I resorted my bookshelf and found that I have 12 books that have been on it for almost 2 years. I'm wondering if I should remove them and give them to the Goodwill. I wish that I could tell how close I am in the FIFO system for the books but that's not going to happen. How long do you keep your books on your shelf before you donate them or whatever you do with them?

Connie, I know what you mean.  I just took a big load of books to goodwill because my bookshelf was getting way out of hand. 

You could donate to goodwill or the library, or if you have anyting like "Freecycle" in your area, you could just give them away.  Also used book stores will take them for credit on books in the store.  Mine gives me 1/4 the cover price in trade, and charges 1/2 the cover price to purchase.

you might try selling them in bulk on e-bay also.

I keep them until they get ordered.  Although I did take some to the UBS before I moved last year.  So I guess I don't.  But if I didn't have to move I would have kept them.

Have you considerred being a boxer?  I've traded a lot of heavily posted books though Box of Books that probably would have sat collecting dust for a long time. Now granted I mostly got heavily posted books in exchange for them. But they were new to me books. 

I also do another book trading site and many of the books I have that are heavily posted here have been WL over there.  It's not as well run a site as PBS so I don't let many credits build up there.  But I've been able to get some reminder list books there. 

Never. I have plenty of storage space.

You could offer them as a bonus book with a request?  I was thinking of offering the book that haven't moved and are heavily posted as a bonus book. I don't have that many for it worth it to me to be a boxer.  However if you have a lot -that is a great idea.

I've been wondering about this as well. My bookshelves runneth over. Yet several of my most recently-requested books have been on my shelf since I joined almost a year ago, slowly working up through FIFO. So, now I am hesitant to remove the other older ones...

Somewhere there must be a balance, but so far I have not discovered the magic time limit.

I never have cleaned off my PBS bookshelf and I've been here for 2 1/2 years.

I am considering taking the whole thing down and donating all the books and then posting more.  I have tons more to post and I constantly run specials on my shelf.  I like to keep my shelf between 150-200 books so it's easier for people to browse.

I've seen people offer deals on books posted before a certain date or year.  Like "3 for 1 on all books posted in 2007" or something like that.

I never take them off my shelf.

I don't take them off either... I've cleared my entire bookshelf twice since starting this May... (and had to search around the house to find a few just to put on there while I rebuild it!)

Have you considered offering a book bazaar deal on them?  I cleared off my daughter's whole bookshelf that way (80 kid's & tween books) in about a week!  More highly posted books tend to go faster that way... I know there are several I've picked up in deals that I may not have just "ordered" off the Reminder List by themselves...

I agree with Mary about boxing too... when I joined that my books flew off the shelf!  (Now I search other boxers' shelves for the ISBNs of my Reminder List books before initiating trades.)

My father had been in the VA hospice and I took a lot of my books off my shelf and took them in for the patients. We had to go back in to pick up some things after my father died and most of the books were already gone.

I never keep a book more than one year - except one and I'm trying to see how long it will take for it to go, and it's been there almost 2 years.  However, I keep a book about 6 months, only because I'd rather post books that will move and I figure if they haaven't gone after 6 months, they'll never go.  Pat

I joined in January of this year, and I get a lot of FIFO book orders on books I posted way back then. They are just now working their way to the top.

I don't ever take books down.  But I look before I post it (by adding it to my reminder list) and if it has too many copies already in the system and is not a heavily requested book I donate it to the library.  The rest I just sit on since I never add anything over about 50 copies already in system I figure it will move eventually!  Jordan

I took a few books off that had been posted since Jan. I found a drop off site for bookcrossing at our local ice cream shop.

I get sometning to drink and drop off my books at the same time. I also check to see which books are left. My favorite book (Women of Sigma Tau) has been there a month. I just dropped off 2 vampire porn books (Lindsay Sands) and I think they will go fast.

bookcrossing.com

verdeen

I am curious of which 12 have stayed there so long, Now I have read some of the books you have, the romance I wouldn't ever want or read, the Patricia Cornwell, I can' t remember off hand which I have already read but I know you have at least one I haven't , the James Patterson I really like, the children crafts book and thanksgiving book I like, I am very about the nonfiction civilization book, that would be something I would like, and you had other non fiction and thriller mystery types I would enjoy,  I am sure some kid would love those Nancy Drew, now the only childrens books I would get would be the non fiction and the younger story book about seasons,  (I rarely see my Grandchildren and they are very young, ) I have a quite a few preschool grand nieces and nephews that I see more often. and I find that when they visit, the loud fit throwing ones need alot of attention, my nieces 4 yr. old was always a handful, but when he has attention and I do crafts with him and allow him to help me with things he is a sweet heart, so I am excited about teaching him , I am not sure how much he knows , he can count pretty well, but I just would like some activities to do with him and the others to keep them well behaved, happy and learning.

thanks Connie, I will check back with your list after i have some credits,

thanks,

Kelly

Kelly, thanks for checking out my shelf! Be sure to come back and check it out when you have some credits. I'm glad that you found some that you are interested in.

I had my one year anniversary last month. So I checked my books to see how many copies were in the system. The ones with over 100 copies went to half price books. Then I bought a couple of books that were on my wish list.

I've been a member for a few days over 3 years.  Have had some books requested recently that have been posted almost that long.  I don't routinely remove any books.  Have recently posted some Trade PBs that I'm thinking of trying at the UBS if they are not ordered here in the next few weeks.

I haven't removed any yet but I have been thinking about removing some Mass Market PBs.  There is a booksale at our kids school later this month & they have a free table for adult books, will probably put a few there and hope they go away to someone who wants them.  My hardcopy & trade size paperbacks I will keep ahold of longer.

I remove them fairly often. We are short on storage space (ah good old Florida!) and in desperate need of about three more bookshelves, so I offer deals often and whatever doesnt move I donate to FOL. Once we (if we ever do!) get enough bookshelves that I have enough room to actually shelf the ones I offer here, I will probably let them stay much longer.

I just cleared off about 10 Hardbacks from my shelf, they have been on there a year, since the day I joined.

They are going to the thrift shop tomorrow,   We are getting ready to move, the packers will come in December some time, so, they are going, and it frees up some weight.

I hate doing it, but, maybe some one will buy them at the thrift shop, and the proceeds to go back into our community.

Leigh

Never! It seems that sooner or later all books get requested and since I've never had more than 100 books at my bookshelf I've never felt the need to.

I've never taken anything off, either.  I've got one small bookshelf for my PBS books and as long as another book will fit on it, I'm fine.

I just looked out of curiosity - I joined at the end of 2005 and I still have 5 of my originally posted books on my shelf.  Four of the five are romance novels, so not too surprising.