How to get rid of a paperback collection in UK?

kiwidude · 09-19-2011, 08:06 AM

Can anyone suggest to me what I should do with (guessing 300-400) paperbacks all in mint condition of popular/mainstream fiction authors (classics/fantasty/sf/thriller) that I want to be rid of from my flat in London? I have made the decision to override my sentiment and begone with them, being thoroughly converted to the world of Kindle and e-ink.

Selling them one by one isn't an option. Sitting for hours at a car boot sale isn't either. Time/value etc. What else can I do with them? Will a charity shop or something take them? Would you attempt some kind of bulk batch on ebay? How have others facing this issue got rid of them?

I much prefer the Kindle reading experience for reasons stated a million times on other threads. Despite chipping away there are still at least 50-100 books in the above I haven't read yet, but I am sick of feeling "guilty" when I prefer to pickup my Kindle instead. (It isn't that my tastes in the books themeselves have changed, I just far prefer the ebook experience).

The money is spent. It is only the fact that there are "hundreds" that makes me question whether giving them away (assuming I can even find a recipient) is the only thing I can do with them.

Any suggestions welcomed.

avantman42 · 09-19-2011, 08:14 AM

We gave some away on our local Freecycle group, but gave most of them to a local charity shop that has a room dedicated to second hand books. If you're a UK taxpayer and you give them to a charity shop, they can have Gift Aid applied, which means that the charity will get an extra 28% on top of whatever they sell them for. You'll need to give the charity your name and address for them to be able to get Gift Aid.

J. Strnad · 09-19-2011, 08:21 AM

Very few things drop in value like a book. I had an entire pick-up truck filled with books at one time that I could hardly give away. Finally a library took them for its annual book sale.

DMB · 09-19-2011, 08:41 AM

I gave away several thousand paperbacks and hardbacks in the UK earlier this year. I tried various charities and no-one was very interested. In the end I gave them to my family, my friends and friends of family and friends. As word got around, I got more takers. There are also jumble sales and various commercial places that raise money for charity as a side issue. I gave some to a small country station with no commercial bookstall where the stationmaster sold books for charity to travellers at 50p a pop. I also went into a Co-op supermarket recently where there was a 50p bookstall for charity. If you can't find anything like that, you could approach a venue and suggest doing it for your favourite charity.

pdurrant · 09-19-2011, 08:44 AM

Hmm... all this does rather suggest that the resale value of paper books is dropping towards zero...

I certainly used to buy loads of second-hand books. I don't buy any now.

JoeD · 09-19-2011, 08:46 AM

Car boots to get rid of any that may still have some value, we got between 25p and £1 per book, but mostly people turned their nose up even at 25p

followed by visits to various charity drop offs. Depending on the genre you could always contact local nursing homes to see if they'd like a collection of books.

Crusader · 09-19-2011, 10:12 AM

I think there's a UK version of Better World Books who might be interested if you want to donate - http://www.betterworldbooks.co.uk/In...ooks-m-68.aspx

Or how about selling it to Amazon?

OneandonlyDoc · 09-19-2011, 12:02 PM

You could try your local used book shop, see if they're in the market. You might not make a lot of money, but you could make some.

ProfCrash · 09-19-2011, 12:10 PM

Try donating them to a hospital, homeless shelters, or even a prison.

anamardoll · 09-19-2011, 01:21 PM

Someone recommended awhile back a website where you...

1. Scanned your books (hand scanners are on Amazon for ~20),
2. Boxed them up,
3. Sent them to the company (they paid the shipping)
4. Received a check.

I cannot for the life of me remember the name of this place. Hold on...

Here we go: http://www.cash4books.net/faq.php

EDIT: Ah, crumbs, they are US-only. Maybe there's a UK version though?

Hellmark · 09-19-2011, 02:13 PM

See about a used book store. Many will buy lots like that. If not that, donate to a library.

Bricorn · 09-19-2011, 03:13 PM

Gut Fawkes night is only 7 weeks away.

DMB · 09-19-2011, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmark

See about a used book store. Many will buy lots like that. If not that, donate to a library.

I tried to find a library in Switzerland that would take my serious hardback books, but they didn't really want them. I tried the local university as I thought they might be interested in scholarly books in English, but they only wanted a few popular novels! I'm not sure any libraries will necessarily want paperbacks.

TFeldt · 09-19-2011, 03:44 PM

I've given up. Breaks my heart to say it but throwing them out with the *sniff* garbage is the only option I see. It might work out better for you since the majority of my book collection was in english and swedish charities just looked at me funny when I tried to drop some off.

DMB · 09-19-2011, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TFeldt

I've given up. Breaks my heart to say it but throwing them out with the *sniff* garbage is the only option I see. It might work out better for you since the majority of my book collection was in english and swedish charities just looked at me funny when I tried to drop some off.

But every Swede I've ever met seems to be competent in English. Is that really such a barrier?

