Night Elf Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I cleaned off every homeschool shelf in my house. I have a trunk full of books that I don't want in my home anymore. I had my DH put them in the trunk of the car to donate because the very idea of selling so many books is totally overwhelming. I would have to buy several packs of thick bubble envelopes and several packing boxes. By the time I send those books off, I will have paid lots of $$ and expended lots of energy into organizing, listing, selling, packing, driving 5 miles to the post office, standing in a long line with no more than 2 postal workers, and mailing them. It rarely seems worth the money to do this, and yet I feel very guilty just giving them away. What would you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 How about donating them to Book Samaritan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Excellent idea and a potential tax write off. How about donating them to Book Samaritan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 are there no homschooling groups in your area? Some organise used books sale. Since it's local, there's no shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I just did the same thing. I auction on Ebay though because I already have all of the mailers and I do everything via Paypal. I can print the postage at home and the postman will schedule a pick up or I can go to the post office and since there is already postage on the packages I just bypass the line and stack on their counter. It is pretty fast and nice to have something for all those books. You might check out doing the postage with Paypal and scheduling a postal pickup....it really does decrease the hassle. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I'm in the same boat you are. I don't have a trunk of books, though, but enough to give me pause. I do, however, plan to sell some (or try). I will NOT be selling on eBay, though. I sold there for years many moons ago, and then they started getting greedy (both eBay, and the buyers who seemed to think that my items were negotiable like a yard sale AFTER the auctions were completed), so I stopped. I plan to try selling my best stuff here. What I have done is to separate my items into three stacks.... one to sell here..... one to sell at my co-op's end of the year book thingy... and one labeled "free". The 'free' box will also be coming to my co-op's sale--- in it are items like a spelling book I picked up for free (so I'm paying it forward), some writing prompts that cost me next to nothing, partially written in workbooks that just didn't work out for us, boxes of crayons I picked up for $.10 each before I knew we wouldn't be needing them anymore... that sort of thing. Anything left over will go to a local thrift store where I have found many homeschooling bargains. My reasoning for breaking my sellable items into two piles is because I use materials not too common for my area, so I don't think they would sell at my co-op. They are, however, used frequently on this board (like the extra Teacher's manual for Jacob's Geometry that I have--- no one I know IRL knows who Harold Jacobs is, therefore it wouldn't sell, but here it might). So, while I will have to package & ship my items, I can get my boxes from Wal-Mart and even the post office for free (don't they still give out the priority boxes & envelopes free? I may be wrong on that, though). The bit of tape & time I will spend on prepping & shipping will be worth it to me because (as odd as this may sound), I'll 'know' someone is getting my stuff and will put it to good use, whereas I imagine the thrift store people just dumping my box on the floor and people rummaging through it, stepping all over it, etc. I know it doesn't make sense, but I'm weird that way. :tongue_smilie: Oh, and our post office is horrid, too..... the week before Christmas, they had ONE window open and 30+ people in line. I HATE it!!! I plan to drive WAY out of my way to hit a small rural one (and maybe get a Starbucks treat on the way home).... I figure the time spent will be the same, but my frustration level will be much lower, therefore, worth it. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I used to sell all of mine (elementary level), but you are right; it got to be an unbelievable hassel, so I looked for other avenues. I then sent mine out to Book Samaritan one year and the postage (book rate) alone cost me over $80. I think I had three or four boxes. I won't do that again, although I'd dearly love to support them. I gave a large portion of 'living books' away. I called a few ladies that I know who also homeschool, and they called some that they know, etc. and they all came over, pawed through them, and loaded up their trunks! I feel better knowing that at least other homeschoolers are getting good use of them. Now, I just have upper level high school texts/sets left, so I call a local 'supervising teacher' and just give them to her. She keeps them, like a library of sorts, and loans them out to her oversight families that need them each year, and then gets them back to loan out to someone else the next year. She has told me that several families that have wanted to homeschool their high school students but just didn't have the funds for those expensive high school sets have been able to teach their kids at home because of the books that I've given her. I am SO thankful to be a part in enabling parents to keep their kids at home. So, don't feel guilty about giving them away. Just look around and try to fill a need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 (edited) Do you have a used bookstore in your area where you might be able to trade them for credit? Ours are happy to accept homeschool books and the credit can be used for any kind of book at ours, not just hs books. They sell books for half the cover price and you get 25% of the cover price in credit. Are you involved in a homeschool support group IRL or know of one in the area who might be interested in the books? If so, you could post a note to them saying that you have a big box of books to sell and will be at such and such a location at such and such times if anyone wants to look at them, cash only. If you aren't part of their membership, if you ask they may be willing to let you post items for sale, don't know. You may not get rid of all of them that way, but it would probably winnow down the pile. This is likely to get you the largest amount of cash for them. Alternatively, see if there's a Craigslist in your area. Here's the list for Georgia http://geo.craigslist.org/iso/us/ga. I see you're in Georgia, so it may still be warm enough on the weekends to continue yard sales where you are. Put a notice in the yard sale section of the paper that you're having one and specifically list that you have homeschool books. That way you can probably get rid of any other stuff you want to sell as well at the same time. You might not get as much, depending on how you price, but it would be more than nothing. Would the public library have any interest in having them? Ours