards college books, but it enables book-lovers everywhere to swap theirs with other members of the 2Swap community just by paying the postage to mail out a book from their collection that they no longer need.
That puts a credit into your account, which enables you to request a book from another member who will, in fact, pay the postage to mail you a book they have laying around and earn a credit themselves.
The intent is to get used books out of dusty old closets and back into circulation where they can be put to good use, creating less need for people to purchase new books and helping them to save a buck at the same time.
Of course the local library is often just down the street. But for getting old books back into circulation I’d have to say that this book-lending scheme gets an A+ from me.
See also:: Renting College Books: Greenwash or Green Choice?
via:: 2Swap
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I agree. Online book swapping communities definitely make eco-sense, as they maximize the usage of each copy that is already printed in a similar way to what libraries do.
Another book swapping site that is based on free swapping is bookmooch (http://www.bookmooch.com), which has more than 500,000 members. The swapping in bookmooch is based on a points system, where every time you give someone a book, you earn a point and can get any book you want from anyone else at BookMooch.
Raz Godelnik
Eco-Libris
i use www.bookmooch.com
Also PaperBackSwap (not just for paperbacks).
I use BookMooch, its much larger.
see also bookmooch.com.
Bookmooch is superior to 2Swap and Paperbackswap for one big reason: Not everyone lives in the US. Bookmooch is international.
Sounds like a complicated version of a used bookstore. Get used books cheap, read them, and give them back. I'd wager that all the postage used would be more expensive than heading to the used bookstore in town, and buying your paperback at half-cover price.
I use paperbackswap.com
I use www.PaperBackSwap.com
They have over 2million books in their inventory.
Swapping books may be good for the environment but it is also good for the pocketbook. I've been swapping for a little over a year and I've saved over $700.
I use swaptree.com and have ever since i read a great article on the service on treehugger:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/swaptree_new_on.php
Not just for books but also dvds, cds, video games. Totally free.
bookins.com is great too!
couple of good ones for UK based booklovers is readitswapit.co.uk and weswapbooks.com
Both friendly communities with plenty of good books.