The Thing About YA Book Exchange…

Update: YA Book Exchange is no longer active. Sad days…

 

I feel as though not very many people know about the brilliance that is YA Book Exchange.

 

It’s really simple, actually. A trader will have the owner post listings for books they are willing to trade so that people can contact them. You can also browse for the books that you want and email their owners to initiate a trade. Books are labelled by condition (new, like new, very good) and format (hardcover, paperback, arc).

Note: This is a great way to get rid of unwanted ARCs without selling them! Please don’t sell ARCs.

Dos and Don’ts:




Do…


1. Have an exchange wishlist ready and updated on Amazon or Goodreads. I have one of each, as the trader form allows for two wishlists. Look around at other traders’ wishlists to see how they do it, some have their wishlists divided by the release year of the book (which is much too much work for me).


2. Have a list of tradables, probably on Goodreads. Sometimes traders will not want what you originally offer them but will what to see what else you have willing to trade. I keep a wishlist of books I’m willing to trade so make it easier on both parties. This way you can just link them to it instead of writing out a list. 


3. Be polite when contacting other traders. They don’t have to trade you their book. 


4. Email the site owners when you’ve traded a book so they can remove the listing. Otherwise people will contact you asking for a book you’ve already traded. 


5. Make sure you look at the countries the person is willing to trade to and if their open to negotiating non wishlist books. 


6. Ship books to the person as soon as possible. The person you are trading with will appreciate it and it’s not cool to make them wait a really long time. 

Don’t…


1. Expect that just because you initiated a trade that the person will have to trade with you. It’s up to them.


2. Email people again and again if they don’t respond. It’s rude and annoying. If you don’t hear back from them for a while and the book is still up on the site then send a polite email asking if the book is still available. 


3. Get discouraged if a trader rejects your offer. It’s ok, my first trade attempt didn’t go through. Try again with a different person, the traders are really nice people.

4. “Forget” to send out a book. A person traded another book for the one you offered, refusing to send your book to them is a dick move (and will get you thrown off the site). 

Here are some tips for using YABE:

1. I use the google form to put my tradable books up on YABE, but you can also email them if you prefer it that way. All of the information on putting up a book for trade is on the “Become A Trader” page.

2. Send books out using Media Mail, it’s way cheaper.

3. Have back up options in case the person you’re trading with wants something else.

4. And really, have fun with it. Like I said, the traders are nice people, don’t make trading a chore.

I hope you all check out YA Book Exchange and give trading a chance!

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