Swaptree

Like most avid readers the number of books I get far outnumber the number I'll ever get around to reading. 80% of the books I own are ones I have yet to read. I add an average of at least 2-3 books to my shelves a month. With that said, it's safe to say that I haven't actually bought a book in over two years.

Instead I've relied almost solely on the site Swaptree.com to feed my reading habit. Swaptree is a trading site for books, CD's, DVD's, and video games. You make a list of all the items you are willing to trade and a list of items you'd like to receive. The site then finds matches and setup a 2-way, 3-way, and even 4-way trade.

Time and time again I've made a trade for a recently released book in exchange for a CD I haven't listened to since college and instead of shelling out the $20 or more dollars for the new hardcover book, I'm only paying 2-3 dollars to mail the CD. I can even print postage right off the site.

So far my best trades have been for uncorrected proofs books also called advance reading copies (ARC). These are small batches of book copies the publisher gives out to the media, bookstores, and libraries before the book is released for sale. They are very collectible and without intentionally seeking them out, I've made trades for 5 ARC's so far. The best one being a signed uncorrected proof of Slam by Nick Hornby (movies based on his books include High Fidelity, About a Boy, and very loosely Fever Pitch).

To date I've made over 170 trades and estimate that I've probably saved between $1,100 to $1,700. The best thing is, when I'm finished with a book I turn around and list it right back onto Swaptree and I no longer feel forced to read a book I can't get into since I don't really have a financial investment with it in the first place.

So whether you're looking to feed all your media desires, save money, and/or de-clutter your bookshelves, Swaptree is the way to go. Enjoy.