'R'eading 'I's 'S'imply 'I'n right now! (readitswapit.co.uk)

Member Name: sirg0508

Product:	readitswapit.co.uk
Date:	21/06/06 (204 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Swap books for the price of postage, admin always listening to needs

Disadvantages: A couple of abusers (but they are made to pay!)

Where do you go to buy books? Amazon? Another online retailer? A bookshop? Do you feel robbed of your hard earned money when you discover the book should never have been written and you paid almost full RRP for? Personally I would always buy from Amazon. I would use vouchers and end up paying £3.99 to £12 for a book. If I buy 3 books then that is around £12+. No matter what is said about it, it’s a personal reaction to whether I like it or not but what a better way to save hundreds of pounds than by swapping books as opposed to buying them.

‘Read It Swap It’ (RISI) is a site where people can join, create a list of all those books that will probably never be read again and swapped for something you want. It really is a win-win situation with this site because either I can go and find a book I want and ask someone to swap or someone can come and ask me for one of my books and looking at their list I can choose a book I want in exchange.

When I joined, the site said there were around 35,000 books available to be swapped on the site and gradually this number has been growing. The site itself mentions that when you want to swap a book with a friend, the choice is limited but with the staggering number of books on RISI there is bound to be something of interest. The site costs nothing to join. It’s a free library and the only cost you will pay is the cost of sending your book to someone (they will also be paying the cost of sending a book to you).

Joining is very simple and an address does have to be supplied which, if a swap is started, is passed onto the other person so they can send their book out as soon as possible. I also had to make up a username which is seen rather than being known by my name. As soon as I was logged in I could click on ‘My Books’ and ‘Add Books’. The process is very simple. The site is linked to Amazon so to be quicker, if you enter the ISBN of the book, the name and author are automatically entered. When this is added to the site it then uses the Amazon description and photo. It is quite important to give details of the books condition and any damage it may have. I know I’d be extremely disappointed if I swapped a brand new book and received an ‘acceptable’ one with lots of damage in return. A description can be entered to further explain damage or provide a little info on the book. Personally I choose to either say CHILDRENS or ADULTS as there is no distinction on the site and I have both listed in my swaps. A category then has to be picked – these are quite broad but at the same time can be important – if I wanted a book on Short Stories I wouldn’t find it if the swapper put it in Modern Fiction. The final section chooses a rating which helps provide recommendations. If I liked a book and rated it 10/10 then similar books would be put in a list for me which I might like based on reading that book.

Then begins the waiting game. I have a lot of unread books so the majority of my swaps are initiated by other people or it would get even bigger. The benefit of adding books to the site is as soon as they are added they are visible on the site and are put at the top of the list in the category chosen for the most recently added. I find that when I add books this is the time I am most likely to be asked to swap a book. It may seem this is the most likely way but I also receive requests when my books have been on the site for a while so will quite happily leave my list on the site as long as I am a member.

At first there were specific books I was looking for so searching the library I asked for the book to be swapped but I have quite a limited number of books in my list so I was turned down quite a few times. It didn’t deter me as I also received requests for my books and examining the books those people had either rejected or accepted. I do have to point out that even though there is a link to Amazon showing the book and the description the books are not actually added by ISBN but on the book title so pictures are often different to what will be received and very few times will be different in description too so it is hoped that the swapper will have mentioned any differences in their descriptions.

It is very important not to swap just because you feel you should. I have turned down many requests for a swap because the books people offered me on their lists in exchange for one of mine were either not of interest or I had read them. I actually rejected a couple of swaps before I made my first one and I was extremely glad. As I have children’s books on my list I found a couple of people with solely kid’s books and as I’m no longer a young adult had no intention of swapping for something like that. Children can join the site but it has to be under parent supervision and the parents name has to be used (as protection for the child).

The site is extremely easy to navigate and it is hard to get lost. Each section is tabbed such as ‘The Library’, ‘My Books’, ‘My Swaps’ and ‘My Details’. These are the main sections. Searching the library is simple because you can choose either the title or the author but also by username of any other member that uses the site. ‘My books’ simply shows the list of books I have on my swap list and the choice to Edit my description, delete the book from my list or to make it inactive e.g. if I lend it to someone or having a re-read. It also allows me to choose if I am on holiday so all books are inactive until I return. The swap section shows those active swaps which really helps keep organised as they don’t become ‘completed’ until each side have said they’ve received their books. This section also provides contact details for the people I’ve swapped with or about to swap with in case there are any problems.

