Just asking. Decided to sort by "date posted" and realized I have a couple of books that have been on my posted bookshelf for over 8 years (sigh). I am thinking about reducing the number of books posted since I now have over 300 credits and am not receiving any of my WL books.

Inquiring minds want to know. 

I used to keep one but typically don't because books Sat and a rehabilitation house that helped my dad when his knee replacement went bad needed things. It's a mostly senior population and they usually stayed for a couple of weeks. Books were needed..they needed something to read and be able to take home if they weren' finished with the book. I bring books there and post WL here.

They stay on my shelf indefinitely. I get requests for books posted years ago, and since I have the space--and it'd be more work to dig out the ones posted long ago--I just leave them on my shelf.

My max time is usually one year, and if a book has been on my shelf for 6 months or so, with no movement, I'll drop that one also. Pat

My posted shelf is small, so until they're ordered. A couple are still there since my first year but those are exceptions; I had a lot of books in the beginning and it's just taken a while to winnow down. More recently posted books do seem to go faster. I have a note on my shelf that I will do 2:1 or discuss a deal with an order.

Years........many get requested just when I'm thinking of donating to the FOL.....funny how that happens.

I recently started getting rid of mass market paperbacks that seems to have multiple, multiple copies listed and aren't moving.  I donated them to the local senior center. Funny thing is getting my list down close to 200 seems to have spurned more requets for books I've had around for a while.  I also am not listing as many books either, trying to declutter.  When I finish a book, I look to see it is on a WL, if not it goes in the donation bag.  Getting ready to probably pare down children's books as I don't get many requests for those either. 

If there are only a few copies in the system, I'll keep them indefinitely.  I think the oldest book on my shelf has been there since 2010.  If I start running out of space, I'll take ones with a larger number of copies posted and donate them. 

I still get requests for books I listed in 2010 when I joined. Conversely I will on occasion receive a WL book I had posted to my WL when I joined.

The only time I get rid of them is if I have a garage sale, otherwise I keep them. I've had a f ew books for 8 years that have been requested. 

PS: At my last garage sale I sold every hardcover book I had to a decorator. She needed to furnish a library in a house. I can't even imagine who would hire someone to buy books to fill up shelves. I'm sure they were never even opened.

Sharon-- when I wanted to get rid of a lot of children's books, I offered them 2 for 1 credit and lots got requested.

It used to take me longer, but with some family issues I've been having I felt the need to purge things a bit recently. At least a year generally, but if it's something that I hated that wasn't finding a home and I was already making a donation run...

I don't think I've ever purged.  I have the books on a shelf in my bedroom.  But when things aren't moving I have bought credits from other people.

My husband started selling signed first editions when he retired (he likes to go hunting for them at thrift stores, and finds most of them for $1 or $2 in those places).  He's been retired 4 1/2 years and there are still lotss of early books (he has 4500 listed) that haven't sold.  He keeps them up because it's only $3 a month more to have more than 4,000 listed, and he still sells ones that were listed in 2013 and 2014.

Last week he sold an unsigned "Art of the Deal" by Trump first edition for $139 that he'd bought in a thrift store for a buck or two.

What I would consider "trash" turns out to be someone else's treasure.

I go through my bookshelf once or twice a year and donate books that haven't moved out in that time. I've not been posting many lately (mostly books that are waitlisted so they move quick), but I've also not received many from my waitlist in a while, either. 

Occasionally I'll purge a book or two, but most stay on. This year I've already gotten several requests for books which I've had listed for years. But I usually don't post a new book to my shelf if there are already 50 in the queue.

At this point, my shelf is so small I don't bother to purge.  Doesn't take up much space and all are lightweight so shipping will be lower.

Previously I'd clear most of them out when the big rummage sale donation time came--CDs, DVDs, and books all went.   I'd keep any that went up recently or were really light for shipping.

Once my account was open 10 years, I started the process of purging annually.  So, in 2019, I will donate books I posted in 2009.  

I check to see how many copies are already in the system. If there are a lot then I donate the book to a book sale.

I just had a book ordered which I posted on 2/16/12 - making it 6+ years for me for some titles....

My books are kept in boxes (the kind that copy paper comes in).. by the posted date - when the boxes get kinda empty then I'll merge two or three boxes with similar dates. Two years back I purged a box with books I had posted in 2007 thru 2009. Maybe later this year I'll purge the 2010 and 2011 boxes.