09-19-2011, 08:06 AM	#1
kiwidude Calibre Plugins Developer Posts: 4,721 Karma: 2197770 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis	How to get rid of a paperback collection in UK? Can anyone suggest to me what I should do with (guessing 300-400) paperbacks all in mint condition of popular/mainstream fiction authors (classics/fantasty/sf/thriller) that I want to be rid of from my flat in London? I have made the decision to override my sentiment and begone with them, being thoroughly converted to the world of Kindle and e-ink. Selling them one by one isn't an option. Sitting for hours at a car boot sale isn't either. Time/value etc. What else can I do with them? Will a charity shop or something take them? Would you attempt some kind of bulk batch on ebay? How have others facing this issue got rid of them? I much prefer the Kindle reading experience for reasons stated a million times on other threads. Despite chipping away there are still at least 50-100 books in the above I haven't read yet, but I am sick of feeling "guilty" when I prefer to pickup my Kindle instead. (It isn't that my tastes in the books themeselves have changed, I just far prefer the ebook experience). The money is spent. It is only the fact that there are "hundreds" that makes me question whether giving them away (assuming I can even find a recipient) is the only thing I can do with them. Any suggestions welcomed.

09-19-2011, 01:21 PM	#10
anamardoll Chasing Butterflies Posts: 3,132 Karma: 5074169 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: American Southwest Device: Uses batteries.	Someone recommended awhile back a website where you... 1. Scanned your books (hand scanners are on Amazon for ~20), 2. Boxed them up, 3. Sent them to the company (they paid the shipping) 4. Received a check. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of this place. Hold on... Here we go: http://www.cash4books.net/faq.php EDIT: Ah, crumbs, they are US-only. Maybe there's a UK version though? Last edited by anamardoll; 09-19-2011 at 01:24 PM.

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09-19-2011, 08:14 AM	#2
avantman42 Wizard Posts: 1,090 Karma: 6058305 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: UK Device: Kindle Paperwhite	We gave some away on our local Freecycle group, but gave most of them to a local charity shop that has a room dedicated to second hand books. If you're a UK taxpayer and you give them to a charity shop, they can have Gift Aid applied, which means that the charity will get an extra 28% on top of whatever they sell them for. You'll need to give the charity your name and address for them to be able to get Gift Aid.

09-19-2011, 08:21 AM	#3
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	Very few things drop in value like a book. I had an entire pick-up truck filled with books at one time that I could hardly give away. Finally a library took them for its annual book sale.

09-19-2011, 08:41 AM	#4
DMB Old Git Posts: 958 Karma: 1840790 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Switzerland (mostly) Device: Two kindle PWs wifi, kindle fire, iPad3 wifi	I gave away several thousand paperbacks and hardbacks in the UK earlier this year. I tried various charities and no-one was very interested. In the end I gave them to my family, my friends and friends of family and friends. As word got around, I got more takers. There are also jumble sales and various commercial places that raise money for charity as a side issue. I gave some to a small country station with no commercial bookstall where the stationmaster sold books for charity to travellers at 50p a pop. I also went into a Co-op supermarket recently where there was a 50p bookstall for charity. If you can't find anything like that, you could approach a venue and suggest doing it for your favourite charity.

09-19-2011, 08:44 AM	#5
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 73,649 Karma: 315126578 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	Hmm... all this does rather suggest that the resale value of paper books is dropping towards zero... I certainly used to buy loads of second-hand books. I don't buy any now.

09-19-2011, 08:46 AM	#6
JoeD Guru Posts: 895 Karma: 4383958 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: na	Car boots to get rid of any that may still have some value, we got between 25p and £1 per book, but mostly people turned their nose up even at 25p followed by visits to various charity drop offs. Depending on the genre you could always contact local nursing homes to see if they'd like a collection of books.

09-19-2011, 10:12 AM	#7
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	I think there's a UK version of Better World Books who might be interested if you want to donate - http://www.betterworldbooks.co.uk/In...ooks-m-68.aspx Or how about selling it to Amazon?

09-19-2011, 12:02 PM	#8
OneandonlyDoc Fearless Writer Posts: 210 Karma: 375317 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: In a mitten! Device: Kobo Wifi	You could try your local used book shop, see if they're in the market. You might not make a lot of money, but you could make some.

09-19-2011, 12:10 PM	#9
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Try donating them to a hospital, homeless shelters, or even a prison.

09-19-2011, 02:13 PM	#11
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,591 Karma: 4290425 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Foristell, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3, Kobo Libra 2	See about a used book store. Many will buy lots like that. If not that, donate to a library.

09-19-2011, 03:13 PM	#12
Bricorn Addict Posts: 289 Karma: 7788748 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Fun Town, Thailand Device: Kindle DXG	Gut Fawkes night is only 7 weeks away.

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09-19-2011, 03:44 PM	#14
TFeldt Connoisseur Posts: 75 Karma: 166880 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Sweden Device: Asus Transformer, Galaxy S	I've given up. Breaks my heart to say it but throwing them out with the sniff garbage is the only option I see. It might work out better for you since the majority of my book collection was in english and swedish charities just looked at me funny when I tried to drop some off.