Hello all,

I am two days new and am floundering around but I think I may just be getting the hang of things. I was wondering, are National Geographic Magazines swapped here? We have been receiving them for 30 years and are out of space. We have been dropping off stacks at the local Old Folks Home and Womens Shelter, but still have stacks to go. Any value here?

Welcome to PBS, Joe.

Unfortunately, magazines are not allowed to be officially traded here.

You can offer them as freebie incentives for deals (check out the Book Bazaar) but since magazines usually contain advertising, they don't qualify for Media Mail rates. Therefore, postage might make it not cost-efficient to offer them here.

Hope this helps and happy swapping.

This is why you can't send magazines at the Media Mail rate, even ones that don't have advertising, because they were originally entered as Periodicals:

3.0 General Content Standards

Mailable matter meeting one of the specific eligibility standards in 4.0 for Media Mail and 5.0 for Library Mail, and that is neither mailed nor required to be mailed as First Class Mail nor enterered as Periodicals, may be mailed as Media Mail or Library Mail, respectively.

That's new info to me, Diane, thanks!  Assuming it's from the USPS rules and regulations?

Although, I would like to point out that TPTB have specifically stated that periodocals like the McSweeney's Quarterly IS postable. 

Here's the link to the original post.

Dear Carolyn,

Hardbound copies of a magazine that has no advertising are fine to post here.  Magazines as a category are not permitted - since they have advertising and can't be sent Media Mail; and they are flimsy and don't stand up well to multiple swaps; and requestors balk at paying a credit for a magazine instead of a book.  Since these are not true of a hardbound copy of a magazine like McSweeney's, you can post these here.

Have a great day!

The PaperBackSwap Team

Thank you Ladies for the quick responses. I had forgotten about the Media Mail Rules. I'll go back and read them. I guess the advertising and being a softback periodical is the kicker.

Try a local school.   I kept my National Geographics, Discover, Smithsonians etc.., for my daughters school work.  One time she had a project to do and actually used a 10 yr old NG for an article it had on something (I forget what).  We found a mention of the article online  and as luck would ahve it, my mother still had all her old NGs.  My daughter was able to reference the article and use some of the pictures.  

Also, see if your local library, Friends of the Library, accept them.  Ours does, charges very little for them and they turn over quickly.

eta:  And yes, Mary, most of them go to kids for school work.

Our FOL does not accept NG due to lack of space, only small numbers of current mags which we give away (and the mags disappear within 24 hours of being put out!)

But teachers come in and ask if they can take a bunch of mags-- to cut up for projects so I'd go with earlier advice and offer to a school-- maybe a summer camp or vacation Bible school  could use them this time of year???

Or you could go into competition with this guy: http://www.swapstartmybiz.com/

Our library does not take them either---not old NGs and no old encyclopedias......but hospitals in my area are very happy to get the mags.

If all else fails, go green and recycle them.

Not sure if you are still watching this thread or not Joe, but there will be some updating to the Bazaar rules soon and they will be changing how we handle magazines in there and you will be allowed to swap them UNOFFICIALLY for credits in the Bazaar now instead of strictly as freebies!

There is an increased desire to swap magazines and reuse before recycle is always good. This will need to be done under some pretty strict guidelines though (1) They cannot be posted to a Bookshelf under any circumstances so the arrangement needs to be made for the credits to be transferred and the address PMed if there is no books involved in the transaction and (2) they still cannot be sent via Media Mail.  Since these swaps will be unofficial, requesters will want to ask a lot of questions regarding condition.

Not sure when they will update things regarding this, but Amanda and I will no longer be asking people to remove posts asking for credits on magazines in the Bazaar.

Thanks for this info, Melanie!

Given they can't be sent media mail, swapping even on the Bazaar would be a problem, because those things are heavy!