I did a small experiment with a box of books this weekend for a friend. This box of books had been in storage for years- I wanted to see if we could turn those books into money.
So she brought the box to my condo. Then she divided the contents into four piles- books to sell, books to trade, books to donate and books to keep.
The books to sell were listed on half.com. Over the weekend, she made about $13 by selling two of them- it cost her about $5 to mail them today. So she made $8 minimally. And I am confident she will make more over the next few weeks.
Next were the books to trade, which she posted on paperbackswap.com [1]. She mailed three off today (which cost a little bit), but in return is getting books for free that she has always wanted to own. Buying them new would have been expensive, but now they will come to her in the mail free.
Next were the books to donate. These were books too big for shipping or books we weren’t sure someone would pay more than $.75 for. They were dropped off at the thrift store down the street and in return, they gave her a receipt. Depending on her tax situation, she may be able to write them off.
Lastly were the books to keep. Some were photo albums with pictures of her in tight rolled jeans and big bangs. Some were books bought but never read. Some were journals, full of thoughts from what seems like a past life. Sometimes a good laugh at your past is worth a million bucks.
So we have a two day profit of $8, a substantial savings on two new books, a possible tax write off and a really good laugh. All from one box of books and about an hour. It kind of makes you wonder what else is in that storage unit…