It's also interesting that BM is represented as "give 1 book, get 2 books," which I suspect is how some people see the mooch ratio feature.
I looked at yesterday's web logs, and see that the TV show sent about 9000 people to us on the day of the show, and about 3000 new users the day after, about a 19% increase the day after the show. Welcome, new moochers!
It's also interesting that BM is represented as "give 1 book, get 2 books," which I suspect is how some people see the mooch ratio feature
Actually, you could advertise it as "give 1 book, get 3 books" if you give 1 internationally and get 3 domestically. That is great publicity and I have run into 4 or 5 newbies in the last few hours. Everyone mooch from a newbie!
I was a little surpised at the 2 books recieved comment, but I guess I understand. You can mooch two books for every one you send out, at most. Although conscience makes me want that perfect 1 for 1 ratio. Anything less makes me feel a little uncomfortable too.... Whoa, in anycase: Whoo! Thanks Rachel Ray and Jen J!
I keep a spreadsheet of my spend on BM shipping. Do you know how much you spend at the post office? You might be very surprised at how much the BM habit costs you!
I don't document how much I spend on other book purchases - all of which are international purchases anyway. Whenever I travel I buy books. I was in the UK in October, and the bookshop cashier mentioned that they rarely have people buying a dozen books any more. If you don't have access to books in your language, then you buy books and stock up when you can. It's expensive, but they're good insulating material!
As far as how much my BM habit costs at the post office, a LOT less than buying a book at my local UBS, and I have the pleasure of being able to send someone a book that they want and is not available to them. I just made a trip to Houston where I go to Half Price Books, and get the clearance books just so I can post them online and guess what?? Six of them were on wishlists. Perhaps I am being naive when I do that, but I think that someone out there is blessed to receive these books.
@jacquie: Jennifer Jolly wasn't talking about how much BookMooch costs people per year (and I don't really care how much using BookMooch costs me, as I get a certain priceless joy out of giving people books that they're eager to read); she was trying to estimate how much avid readers spend on book buying per year. I don't think she was talking about how much someone can spend on books per year when they live in a country where their language isn't officially recognized.
Ms. Jolly seems to arrive at $2000 a year by assuming that a book costs, on average, about $38 after taxes. That might be true if it's beneath you to shop at used bookstores and you lack the patience to wait around for paperback editions, but personally I rarely spend more than $15 on a book.
> You might be very surprised at how much the BM habit costs you!
Not as surprised as I was at how much the used book store habit cost me! BookMooch is a little easier on the wallet, has a much larger selection, doesn't require as much travel time...
If you send exclusively Internationally and mooch exclusively Domestically, you could have a 1:1 ratio with send only a 1/3 out but it will cost you dearly. I am pretty much near a 1:1 ratio but have 447:278. This is because I've not yet turned down an international mooch and I frequently Angel mooch.
Still my cost per point is about $1 more for international sending. Keep in mind that I have sent boxes domestically.
I kind of would like the domestic and international stated separately but it is another line of info. And you can always go to the ratio link.
All things considered, a domestic mooch and buying at my USB is about the same cost ---so I will continue to use both (as well as that other online swap club) because I have access to thousands of other sources. I actually tracked the cost for a while but quit because 1) it was depressing and 2) I am going to do it anyway. Yes, reading can be expensive but BM helps me keep the cost down.
I hope that not too many people are disappointed when they realize that the "send 1 book and get 2 back" is not exactly the way BM is designed to work. As John has pointed out, EVERYONE can't get twice the number of books they send out - the math just won't work.
I'm glad the sight got some publicity. I found this sight originally from "stumble upon" and it does help with the wallet (says my virtual-wallet). Sure it seems like your paying more than receiving but even when you buy 0.01$ books off of amazon it costs you 4.00$. The most I've paid for shipping a book domestically was 2.50$ because it weighed a pound. Hope more and more people find out about this site.
I wondered why I had a flurry of mooches on books I have had listed for awhile. The infusion of newbies is good for everyone. Love Rachael Ray and love bookmooch. Glad they got together!
I don't know how much I spend on shipping for BookMooch either, but I frankly don't mind doing it. I've found that getting books through BookMooch has expanded my horizons with reading and trying out new books I wouldn't have thought about before. I won't spend money on a title or subject that maybe I'm interested in, because really do I need to spend the money on it? So I walk away. However, on BookMooch, I'll take the chance and if I don't like it, I can put it back in my inventory. Nothing lost!!! :-)
Thank you, as always, John, for providing this site for us!
