How to sell/downsize personal library?

Fri Jul 4 17:47:05 UTC 2014

I have basically never gotten rid of a book on purpose, but I do buy and
acquire almost entirely used.

I pick up 99% of my Russian books at Half Price Books; it appears to me
they are predominantly being offloaded there by grad students because
they're always at the location near where they all live (rather than our
local expat community.)  If you wouldn't mind selling them all to the Half
Price Books located on Lane Avenue near the Ohio State University, and
calling me in that same week, I will happily go spend too much money on
your used Russian stuff; HPB doesn't move inventory between locations
unless they have a really good reason (like it's really rare and worth a
lot.)  They also buy things by-the-box, essentially, as a
take-it-or-leave-it offer.

Oh, and HPB owns AbeBooks, making them the biggest beast in town as far as
I can tell.  They also let you sell your books through their website, and
let you pick which ones you want based on what they're willing to pay:
http://buyback.abebooks.com/

I also get some things from Better World Books, but they only accept
donations - no sales.  http://www.betterworldbooks.com/go/donate

And Amazon's seller link is here; be warned that it's going to be the most
work, because you have to handle the sales on a per-item basis.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/seller-account/mm-product-page.html?topic=200274800&ld=AZSOAUSCSNav

Oh, and you can give them away via LibraryThing, as well.  Same as with
Amazon in that you do a lot of work yourself.  Scroll down to get to the
"Member Giveaways" part.
https://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/HelpThing:Er_list

I do not recommend Friends of the Library sales.  Libraries sometimes
(often?) destroy books instead of finding another person to take them.
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2011/10/17/heroic-librarians-destroy-books/

On Thu, Jul 3, 2014 at 3:08 PM, Melissa T Smith <mtsmith02 at ysu.edu> wrote:

> Dear colleagues:
>
> I'm interested in finding out what experience people have had with trying
> to "downsize" their libraries in retirement. I have only recently begun to
> sort books into categories, and of course all of them evoke various
> sentimental associations, so it's going to take a while, and I want them to
> find good homes, if possible. Now I'm at the stage of dealing with
> miscellaneous shelving, compounded by the fact that it has been a good ten
> years since I've been able to ascend easily to my second-floor home office.
>
> Some of the categories I've been separating them into:
>
> Russian-language textbooks
> Exercise books on various topics (e.g. on verbs of motion)
> Grammar reference works
> (A host of such volumes were acquired in the USSR between 1974 and 1980)
> Russian literary studies (including those used in graduate school
> proseminar, 1970's, e.g. "The Mirror and the Lamp")
> Extensive research in Russian drama and theater in the 1980's and 90's,
> and women's writings.
>
>  During the past 20 years I have foolishly offered to take things off the
> hands of retiring/retired colleagues, especially in the category of
> "classics of Antisoviet Studies."
>
> Books, in general, are losing some of their cache. However, I often see
> old copies of textbooks on "Amazon," and wonder how they got there.
> And from time to time I have seen lists of books that have managed to
> succcessfully change  hands on this listserv.
>
> Any advice would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Melissa Smith
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-- 
Sarah Marie Parker-Allen
lloannna at gmail.com
http://www.smp-a.com

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