When a swap has been set up I am given the name and address of the person to send the book to (this can be printed instead of written). As a bonus the address is e-mailed to me as well as available on the site. Books should be sent within 2 days of setting up a swap and there is no problem sending them second class. I usually end up spending only 50p to send books. ALWAYS get proof of postage from the Post Office – it’s free and means you can claim up to £32 compensation if the book goes missing. One big issue is going to be the introduction by Royal Mail of Pricing in Proportion which means 400 pages books are going to be grossly overcharged because of their number of pages compared to a heavy 30 page book.

When a book is received I then give feedback to the person I swapped with to say yes I have received the book and to say thanks. A star rating is given which allows members to see how trustworthy that person is based on the number of swaps they have done. 1 star should be given when the book is never received but when contacted members usually fully co-operate and with the proof of postage can get you compensation or they will send their book back. Ranks are given to people that swap lots of books and get good ratings such as ‘Super Swapper’ so if a little wary it is a good idea to swap with these people as you’ll know at least 50 others have been happy with the books they received. It is important to give feedback so people know if it is a good or bad swapper. I’ve never had any trouble but if something does go wrong the swapper can be contacted or if need be, the support team at RISI. There is a FAQ section on the site although if you need help and don’t want to bother admin with something that may seem trivial then there is also the Forum (the link is next to ‘My Details’).

RISI opened a Discussion Forum which is inhabited by other book worms. It’s in a similar style to the main site but does require a separate registration. It’s better to choose the same username so people can easily find you if you happen to mention that you have a book they want. The fantastic thing about the Forum is the Admin are visible on the site and are constantly listening to member requests trying their best to improve both sites for everyone. While I’ve been a member several ideas have been introduced based on member suggestions. The Forum is posted on daily and has hundreds of members. They’ve added a ‘Books Wanted’ section which has worked extremely well – if there is a book someone would like, by posting on the forum several members have remembered they’ve had it hidden away and willing to swap and some members have also put the book to the tops of their piles to be read in order to swap with that member (how kind!). There are competitions, people willing to answer any questions, and chat about anything book and non-book related. Everyone is very friendly and it’s great to meet some of the people that would otherwise just be known as a name on RISI.

I have been thinking about why I’d swap when I could go to a library? Really the answer is simple. When using a public library you have to return the book before a certain date or you get charged. With RISI you can keep the book for life or swap it for another book. Plus the library is only open at certain times – these books get delivered through the letter box by your Postie. I do prefer RISI – it saves me having to go out unless I have one to send to someone and I am a very slow reader (go through book reading phases) so I can let the book gather dust until I am ready to read it.

The site works on trust and unfortunately there are those that think they can abuse this trust. If you have a problem e.g. not receiving your book then contact admin as I have seen several times they will intervene and if needed suspend or even threaten legal action for the most serious cases. It is a shame this happens but there are chancers – luckily with over 8,000 members on RISI this is a very small proportion and they always get found out.

I can’t imagine how much I have saved with RISI but (unfortunately?) the site made me want to read more… only a good thing I guess. If taking my example of 3 books for around £12 in buying then by swapping and spending around £1 in postage for each then that is only £3. I have discovered authors I may never have heard of. I have had a chance to have conversations about books I have read with others on the Forum. I have given feedback to the site admin about changes I’d like to see and these have been acknowledged. I’ve seen changes been made based on others wants. Really the site can only grow and will grow – admin have plans! With more members joining on a daily basis the number of books to choose from grows. With ideas coming in all the time the site will always be improving and it’s all down to members.

Facts provided by admin (Thanks!):

“Over 46,000 books have been swapped and recycled on the site since January
Over 300 trees have been saved
98,500 books have been registered on the site so far
Nearly 8,000 users have joined
Currently we have more than 43,000 books in the library”

Highly recommended!

Summary: Swap your old books for ones you want!