@Sarah I didn't make the connection either til your post. I've gotten an unusual number of mooches in the past week or so; just thought maybe reading more was on a lot of New Year resolution lists :)
Home sick, and yeah found this program about sharing books. There is nothing like the feel of a book, the sound of opening a new world, I love it! So I signed up and have already sent out 3 books, 1 pending and waiting on 4 to be received, Yeah! I did research postage cost and found that using "Media Rate" is the least costly, just make sure no correspondance is inside the box other than sender/receiver addresses. Happy to be a "Newbie" :>)...........
Welcome, newbies! More is better. I've been a member a few months and I love it. We have 2 readers in our house, and using Bookmooch does help keep the price down. I originally joined because I have so MANY books and the only used-book store close to me is Half-Price Books. They give me an average of .25 per book! If I list with Bookmooch, then I can get another book for around $2.38-the cost of shipping out one of mine. We buy 15-20 books a month at Wal-Mart, so our reading bill is kinda high, even tho we buy at Wally World. That is in addition to any I mooch!
Anyway, I love Bookmooch and think the site is well run. I did try another book swap site and did not have much success with it.
It's worth persevering with, I'm sure some books you like will pop up soon, or at the very least you could ask for an Angel to pick up the ones you cannot obtain so far.
I'm my experience in the UK there are more people in the US set to 'My Country Only' then there are who ship outside of the US, so it seems to just be generally difficult to get books internationally at the moment.
Actually Helen, most books are too thick and too rigid for the First Class "Large Envelope" rate and must go First Class Parcel rate.
For Large Envelopes the wrapped package must be 3/4" or less, they can't be rigid, and the package must be uniformly thick. The only books that generally meet that criteria are books for very young children.
I've gotten a few books on my wishlist here and have searched randomly and found a few gems. I've received lots of great books for my kids too. I'm also a member of another site and I'll admit I've gotten more wishlist books there just because I was one of the first people in line for a new release or I waited a long time and worked my way up in line for a popular book but really, if you want a book that badly just buy it somewhere rather than complain about not getting it. Or try to mooch from an "ask first" member in another country. If they see that you've shipped out several book internationally they might be willing to send a book to you.
I also check my wishlist frequently. Sometimes I've mooched a book that was available that I didn't know about--I don't always receive an email alerting me that a book is available to mooch.
And really, patience is key here. That and taking the time to look through all that Bookmooch has to offer and trying new authors and genres you might not have tried before. You will probably find some books and authors you enjoy that you wouldn't have tried otherwise.
Marcus... you got good advice so I hope you check back on this thread before giving up on us.
Keeping your inventory small (or zero) for a while is good if you got overwhelmed with mooches but don't "cut your losses" by canceling your account... you earned those points so hang around and you'll get to use them sooner or later!
Maybe there should be a warning to people when they sign up - don't put up more books at once than you are willing and able to send!!
Marcus - don't be such a baby. Yes, most of us do understand that shipping internationally is more expensive than within the US -- and you have the option of not doing so. And yes, it would have been wise for you to have looked at the inventory of books available before investing greatly in sending books. Your wishlist is actually rather narrow, many being various editions of the same book. You might be more satisfied buying it elsewhere. If you read through the comments you can see that many people use both BM and PBS, and I am one. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Rather than trying to make one over into the other, I appreciate each for their good points and use both to meet my overall needs. My advice is to broaden your 'wish' or 'want' list and see what else is out there for you.
Marcus, I ship a ton of books internationally, and it can be pretty pricy. I would encourage you to order some flat rate padded envelopes from usps.com. Your local PO isn't allowed to carry them, and they are totally free to order.
If you are using the printed postage on PBS, I assume you have some sort of scale at home? The weights in the PBS database are often wrong.
For international books, if it's larger than a standard MMP, it quickly becomes cheaper to use the flat rate envelopes. I can often fit 3-4 MMPs in one of the new padded envelopes. You can print the postage from USPS.com for a discounted price of $13.25.
Also, you can use Paypal postage with bookmooch transactions. It's not linked to the site, but it gives you the convenience of not going to your post office.
I think most people would agree that ~a week is the minimum amount of time you should wait to either cancel or hit the remind button. Bookmooch does move slower than PBS sometimes. One advantage is that it is easier to earn points here, so if there is a book listed on both sites, it may be worth it to wait a little longer to get it here.
