HI - I was all excited when I found this site so I set up an account, and posted a few books with the intention of posting many many more...However, after spending so much time searching for books that are not available for swapping on the site, then realizing that I'm then being linked to purchase from the MONOPOLIZING Amazon, where I'm being offered books and even with credits for my books they come out costing more $$ then I can find them used!!! Are you kidding me??? 

Am I missing something? The concept sounded so great but now I just feel like I've just been manipulated into spending hours on a quest for non existent books only to be led back to the industry jack hammer....

Now I"m thinking I need to delete this account before I even get started swapping anything!!! UGH!!! 

I think you are missing a LOT timbuckthree!

You are given the OPTION of buying the book at Amazon, if it is a wish listed book.

OR you are given the option to put it on YOUR wish list and waiting until it comes up.

I don't have enough time today to explain it all.

May I suggest you go to the help center and browse around.  I hope you can find some of your answers there.

Hi Tim,

The availability of new books from PBS Market or from Amazon is an option that some members use. You don't have to buy new books if you don't want to.

Look over the available books and see if there is anything you might be interested in. While you're looking at books, you have the option of putting the books on your Wish List. When Wish List books become available they are offered to the member that has been waiting the longest.

There are other ways to get books here too. You can find book deals in the "Book Bazaar" and you can order "multiples" of Wish List books in the "Book Bazaar". Some members find Wish List books by participating in the "Games" forum.

If you find that PBS is not for you, that's OK. It's not for everyone. If just depends on what you like to read and how fast you want the books you're looking for.

Coz / Carol K,  TY for the response's and yes I did look around trying to get clarity....Every book I looked for had huge wish list/waiting list numbers in the hundreds such as 245 etc....in the mean time I will be set to work in a frenzy of mailing books, paying for postage and waiting..and then with no guarantee the books I"m looking for would ever become available....

TY for the suggestions about the book bazaar / multiples etc...for someone who is generally looking for books by topic this would work well, but when your looking for very specific books and on a quest to minimize your own books to the essentials like me, then it doesn't work....

Anyhow, I think I am deleting the account after all....The kicker was that the books being offered even WITH a credit at Amazon are more $$ then I can find them used...It's brilliant - get the masses to do the leg work and Amazon wins!!! Sorry - I'm a bit jaded seeing how the used book industry - even goodwill is in on it - becoming part of the capitalist machine....

ON that note - I am going to read a good book!! Cheers! : ) 

If you are looking for specific popular books, then PBS is probably not the best place for you.

It is like walking into a used book store that has over 4 million books on the shelves where everything is the same price. You aren't going to find a lot of rare books or those that can be sold in other venues for a lot of money; but if you want to glom an author's entire backlist, or browse around in your favorite genre until you discover something new to you, then it works really well.

I have always been pleasantly surprised when one of my long wished for books is posted and I am able to get it in the mail from another book lover in another state. Many times I have gotten beautiful hardback books and I feel compelled to reciprocate and post some larger books as well . I am in awe of the many people that have found their way here. PBS works for me - but I am a patient person.

Just to clarify, you can't order a book at Amazon using a PBS credit to mitigate the cost, but you can do that in the PBS Market.

Something here smells trollish. Just sayin'.

Wait, your nickname is timbuckthree? Don't tell me you know that joke too :) 

While I'm glad you're possibly the 2nd person in America who knows that humorous piece of poetry, I'm not sure if your animosity against the used book "industry" (is there such an industry?) and Amazon is warranted though. It's quite possible you may have misunderstood the purpose and the scope of PBS, and came here with more expectations than what this site is about. I mean, I'm just guessing, I'm sure someone here will be able to analyze your frustration and explain better than I can.

Whatever you choose to do, good luck. And happy reading.

At least the trolls will be gone February 15th!

I don't think saying something like "at least all the trolls will be gone feb 15th" is very welcoming to new members. Whether you agree with what they think or not does not automatically make someone a troll.

Some people don't like big companies like Amazon who do have a very large control over the used book industry. I don't agree with it but I can understand it.

I can also understand as a new member how at first it can be saddening to see such big numbers on a book you want.

I would ask timbuckthree to give the site a chance, but as was said nicely by another member the site is not for everyone. That is okay and either way I hope that timbuckthree finds a site or arena that works best for him.

