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Disposing of old books

S

sjwaste

Diamond Member
I have a bunch of books. Many are fiction paperbacks that I bought to read on a plane, a great deal are hardcover law school texts (anywhere from 3-5 years old), some law study aids for the same subjects, and the rest are just older paperbacks and undergrad texts that my wife and I have accumulated.

We're moving and most of these need to go. My question is, what's the best way to do this? I could obviously just put a pile of books next to the trash can and have them picked up on trash day. I notice most thrifts don't take books as donations. Book lots on Ebay don't really sell.

Is there a better way, something that is relatively quick and easy for me to do, but where others who might want them will get them?
 
Goodwill and Salvation army should take books, especially if they are in decent condition (at least there are always plenty of books available whenever I check them out).

At least at the Goodwill I frequent, they don't even look at what you are donating. So you could just walk in with a box of books and drop it off and leave.
 
do you have a half priced books near you? granted you are not going to get much money for them, but still beter than trash.

I got some paperbacks for xmas, couldnt return to target. i only got 50 cents a piece for them, but better than nothing.
 
I send all of mine to Goodwill. Works out pretty well as I tend to buy a lot of books from there too ($1/paperback, $2/hardcover).
 
I thought about selling on Amazon, but I need to do it fast since we're also busy cleaning out the rest of the house. Nobody wants a large lot, and listing each book would be too time-consuming.

Burning would be fun, but I live in a busy area. If we were in a rural setting, I would totally have a bonfire.

I thought about Craigslist, but I really don't want to post my address on that cesspool. I suppose I could put a free books ad and just put the boxes in front of the school up the street. This is probably my favorite option right now.

I'll call more thrifts and see if one will actually take them. I could just drive and dump, but I want a receipt since all the stuff we're donating (more than just books) will add up to a decent tax deduction.
 
sjwaste said:
I thought about Craigslist, but I really don't want to post my address on that cesspool. I suppose I could put a free books ad and just put the boxes in front of the school up the street. This is probably my favorite option right now.
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lol, I was going to suggest using your neighbor's address. :biggrin:
 
yllus said:
I send all of mine to Goodwill. Works out pretty well as I tend to buy a lot of books from there too ($1/paperback, $2/hardcover).
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Goodwill them and take the tax write off. You're supporting a good cause and likely getting back what you'd get from reselling them to 1/2 Price Books/Amazon/etc back in reduced taxes anyway.
 
Yeah, I'm taking them to Goodwill, now that I know my local one is taking them again. Thanks for the replies.
 
Your local library could be another option too. Some of the books might be put into their collection and the rest would be sorted by their Friends group and then sold off to the public.
 
mcvickj said:
Your local library could be another option too. Some of the books might be put into their collection and the rest would be sorted by their Friends group and then sold off to the public.
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I would agree with regards to the fiction books, but do NOT take old textbooks, magazines, or encyclopedias to your local library unless they specifically ask for them. These are for the most part worthless and it just wastes staff time trying to sort through them and then dispose of them.

If you have a bunch of books to get rid of one option is the larger local bookstores. They usually buy used books in quantity and are trained in doing quick assessments. You will not get much for them but you will ensure that if they are useful to anyone they will be saved.
 
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devote a spare bedroom for piling them in, and when you feel like it you can swim in them like scrooge mcduck
 
joesmoke said:
devote a spare bedroom for piling them in, and when you feel like it you can swim in them like scrooge mcduck
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I am sticking to the idea that if I collect enough of them I can open a bookstore later in life and be that crazy old guy who runs a bookstore out of his house🙂
 
Goodwill, local schools, libraries, used book stores, charitable organizations, etc. will all take used books - as long as they are readable.
 
bonfire.jpg
 
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