And I agree that it is super frustrating to see books you want only to find an unresponsive sender or someone unwilling to send to you. All I can tell you is to give it time. I've had more good transactions than bad by far!
Also, if there is a book you see in another country but they won't send to you, look into using the angel network to help you get it.
Good luck! I hope you're able to find books that you like on this site.
Marcus, the ability to print postage labels is only valid for a US-only site. I suspect the programming problems of dealing with dozens of different countries' postal rates, rules and several currencies would be a nightmare.
I too was disappointed not to find some of the books I was looking for at first, but then I realised that I had to stop treating BM as if it were a very elite used bookshop and treat it more like a very generic secondhand bookshop. Some of those hard-to-find books are still on my wishlist, and if I find one I want every couple of years or so, I'm happy, because I also know they're not coming up at a reasonable price on specialist sites.
At the beginning I mooched only what I knew and thought I wanted to read, and also went through a state of frustration at having points and not being able to spend them. Now I find plenty of books here because I have broadened my reading base and because I trawl through the "recently added" occasionally and then check out other books.
I use http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk to find other books by authors I've read, and I use their recommendations as well as those on the Amazon sites.
You could reduce your postage costs by stating that for a given book (heavy, oversize) you would not be willing to send that outside your country.
It's been said before, if you can't get someone to send to the US, ask for an Angel.
Maybe other sites can give you what you want at this time, but why limit your presence to one site? There seem to be plenty of people who here who are members of more than one site. However, spare a thought for those of us who don't have access to any other site. As far as I know, BookMooch is the only international site, the other sites don't have international membership. The only other sites I've looked at in France, where books are sold not traded, have either only French books, or English books at a higher price than new import. Another alternative is BookCrossing where I registered 454 books and "released" them. The only BookCrossing books that have ever come my way have been through BookMooch.
If you want to give up on BM, Marcus, then do so. You can improve things by fighting, contributing, and working quietly for change, or you can throw up your arms in horror, shout and leave, in which case I hope the grass is truly greener elsewhere. On the whole, most of the people in this community are here for their love of books.
In order to see in your wishlist only those books available for mooching, thus avoiding Not to your country, I believe you need to uncheck the "Count all copies, not just moochable copies" box in your wishlist settings, as far as I know.
Marcus, no one said you were petulant so if you are going to take offense, at least don't put words in our mouths. The other commenters are trying to help you have a better BookMooch experience.
If you just want us to admit that BM is not perfect, okay, that's true, it's not perfect! You definitely have been hit with some serious issues in your first week on the site! But there are some things you can do to avoid the problems you are running into. You have had a lot of good suggestions offered.
The suggestion people are making of "be patient" is in response to your comment that BM doesn't have a good selection of books. Sometimes it takes a while but your book may eventually turn up. The selection of books at any given moment is just a snapshot. It's always changing.
One thing that is worrying me is that you said you probably won't get $150 worth of books in return for your investment. That way of thinking is going to set you up for disappointment. BM counts all books of equal worth. You should get back (eventually) at least as many books as you send out - if not more. There is no promise that you will get back books of equal dollar value to the ones you sent, or of high enough value to "make up" for what you spent on postage.
I am curious about how PBS gives incentives to publicize the site; how does that work? I don't belong to PBS...
I sure hope that there is a moderator to this thread... seeing as how it has now become about ME, and not about the pratfalls of using BookMooch.
As Sophie mentioned, our forums are largely unmoderated, as we expect people to act in a civil manner, whether they be adults or not.
Marcus: I read your posting, which was not as friendly in tone as it might have been given the criticisms. I didn't think people's replies were personal attacks, and in fact it seemed that they engaged on the substance in your message, despite your somewhat confrontational tone.
Definitely, the conversation became heated, but you didn't do much to calm things down by writing things like:
This is ridiculous.... . And the selection here is miserable. And BookMooch doesn't let you print postage... I've removed my inventory, and will send out the last few books I promised (more international moochers), and cut my losses. I'm sticking with the other book trading site. ... Phooey!
From what you write, it sounds like you're quite happy with PBS, and that's absolutely fine by me. PBS and BM have very different ideals and ways of functioning, and if PBS works for you, great.
Sucks for us Canadian that we don't have anything similar to 'media mail'!
I started with BookMooch back in October 2010 and have spent $58 on 6 books that I've sent out! On one occasion, I asked someone else in Toronto to drive to my house and pick it up (it was a university hardcover text). I'll still be a part of BookMooch but will stay low for the next while as I'm still unemployed.
