I know i know I as allot of questions but hey i'm new.

I got my first book request today and before I accpet it I have a question.

Are the boxs from the USPS website free? by free I mean you pay nothing and free S&H.

If it is free then that would really help me save money on boxes i would have to buy to ship the books since I am short of money sometimes after I pay all the bills.

also any information for a first timer in book swapping.

Thanks to all who reply.

I think the only boxes in the USPS store are for Priority Mail and Express Mail.  Yes, they're free, but they have to be used with Priority Mail and Express Mail postage.   You can't put a book in a Priority Mail box and try to send it by Media Mail.  The recipient will get stuck with a postage due package. 

Bubble mailers work well.  Heavy brown wrapping paper works well.  Use a lot of good packing tape. Many people wrap the books in plastic first.  I put each book in a ziplock bag, then put it in the bubble mailer, and then I tape the flap and the corners. 

thanks for the reply Marsha,

So what kind of box should I use for sending Books?, Can I use a Express Mail Box or a plain box that you can buy like at Wal-Mart and other places.

Nope, you can't use the Express Mail boxes for anything other than Express Mail. 

Unless you're sending several books to the same person, you don't really need to use boxes.  If you're just sending one or two books, you can use bubble mailers or heavy paper to wrap them.  

I added more info to my previous post. 

You can buy bubble mailers, heavy wrapping paper, and mailing tape at most dollar stores or at Wal-Mart. 

great thanks for all the info. I feel like i'm ready to mail my first hardcover book by mail

Welcome to PBS! 

Thanks!

A lot of us 

 just use good old pain paper and wrap the books around the paper (using a lot of Scotch tape)

and it gets to its destination safely

(you can get the bubble mailers if you chose too)

Richard,

Please use package tape, not scotch tape, to wrap your packages.  My post office won't even accept a package if it's wrapped using scotch tape. 

Note: the best and cheapest place to get thick brown kraft paper that's ideal for wrapping books is ... the home improvement center.

Go to the 'paint' section and ask for a big roll of paper for 'masking' -- I got a roll that two months of heavily sending out books has not used even 1/4 of, for $6. And it's thicker than most grocery bags!

thanks yall.

as for the tape I got that covered since my mother works at a box making company that makes boxex for Wal-mart, best buy, etc..,

I got another question,

is it ok to cut the wrapper that I printed? by that i mean just cut around the adress box area

I use brown paper bags from the supermarket - my whole family collects them for me, so I always have some.  I also get scotch brand shipping tape in a 6 pack from BJ's for about $9.

Yep, as long as you leave the necessary info on the label, you can cut it. 

Thanks Cindy and to all who responded.