Tammie:  The deals you want to do is up to you.  A lot of people do 3/1, 4/1....  I've seen some as high as 10/1.  BUT it is up to you !  If someone asks you will you do a " X number of books for 1 credit", it's up to you to accept or not.

Hi Tammie,

I think 7/1 is a lot to ask for.

It's helpful to consider the weight of the books. From what I've seen, most people expect to get more than 2/1 if the deal is for lightweight paperbacks and would consider 5/1 a real bargain. I think the average deal for very lightweight books is either 3/1 or 4/1 and for heavier books 2/1. However, if you're desperate to get rid of books you may want to offer more.

Hope this helps!

PS  If someone asks for a deal you're not happy with, you can always make a counteroffer - perhaps for two credits instead of one.

Tammie,

         If you are just looking to get rid of books then any number of books for 1 credit is great. If you want to cover the cost of postage as well you might want to do x amount of books for 2 credits.  I have sent out 15 books for $5 media mail and 53 books for $8.  Thats just an idea of what postage could be for larger orders. 

Addie

Tammie,

A deal needs to feel comfortable for you, they're your books and as such nobody should be offended if you say no to a request for a deal put to you. I do a different deal on series romances than I do on "regular thicker" books and a different deal on hardcovers - that's my comfort zone.

You also need to take into consideration your reason for doing a deal - is it to just get rid of books, earn credits to sell for postage, gifts, Christmas, etc.

Just don't let anybody make you feel as if you "have" to do a deal, that's definitely not comfortable for anybody...and there isn't any right, wrong or usual deal...just your very own deal.

Sandy

If you're just trying to get rid of books, be aware that credits can be bought for around $2.50 each.  So for the previously mentioned 15 books for $5  shipping rate, if you got 3 credits for that, it's a bargain credit-wise, plus you rid yourself of 15 books.  Everyone wants a 1 credit deal, but if you are spending $4.00 to ship 3 or 4 books, you are paying more for that credit than if you just bought the credits for someone.    So you have to balance out how many books you want to be rid of, versus the cost per credit.    Also consider packing materials. and time.  If you want to do a lot of 1 credit deals and have a lot of envelopes, or if you just want  to ship a few boxes and be done with it.   It depends on what you want to do.   1/2, 2/5, 3/10 works for a lot of people.  

If you are most concerned about clearing your shelf, you can offer a deal for books posted prior to a certain posting date.  At least a 3 for 1 seems to work for most.  2 for 1 is almost a regular price. IMHO

Personally, I never do a deal for just 1 credit.  It's just not very economical postage-wise.   I pretty much stick to 2/1 (actually 4/2) on hardcovers and up to 3/1 (6/2) on paperbacks.  Children's books are often very light, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to do 5 for 1 credit (10 for 2) on those.  On the off chance that someone would want more books than that, I would probably accept a better deal (maybe paperbacks 20/5 or hardcovers 20/8), but it's unlikely that anyone would find that many books they like from the selection on my list.  At least, it hasn't happened yet.  Also, packaging bigger orders is a bit more of a hassle, as you have to find a box that's the right size.  It's not even worth it to send out books for credit, unless your credits end up costing you less (in postage) than what it would cost to just buy credits (typically $2.40-$2.50).  Unless, of course, you're just doing this for the fun of it and don't have to worry about money :)  If you really need to get rid of some books that you've had forever, Goodwill or the library is always an option.  

This is the price sheet from the Post Office. Click Here These are the Media Mail rates.