Swaptree.com

I was recommended swaptree as a great alternative to paperbackswap, so I decided to give it a try.  I have to say that I don’t think its quite a right fit for me, but I can see why people love it.

It’s a pretty simple concept.  You make a straight trade with another member.  No counting credits, no sending out all your books without anything coming in.  It’s like this:  Members make lists of things they’re offering for trade, and lists of things they want.  Then, when two members make a match (I’ll give you my High School Musical DVD for your hardcover of Breaking Dawn…) they exchange information and mail each other their items.  If you’re not sure what you want for your Kingdom Hearts game, you can browse the list of things people are offering.  As you browse the list, you say “Oh!  The Labrynth on DVD.  I love David Bowie!  I want that!”  See?  Easy.

This system is much better than paperbackswap for people who want to barter a greater variety of items.  It also helps that the things you want are much less likely to be taken, since only people who meet the offerer’s trade requirements may claim it.

The reason this system doesn’t work very well for me is because of my binding snobbery.  For example, I am trying to collect Hardcover versions of my Harry Potter books.  However, even though I only listed hardcover ISBNs in my wishlist, my offers come sometimes without information about the bindings, or saying they’re paperback.  And since the ISBN number doesn’t show up in swap requests, I can’t be sure I’m not just being offered a  paperback of HP and the OOP.  Furthermore, I can’t seem to find any way to contact the offerer to ask.  So, I have let at least two trades go because I don’t want to waste a trade on a book I don’t want.

I have recently traded away a book for a dvd, which was a great trade for me.  The only part that makes me nervous about the trade is that I have no idea if the person I sent my book to actually received it.  You report when an item doesn’t arrive, but as far as I can tell, you can’t mark it mailed or received.

Also, as a side note- if you do use both swaptree and paperbackswap, keep in mind that you will have to keep track of your books on both sites.  If you swap out a book on swaptree, make sure to take it off your pbs list, too- and vice versa.  That can get to be a bit of a pain, but its worth the effort if you have your heart set on shaking up your bookshelf.

All in all, swaptree is definitely a great site for  people looking to swap dvds, cds and games, and for those book traders who aren’t picky like me about which binding they get.  I’ve pulled books from my “i want” list, and am just hoping someone is looking to trade a season of Gilmore Girls for my copy of The Princess Diaries.   And I’m just trying to ignore that nagging feeling that the book I mailed is lost out there in postal service limbo.

snopes.com

Every once in a while, I get one of those emails.  You know the ones. Bill Gates will pay you for forwarding an email.  Robbers are using perfume to entice and knock out victims in parking lots.  Sign this petition or your children will be forced to pray to Paris Hilton in school. (okay, so I made that last one up, but you get the idea.)  So, is it true?  Will you actually get paid to click your mouse a couple times?  Is it safe to go to the mall again?  That’s where Snopes.com comes in.  It is a great resource to let you know if that dangerous computer virus actually exists, or if gang members really do shoot the people who flash their brights at them for not having headlights on.  When the people at Snopes learn about an urban legend, they research it until they can either confirm its authenticity (yes, burglars have been known to check obituaries so they can rob people who are away at funerals)  or debunk it (believe it or not, men don’t think about sex every seven seconds.)   It’s very useful, yes.  However, its also very entertaining.  for example, did you know there is an urban legend about someone taking a dress off a corpse just before burial, then returning it to the store.  Then, when it’s next owner wears it, the embalming fluids leach into her skin and kill her,  Obviously not true, but still- quite a story.
Navigating the site is quite easy.  You can search by keywords “hook,” “car,” and “door” gets you…well, I’m sure you’ve heard that particular urban legend before.  or, if you’re just looking for laughs, you can browse in one of their forty plus topic groups.  For example, under “Old wives’ tales,” you’ll learn that gum does not, in fact, take seven years to pass through your system. (and in case you’re wondering, your face will not stick like that.  And I didn’t even need Snopes for that one!)
They also have a newsletter that you can subscribe to, a community forum for talking about urban legends and more with other fans of the site, and a nifty randomizer.  You click on it, and they will randomly select an urban legend article for you to read.
The site is definitely worth a peek, particularly if you (like me) want those bulk emails to stop.  I have become synonymous with email debunking in my family, to the point that when my aunts hear rumors (”does Barack Obama really refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance?”)  they come to me for my Snopes-like wisdom. (”no, he doesn’t.  This rumor was based on…..”)

Happy rumor-hunting!

“It’s great to learn, ‘Cuz knowledge is power!” -Schoolhouse Rock

Paperbackswap.com

I would never get away with my new book snobbishness (I’m now purging my house of mass market paperbacks) if it weren’t for paperbackswap.com. Its the perfect place to unload those dry classics you read in college, and replace them with something jucier. Or drier, if that’s your thing. It’s where you can take that great European travel book and replace it with What To Expect When You’re Expecting. Or trade the how-to-make-a-million-overnight book with a living-on-a-shoestring guide. You get the picture.

The process is simple. Once you have registered on paperbackswap, you gather up the books you no longer want, and post them to the system, using the ISBN number (which can be found on the back cover or with all the publishing info on one of the first pages). Then, when someone wants your book, a request is sent to your email. You can either accept or reject their request, depending on if you can actually find the book, and if it meets their conditions). You mail the book to their address at your cost. Then when they receive the book, they mark it and you get one credit toward a book request of your own, which someone else mails to you on their dime. simple, right?

Of course, some books are more popular than others. You may post your copy of The Da Vinci Code, but it gets put in back of the list of all posted Da Vinci Code books with your ISBN. And since the DaVinci code is SO five years ago, it may not be requested for a long time. Conversely, just try to get your hands on a copy of Breaking Dawn (the 4th Twilight book.) There are nearly 1,000 people waiting for it right now.

So, what’s the benefit of paperbackswap over, say, the book section of a thrift store? Well, paperback swap is like taking the book section of all the thrift stores in your state and putting them together into one. Minus the old National Geographics and 1970’s Encyclopedias. Also, besides books (hardcover and paperback) for all ages, paperbackswap offers audiobooks for 2 credits each. Considering how rare used audio books are, that is a great deal.

Paperbackswap is entirely free to use. You can pay for certain features, like having the postage printed right on the wrapper, or extra book credits, but the typical user doesn’t pay for anything except shipping their books out to other members. Beyond the basic book-swapping, PBS has a great community with lots of stuff to do and see. You can make lists of books you’ve read, suggest books to friends, rate and review books, use your ratings to find something else you might like, visit the forum, play games, read things written by other members, swap recipes…. basically, it’s the go-to site for librophiles like me.

if you sign up, add me (hookedonmonix)to your buddy list. I look forward to seeing you there!