How to Purge Books

A recent BTT question had to do with the books we all have sitting around on our shelves, unread. Many of these books are probably not new arrivals in the TBR pile, but have been on those shelves for months or years, perhaps through moves or reorganizations. Chances are some of them will never be read. And if so, it might be time to get rid of them.

I have to admit that I find it particularly hard to get rid of  books, by any method. After a while they become like friends — yes, even the ones I haven’t picked up in years, or at all — and the prospect of parting from my books is woefully unappealing. Sometimes, though, it has to be done.

This brings us to the question: What are the best ways to get rid of books you don’t want anymore?

1) Donate them

1. Libraries. Be sure to check with your librarian about donating — libraries don’t always accept donations anymore, or they may not want or need certain types of books for their collection. But if you’ve got gently used books, your local library might be interested in them
2. Friends of the Library organizations. Many public and academic libraries have Friends of the Library organizations that will hold periodic book sales to raise funds. Your books will be sold in order to help support the library in question.
3. Charities. There are many options here, from your local Goodwill or Salvation Army Thrift Store to organizations looking for books specifically. You might try Books Beyond Borders, Books Through Bars, Books for Africa, and others.
4. Churches, Seniors Centres, Women’s/Homeless Shelters, Halfway Homes, etc. Many of these establishments will have small libraries to which donations may be given. Check with organizations in your local community.

2) Give them away (non-donations)

1. Have a blog? Why not hold a giveaway drawing? You’ll have to pay for shipping, of course, but it’s neat to know that your books are going directly to people interested in them.
2. BookMooch.com is a site dedicated to getting used books from one place to another. You can list books you’d like to get rid of, and have people mooch them for points, and you can redeem your points to mooch other people’s books. I have personally had a lot of sucess with BookMooch.
3. PaperBackSwap.com runs on the same idea as BookMooch. I haven’t used PBS myself but have not heard any complaints about it.
4. Birthday/Christmas/etc. presents. Do you have a book that’s new or only slightly read — or even one that is well used but excellent –  that would be perfect for someone you know? Why not just give it to them? Or if your children are older, why not pass on some of their books to parents with younger kids? Books made great “just because” presents as well.
5. Book Crossing. Release those books into the wild!
6. Put them on Craigslist under “free stuff”. You list it, people take it away. What could be simpler?
7. Put them on your front lawn with a sign that says “Free!”. I’ve snagged books this way.

3) Sell them

1. Have a garage sale (though you might want to wait until summer!).
2. Sell them to a used book store. You probably won’t get a huge amount of money back — let us be realistic — but it’s a good way to support a local used bookstore and make some cash at the same time. Not all stores want all books; be prepared to make several trips. And if you live in a college/university town, don’t forget about campus bookstores.
3. Sell them to students (1). Do you have old textbooks that you don’t want? Do you have lots of classic texts that are likely to be on reading lists? If you google “sell used books [city]” or “sell used books [university]” you’re likely to come up with some good leads. I personally use tusbe.
4. Sell them to students (2). If you’re currently in college or university, check whether your student union organizes any book sales. It’s often a good way to get rid of books you don’t need or want, especially since you can market them to specific courses.
5. Sell them online. Try Craigslist, Amazon, Half.com (an eBay subsidiary, it appears), Facebook Marketplace, AbeBooks, Biblio, etc. If you use a listing to sell books in person, remember to use good personal safety practices.

4) Recycle them

No, don’t recycle them into your blue bin! Make something new. Here are some examples to inspire you:

1. Chair made of paperbacks
2. Bookshelves made of hardcovers
3. Hardcover book purse
4. Book sculptures and other art (very cool!)

5) Your Suggestions

What do you do with your used books?

1. MLO: Another way to give books away is through the Freecycle Network.