has a small homeschooling section and that would let folks have a chance to look at them in person and possibly use them on an ongoing basis. It would also provide your tax write-off without having to mail them out. At ours, even if they don't add donated books to the collection, they put them in the library book sale to raise funds and you still get the write-off without having to send them somewhere. Edited January 5, 2010 by KarenNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I just did the same thing. I auction on Ebay though because I already have all of the mailers and I do everything via Paypal. I can print the postage at home and the postman will schedule a pick up or I can go to the post office and since there is already postage on the packages I just bypass the line and stack on their counter. It is pretty fast and nice to have something for all those books. You might check out doing the postage with Paypal and scheduling a postal pickup....it really does decrease the hassle. :) Heh... you posted while I was typing. I never knew the post office would schedule a pick up... how neat. Now I may have to give up my Starbucks treat in favor of staying home and letting the post office work for me for once. What a novel idea! :tongue_smilie: Sadly, though, my post office doesn't care if you have labels on or not... there are no separate lines for anything.... not even if you are just picking up a package with the little note that was left in your mailbox because the delivery person was too lazy to come to the door (and you watched it all happen because you were expecting said package and were waiting for it). And complaints go nowhere.:rant: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Some items are worth selling. I've never understood listing paperbacks found in most used bookstores for $2 or less, but some homeschool books and currriculum bring a profit (or at least mitigate cost). My budget for so many years has been such that I can't not consider selling. I have, however, lately turned in used homeschool books for exchange credit at the Houston Homeschool Store - but not everyone has that wonderful option. My budget has been such that I've accepted donations, and I have to tell you that they've been a tremendous, welcome blessing. If that's your choice, know it's likely you'll bless a struggling homeschool family. :):grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
home4school Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 (edited) Are there any used homeschool book sales near you? I keep all mine and once a year the Southeast Homeschool Expo hosts a used book sale during the expo. Also, there are a few churches, hs groups, etc. that have a sale once a year. They charge just a small fee, maybe 3%. Its a wonderful way for me to get rid of things I don't need, get actual $$ for it, plus get to shop other people's items for bargains. My only complaint is last sale they "lost" my All American History set which included the TM, text, and Activity Book. I had it priced at $50, so it was quite a bummer. But that's the only problem I've ever had in about 6 yrs of doing the sales. Maybe you could organize one for your area if there's not one already. Kim Edited January 5, 2010 by home4school Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 (edited) You could have a homeschool yard sale. I had one two Saturdays and advertised it on Craigslist. I sold some to my local homeschooling and regular bookstore for credit. I donated the rest. I have my extras right now on www.paperbackswap. I have 24 credits stored up right now for buying books in the future, or I may sell my credits. For lower priced books, you could price them as 5 for $10 or something like that. Edited January 5, 2010 by nestof3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 My recent solution has been to make an email list of the books (& brief description, or website link) & prices, and send it out to friends at our church. They can "reserve" any books ahead of time, and I give the books to them in a Walmart bag with an itemized list. They can look through the books & make a final decision to buy or return them. For the books that are NOT pre-reserved, I put in a cardboard box in the church basement, with a sign. The books are priced and easy to examine. Between services, friends can look through them. Try to target homeschooling friends who have children slightly younger than yours. It really can be a blessing for them, as well as you. I do not try to get "top dollar". Probably about half-price of new (for good stuff). $1 for hardback & 50 cents for paperback for reading books. Our local homeschool group also has an annual used curriculum sale. The sale prices are low, but it's great to have an outlet for your cast offs. (And buy from others!) Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 5, 2010 Author Share Posted January 5, 2010 I just did the same thing. I auction on Ebay though because I already have all of the mailers and I do everything via Paypal. I can print the postage at home and the postman will schedule a pick up or I can go to the post office and since there is already postage on the packages I just bypass the line and stack on their counter. It is pretty fast and nice to have something for all those books. You might check out doing the postage with Paypal and scheduling a postal pickup....it really does decrease the hassle. :) Can you print postage for media mail? or just first class? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 5, 2010 Author Share Posted January 5, 2010 How about donating them to Book Samaritan? I tried to contact them once before when I had a large number of books to donate, and they never responded. I assumed they went out of business. Guess not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 5, 2010 Author Share Posted January 5, 2010 I do, however, plan to sell some (or try). I will NOT be selling on eBay, though. I sold there for years many moons ago, and then they started getting greedy (both eBay, and the buyers who seemed to think that my items were negotiable like a yard sale AFTER the auctions were completed), so I stopped. I plan to try selling my best stuff here. I've had the opposite experience. I've been surprised at the number of people who want to negotiate price when I've already listed at really low prices, because I have no wish to gouge people. And then they want me to give them free shipping to make it worth their while to buy used. I've had better luck on ebay where the price is the price. The fees from ebay are pretty dumb though. Oh, and contacting you outside the auction is against ebay rules. I've only had to warn one person about that and threatened to turn them in to ebay. :) I figure the time spent will be the same, but my frustration level will be much lower, therefore, worth it. ;) I feel guilty if I don't run to the post office every time I get a payment. I lost a couple of sales when I said I wouldn't get to the post office for a couple of days. So when I sell a number of books, I'm at the post office every day. I have never expected that when I buy something on this FS board. Is it just me? