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This is an interesting thread if only to highlight the differences between charity shops in the UK and elsewhere. Here (UK) there is a strong tradition of giving used books to charity shops, which are on every high street. Oxfam even has 'book only' shops which do a roaring trade and have hastened the demise of the independent second-hand book shops - the charities get local tax breaks so their shops have lower overheads; the others cannot compete and have steadily disappeared. A used paperback will sell for about £2/£3; they are also an excellent source for used textbooks and history books etc. Until I got my Sony I was a regular customer - buy it, read it and donate it back (for fiction, anyway) - the charity prospers and I got to read good, clean books for a fraction of their cost new.
Clearly, this operation is not widespread in the States or in the rest of Europe ??
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