Internet's first get-out-of-debt community - 122,000 members

Hope no one minds if I put in a shameless plug for a new website I found recently, and fell in love with!

It's a site for swapping paperback books between fellow readers and book lovers. You post the books you have available to trade (must be clean and in decent condition - no torn covers, etc.), and when someone requests your book, you print out a mailer (very cool, just print it on regular paper and fold it around the book), and send it out. Average postage via Media Mail is $1.59 for a paperback book. Once the requester receives your book and marks it received on the site, you receive a credit and can request a book from someone else! And it works the same way - you request the book, and the person listing the book sends it to you and pays the postage! Great way to build your library or obtain new reading material you couldn't otherwise find locally - and at a great price, too! Look at it this way: if you go to your local department store and buy a book, you'll pay a lot more than the $1.59 in postage it costs you to send a book to someone else on the site. If you go to a local thrift store, you won't find the selection available on the site (over 800,000 books so far). If you go to the library, the book has to be back within 2 weeks, and isn't yours to keep if you want.

I'm really loving it - I've posted 149 books so far (yes, 149 of my OWN books..well, ok, I stole some of my daughter's!), and I've received 3 in the mail, have 3 more on the way, and I have 6 books to mail out tomorrow - so soon, I'll be able to request 6 more for me!

I know we're not supposed to list other websites on here, so if anyone is interested in participating, pm me, and I'll send you the info. Joining the site is free at this time, because they're just getting started. Later on, they may start charging a yearly membership fee, but they promise to keep it low.

Just thought I'd toss this out there - it's a cheap way to get new reading material - I just hope I can keep getting books as fast as I'm reading them!

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:00 pm Subject:

Oh thanks!! You are the greatest, Sue, you and I are going to be great friends!

I go to a neat bookstore in Holland every few weeks..similar concept..Only problem is that the selection is sometimes lacking. I'm going to check this out on Friday!

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:03 pm Subject:

Fins - you should make the annual Thanksgiving trip with me to VA. (Didn't make it this year due to low funds, etc.)

There's a book fair there (search the web on Green Valley Book Fair) that has a huge amount of books, all up to 90% off retail. Overstock from mail order book clubs, etc. Incredible place. I've been going there for years. They are only open a few times a year, for a week at a time. I've gotten some incredible deals there - big coffee table type books that normally sell for $30 sell for $10 there.