Tuesday 19 May 2015

Green Book Club

I was delighted to discover Green Book Club - the new, ethical online bookshop for readers in the UK.

Green Book Club was set up after the very similar outlet Green Metropolis was discontinued.

I found Green Metropolis to be a great way of passing on relatively unusual books to someone who wanted them (and to make a bit of money at the same time).I often read quite unusual, non-mainstream books, that if donated to a generalist second hand shop might sit on the shelves for months and then be sent to landfill. (I was quite traumatised the day I saw a truck outside one of our local second hand shops being filled with unsold books for the dump). Though having said that I have always given most of my books (those that I don't want to read again or keep for reference!) to one of Oxfam's dedicated second hand bookshops - knowing that people will specifically go to Oxfam book shops in search of unusual books.

Most books on the Green Book Club cost £3.75 (including postage) and the seller gets £3.00 for each sale (to cover postage and a little profit). Heavier books cost slightly more to cover the increased postage costs. Sellers can choose to offer books at a lower price if they wish.

5p from every sale goes towards the work of the Woodland Trust, who do vital work looking after woodland sites across the UK.

Although the site is still very new, it already offers a good range of books in a variety of genres and that choice will only increase as more people join the site to sell their books.

The new club operates in most ways exactly as Green Metropolis did, though with the addition of a members' discussion forum.

So I've already listed my first books on the Green Book Club and hope that it will be a successful venture, helping people to find the books they want while helping the environment a bit too!

Edited to add: I've now sold my first book on Green Book Club! 

4 comments:

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

That's a great idea. One of my Daughters in law said she cried when she saw that same thing at her favorite used book store ( in colorado).

Anonymous said...

I can't believe they send books to landfill 😒 - should be a law against it!

sage said...

I, too, am shocked they send the old books to the landfill instead of being recycled.

Geraldine said...

what a great idea, checking it out right now!