As I continue the process of de-junking I’m beginning to sell (and give away) my things. I’ve found it interesting that more often than not, reducing the amount of things that I own gives me a sort of euphoric high. This is due in part to the fact that each item I rid myself of takes me one step closer to leaving. However there is more to it than that.

I also think that offloading my junk is, on some level, allowing me a form repentance for becoming the stereotypical, materialistic consumerist that is so prevalent in our society today. My apologies if I sound preachy, that is not at all my intention; by all means go and buy your iPods. For me however, I had hoped to see myself in a different light. There is no doubt by the amount of garbage I have collected that I am indeed a brain-washed consumer. My forced recognition of this is exactly why I am now enjoying shedding my possessions. However there are those few things that I find myself sad to part with.

Tonight I loaded up my weight bench & all my weights into a friends truck. 2 1/2 years ago I stopped weight lifting due to health issues. A little over a year ago I got clearance from my doctor to get back to lifting, however I never did for a variety of reasons (reasons, or excuses?). But often times I would go into my weight room, put on the gloves, lay down on the bench and put my hands on the bar. I would usually do a quick set, maybe two. I told myself that I wouldn’t start up a full routine until I could truly devote the time to do it right. However with the upcoming move, that just never happened. Then with the decision to de-junk it became apparent that it wouldn’t happen again for quite some time.

We all have different activities that, for whatever reason, fit us very well. Weight lifting was one of those activities for me. Beneath the weights I found a catharsis for the stress of daily life. In learning proper form, and ensuring that I retained it, I found both control and harmony. After especially tough workouts, when I was thoroughly sore the next day, every movement brought with it a sensation that made me feel very much alive. In those post-workout minutes when my heart was still pumping, when I continued to sweat as my body tried to lower my body temperature, when my muscles were still engorged with blood I felt like I had just descended from Olympus.

I found many benefits in weight lifting, physical, mental, and emotional. I’m sad to see the bench go.

Well as I mentioned earlier I signed up for paperbackswap.com. Here’s how it works as well as the final verdict.

So I initially put 25 of my books on the list. Immediately I received a hold for 4 books, with 2 more books coming the next day. Apparently what this means is that someone wanted a book I listed; they were contacted and told I had said book. They then have some amount of time to log in and verify that they still want the book. All 6 holds were confirmed.

So after work yesterday I decided to send them off. After logging in I clicked on the first book and said I would indeed be sending it (I think you’re supposed to send it within 2 days of clicking the button). Then I was taken to a screen where I could print a shipping label only, or prepay the USPS postage and print a label with proper postage metered already. I chose the latter to make my life easier. However in order to pay for postage you have to have “PBS Money” in your account. You buy PBS Money with real money, so I bought $20 in PBS Money, this cost me $20.50.

Now with $20 in PBS Money I could prepay my postage. I proceeded to prepay & print labels for all 6 books. The shipping costs varied from $2.37 to $3.11 depending on the book. Paperbackswap.com uses the book information to calculate the shipping for you. This is nice. However on top of shipping costs I paid $0.43 in fees for each transaction. This equates to 14 – 18% in fees. So in the end to ship out 6 books my final cost $18.49 or $3.08/book. I accept the need to make money and wouldn’t expect paperbackswap to do this for free. But 18% in fees is excessive in my opinion.

I don’t know how many books I have total. It’s less than a hundred but I don’t think it’s much less. So in the end I’m looking at roughly $250-300 to offload my humble library. The benefit of this would be the ability to get same number of books back once I settle my life back down, however I have to give up a notable amount of liquidity in exchange for the opportunity of future acquisition.

So after printing out the labels I put each book in a shipping envelope, sealed them, and added the label. I had to stop by the grocery store which worked out well since there is a USPS drop box right in front. When I got there I walked over and pulled open the door. It opened about 1″ and stopped. I looked to see what was jamming it and realized that it was stopping from in the inside, and it didn’t look jammed, it looked like this is how it was designed. That’s when I noticed the sticker. Apparently due to “heightened security concerns” any package over 13 ounces must be taken to the post office. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I thought, “Now I’ve gotta stop by the post office on the way in to work or on the way home.”

The next morning I stopped by the post office on the way in. My packages were labeled & payed-for and the line was short so it wasn’t too long, but still added 10 minutes to my commute. I talked to the postal clerk who informed me that since my packages were metered (metered means that it’s been printed out) and not stamped I didn’t actually have to wait in line. I could have dropped it off at the drop box in the front of the post office (though still inside). While this may save a few minutes, the inconvenience is still there.

So in the end, this is going to cost me more than I’m willing to spend and inconvenience me in the process. It’s looking like my paperbackswapping days have ended just as quickly as they began. I can see using this service on a per-book basis as I read them. But to offload a bunch of books at once, this doesn’t seem like my best option. Instead I’ll take them to the local used bookstore and take whatever they give me for them. Whatever is left will get donated to the library.

In my continued effort to declutter my life I’ve decided to join paperbackswap. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s worth checking out if you’re an avid book reader. Put simply, it allows you to list all of the books you’re willing to part with. If someone wants one of your books you send it to them (you pay shipping). In exchange you get a “credit” which entitles you to request a book from someone else. It’s a neat concept, I’ll find out how well it’s executed in the coming days / weeks.

To start with I’ve posted 25 books. I think that I immediately received 4 requests (I’m still figuring this out).

Since this involves actually mailing books to other members people will see your name & address. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this. However since I’ll be selling my house soon enough I figure I’ll at least give it a try.

I’ll let you know how it goes. =)