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 5, 2010 Author Share Posted January 5, 2010 Now, I just have upper level high school texts/sets left, so I call a local 'supervising teacher' and just give them to her. She keeps them, like a library of sorts, and loans them out to her oversight families that need them each year, and then gets them back to loan out to someone else the next year. Oh now that's very cool! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I've slowly over the last 2 years sold the "hot" homeschool books on the WTM for sale boards. It still feels like I'm giving away much of it because most of the time you only get 50% of what you paid EVEN if you've NEVER used it. I've recouped over $2000 from my WTM sale items. That's not small change! I've used this money to buy more homeschool books/resources. It's been well worth it to me to sell rather than give away my stuff. Yes, it was overwhelming at first but I started slow and did over a long period, and it was a PAIN to pack & mail ALL those books. But I've also blessed other WTMers that needed these items at a good price. Check my feedback - I've sold at least three times what my feedback indicates (many do not leave feedback). YMMV! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaHadley Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 some moms in my homeschool group bring their stuff to our mom's night meetings for the other moms to go through - you can sell or just give them away. I haven't homeschooled long enough to have much to get rid of yet :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 So when I sell a number of books, I'm at the post office every day. I have never expected that when I buy something on this FS board. Is it just me? :) and if someone sent me payment immediately after I went to the PO, they waited until the next week. I've never had anyone complain about how long it took (maybe one). And yes, some people STILL want a lower price but most times I STICK to my price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 5, 2010 Author Share Posted January 5, 2010 and if someone sent me payment immediately after I went to the PO, they waited until the next week. Ok cool. Maybe I'll try that. It's certainly less intimidating to sell my books that way. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom3tn Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Can you print postage for media mail? or just first class? With paypal you can print postage for media mail, first class, parcel post, and priority mail. I'm not sure about the USPS website, though - I don't think you can print media mail labels there. I have sold a lot of books here, on ebay, on homeschool classifieds, and on the forum for our local hs group. Shipping is not a big deal to me because I pay for and print the labels at home. When I go to the post office, my packages are ready to go so I can just put them in the box or set them on the counter. No waiting in line. I buy the bubble mailers in bulk at Sam's. They are sooooo much cheaper that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I use paperback swap for many items. If it's a hot item, I'll list it here, but it sometimes not worth it. I don't have a huge supply and lately I've gifted some items to friends. We've been homeschooling for 6 1/2 years and we've been blessed to receive many freebie books and curriculum so I like paying it forward. I'm also saving some for a trip to the Houston bookstore, hopefully soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenC Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 nt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Can you print postage for media mail? or just first class? On Paypal, you can send via media mail. If you want to use the USPS website, you actually CAN send media mail w/ delivery confirmation -- but it's sort of mysterious how to do it. I will reveal the secret now! Download the Shipping Assistant from USPS (here). It's very nice. You can print out the labels for paying at the PO *or* you can use a credit card so that you can ship it out ahead of time. Very nice, I'm telling you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I only ship out once a week also. I let people know when they contact me with the payment that I ship on Wednesdays and will send out their package on the next Wednesday. Sometimes I can send it out sooner or can schedule an earlier pick-up with the post office and will send it out a bit sooner, but generally I only ship once a week and no one has complained yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpupg Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Well, I have been using Paperback Swap a lot recently. It's not just for paperbacks, either, but for all books in good condition. Using PBSwap, you would not have to advertise on various boards, just enter your books into the PBS database one time. They do all the coordinating between offers and requests. Yes, you have to mail books off when they are requested from you, but you could control the pace of that somewhat by not posting everything all at once. And you get credits for books YOU can request from others. :hurray: I highly recommend it. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I just joined the paperbook swap and started listing my homeschooling books (mostly children's literature for literature based programs like Sonlight). I am realizing that I don't have little ones and need to do purging, purging and more purging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Can you print postage for media mail? or just first class? Yes! Pretty much everything I send is Media Mail. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Have you thought about selling them to Homeschool Hangout in Marietta and Alpharetta? Also, I think you have mentioned you don't go the GHEA conference, but their used book sale is amazing. Definitely worth checking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Yes! Pretty much everything I send is Media Mail. :) Just a note with some items it is cheaper to do first class. I just mailed out two books today, one a small workbook, one a thin book (6x9), both were cheaper to do first class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Just a note with some items it is cheaper to do first class. I just mailed out two books today, one a small workbook, one a thin book (6x9), both were cheaper to do first class. I think typically, it's cheaper or the same to ship first class if it's less than 9 ounces or something like that. Shipping with paypal gives delivery confirmation for only 19 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 It rarely seems worth the money to do this, and yet I feel very guilty just giving them away. What would you do? I would donate them to the Salvation Army, get a receipt, and take the tax deduction for a charitable contribution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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