It's a Book-Recycling Bonanza !

I've found two very interesting 'book recycling/auction/swapping' - type websites, which are both based in the UK.

The first is a place where people can simply swap books with each other, without any charge for listing books, and no cost other than postage (which each person pays for their own book, as it's sent out).

People just build up a list (however humble or meagre, to begin with) and can then approach anybody with a nice lookign book in their list, and ask whether they might like one of your own books in exchange.

You might get turned down a few times, but I've swapped out quite a few books in my time.
And most of mine weren't even all that good, the ones I put up there.

It's a good community, and the range of books available is really good.

(1) Read it Swap it -
http://www.readitswapit.co.uk/TheLibrary.aspx




The second place, I've just found.
It's an auction/recycling website, in the style of Amazon.
About halfway towards being ReaditSwapit, this is a similar place.

The main difference is that it uses a system of charging for books, whereby people pay £3.75 to buy every book which is listed on the website, and people are paid £3 of that money for every book which they sell there.
5p of the money from each sale is donated to the Woodland Trust, which is nice as well, and I think that overall it seems a bit more secure. I think the whole system is really nice, and it seems well-run etc.

I've just recently found this website, so I've yet to sign up any books with them.
But, it'll be good to try it and see how I get on.


(2) Green Metropolis -
http://www.greenmetropolis.com/


~ yay !

I've just found out about this online resource -
http://www.universitybooksearch.co.uk

It's basically an online auction house, for either pre-owned or used Open University text-books and course-materials.

(^-^) I've just used it to purchase my first book, and much to my delight discovered that many of the books are sold for the benefit of OUSET (an organisation which has been set up to fund the course/s of students who unexpectedly find themselves to be financially disadvantaged in the middle of doing a qualification, and who have been unable to get funding through any other means, to continue their studies.)

When I wrote to the buyer with a purchase request, their reply included the following blurb -

Quote :

Recycling Open University course material for the benefit of students throughout the world

This is material that I have been given by OU Regional Libraries to sell on the web-site in aid of the Open University Student Educational Trust (OUSET) - over £45,000 has been donated so far.

Excellent !

This is the sort of thing I'd like to support, particularly more so since I'm presently having my studies with the OU funded because of having a low income / being on benefits.