If you love reading as much as I do, then it’s likely that you have a bookshelf or two. If you also get as excited about books as I do, then you probably continue to buy new books even though you have a haul that you haven’t finished yet.
This leads to an overflow of books, and ultimately an untidy bookshelf. So just like your wardrobe, it’s important to clear it out and get rid of the clothes (books in this case) that you no longer need to hold onto.
For many, this seems like too much of a chore. But if you love looking at reading spaces on Pinterest as much as I do, you’ll have a strong desire to keep your shelves both tidy and organised.
So what options do we have for getting rid of unwanted books?
Well firstly, we need to identify what counts as an unwanted book. Surely, if you bought it in the first place it means it’s not unwanted right?
Well the logic I like to apply is to keep all books that mean something to me, ones that I want to read again, or ones I haven’t read yet but really want to. Everything else is fair game in terms of getting rid.
Books that have been gifted to me usually fall into the “books that mean something to me” category.
Now comes the actual methods of getting rid of the unwanted books. Here are the options you have.
Donate them
This can be done at your local charity shop, hospital, or library. This is probably the most common method for getting rid of books, and it’s also the easiest.
Sell them online
We can all do with some extra pocket money, and if you can potentially make some money off your books then why not?
It’s worth looking up the used value of each of your books to determine whether it’s even worth going through the effort of selling them. More than likely, if you’re selling a whole stack of books at once you’ll be looking at a decent sum. But if it’s just a couple books then you probably won’t earn much unless they’re considered rare.
For those in the UK I suggest looking at WeBuyBooks.co.uk, as they allow you to easily scan your book’s ISBN number, and they’ll give you a value for each one. They’ll then allow you to ship the books to them free of charge and once they receive the parcel they will pay you in full.
Of course there’s also eBay and Amazon too. You could even try listing them on Facebook selling groups.
Pass them on to family or friends
If you have unwanted books that you know family or friends would appreciate reading then why not pass it on to them? This should most definitely be considered for non-fiction books covering a topic of interest that someone else may have. It’s a win-win situation, you get rid of an unwanted book and someone gains something they want/need for nothing. That will likely cover your good deeds list for the day.
Keep them for memories
If you don’t want a book on your shelf, but you absolutely refuse to let it go. Then depending on your situation you could simply put it in storage to retrieve later on in life. Whether it’s your attic, basement, garage or some kind of paid storage, nothing beats discovering a good book from the past. Just like coming across an old journal, these moments can remind us of our journey in life.
What do you do with your unwanted books?
I’d love to hear how you guys get rid of your books. Leave your comments!