I think a lot of non-PBS readers pick up the latest bestseller off the grocery checkout and so they "learn" that they only like Patterson and Grisham, etc. (I grew up in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Kmart and the grocery store were the only source of new books. -- Don't ask about the local library...every book in it was older than I was.)  So those books have a really long wish list, everyone knows them and wants the newest title.

When I started in PBS, I viewed it as a sort of garage sale. Wander through and see if I might find a hidden gem that I hadn't read yet. But I got SO much more. I have expanded my reading tastes SO much. My favorites are now authors and even whole genres I hadn't heard of before (and I considered myself well read back then. Now I know I haven't scratched the surface.) And that's only talking about books. I have made true, in-the-flesh, lifelong friends here. But that was only a side benefit.

So it's not the best place to score the latest release at a bargain. But it a GREAT place to find books to expand your love of reading.
(P.S. I almost never use the marketplace. I, too, find the books pricey. I also don't use the automotive section at WalMart, but I'm still in the store several times a week. If you don't like it, ignore it.)

Cathy A. Made the best description!

"It is like walking into a used book store that has over 4 million books on the shelves where everything is the same price. You aren't going to find a lot of rare books or those that can be sold in other venues for a lot of money; but if you want to glom an author's entire backlist, or browse around in your favorite genre until you discover something new to you, then it works really well."

Here you have access to what's readily available.  

What's the dominion over the used books industry? 

What's the dominion over the used books industry? 

There isn't one. Amazon doesn't have domain over used books, nor are they a Monopoly.

That's been debunked over and over during the Agency Five War.

I'm missing where this person is trollish. Sounds simply like someone who joined a site that might not be suitable for them.

And am I the only one tired of hearing, "when the 15th comes ..... ?"

I think this person is just confused and unhappy, not a troll.

Thank you Cindy.    I buy used books from The Library Store, thriftshops and garage sales. 

Garage sale season will be starting soon.

timbuckthree, do you know about the new charges?

Dear Members,
Happy February! 
We are proud that we have been able to provide PaperBackSwap to you for Free for the past 10 years. However, we have stated from the beginning that there may come a time when we would need to charge a nominal fee in order to support the club's growth and to offer new services.
In order to maintain the service levels that you have come to expect, PaperBackSwap needs to begin charging membership fees beginning on February 15th, 2015. We encourage you to purchase an annual membership at $20 that will allow you to keep the same level of service that you have enjoyed over the years and some new features (including a larger Wish List!).  Additionally, there are other options that you may wish to consider, that we have outlined below. 

2015 will be our eleventh year of providing this club for book lovers all over the country. It’s been a decade of fabulous growth, in which we’ve overseen the exchange of nearly 20 million books; by any calculation, our members have saved millions of dollars.  Through the years, our site has sustained itself with optional services (such as Printed Postage fees and new-book sales).  We’d like to do more with the club - fix things that aren’t working well, enhance others, and introduce new features (such as a mobile app, and continuing to investigate ebook swapping).  We really can’t do that without some “elbow room” from revenue.
Beginning February 15, 2015, as a member in Good Standing at PaperBackSwap, you can select:
A Standard Membership at $20 per year ($18 for early subscribers), that includes unlimited swapping, new features, and a 500-item Wish List.  Best Value!
A Limited Membership at $12 per year, where you'll get the ability to request 30 books without paying swap fees, some new features, and your Wish List limit will stay at 200 items.
For those who don’t swap often or who don't want to commit to an annual membership, there is an “A la Carte” option at 49 cents per book request, with a Wish List limit of 100 items.
And finally, Printable Postage users will be glad to learn that each printing with PBS Postage will earn 1 free Swap fee.
We’ve loved providing a totally free club for as long as we could. We’re happy about the solution we’ve come up with - there’s a plan available for you, no matter how often you swap! You can read more about memberships and read an FAQ in the Help Center, and you can pre-purchase membership(which will start on February 15th, 2015) by clicking the button below:

We’re excited about the future of PaperBackSwap, and we hope you are too.
We’re very glad to have you in the club, and hope that you will continue to read, swap and save with us!
Richard and
The PaperBackSwap Team

I think pbs is what you make of it. If it doesn't work for you that does not necessarily mean something is wrong with the site.