How can I send away old books without paying shipping where there will be some assurance they will be sold or donated? Being paid a little would be a plus, but ultimately I don’t really care that much. I just don’t want to waste time or money getting rid of them, and dumpstering books just saddens me.
I’ve used several of these dealers. Alibris is especially good because you can find books from various dealers. Ebay also has many of these dealers who list there. Check out the charities, like Goodwill there. Several Goodwills in various states list there. Some even offer free shipping. You might also mention DollarTree. The Stationery section always has NEW books, some of which are unique and useful for presents. They are now $1.25, but that’s still a good price if you find something interesting.
Also, some of the dealers you mention deal in college or university textbooks. Those are exorbitantly expensive, so people might look into renting or buying second hand (if you actually need to keep the textbook)…
Another place to find books and vinyl records (very salable on Ebay) is to go to the thriftshop at your local nursing homes. People bring in all kinds of things they can’t keep there. If there’s a thriftshop on the premises, you can go there and buy these things and get some real bargains!
Getting rid of books is another issue. You can sell collectible books or sets of books on Ebay, Marketplace, or OfferUp. You can give books to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army and get a small tax deduction for charitable giving. Check out what they sell books for. That’s what you can put down on your donation slip.
Wonderbk.com prides itself on recycling books.
I donate most of our used books to our local library. They shelve some, trade some with other libraries and sell some on Amazon and in occasional book sales. We also have boxes at some local businesses where one can deposit books and others can take them to read.
Local Salvation Army and Goodwill stores accept book donations. There’s also a used book shop not too far away that will take them and sell them.
If you’ve got textbooks to get rid of, ask your local public library if they know someone who will take them. My husband donated his office books to a charity that sends educational books, including old texts, to overseas countries such as Mongolia and Kenya. There might be such an organization near you. Or, try a university. Surely there’s a graduate student or two who would like to have them.
Assisted living places usually have libraries with various (non-technical) books – fiction, mysteries, some non-fiction, biographies…
There are many used book stores that take donations or purchase books. Little Free Libraries are another place to donate books.
You can also put the books up on freecycle. Maybe someone will have some interest on that site.