[richardh]

Ok, so here is the quandary....

I seem to be right on the cusp between needing a 40ft vs a 20ft container to get all of our stuff to CHCH. The real issue is my library... basically it takes up a 3m (12ft) by 2m (6ft) book shelf with some double stacking. I have found with the increased dependence on the Internet I just don't reference it like I once thought I might. So I have considered the following options:

1) Sell it here in california
2) Ship it to my farm on Oregon for long term storage
3) Ship it to NZ and keep it
4) Ship it to NZ and sell it

I have seen a post or two complaining about the high costs of books in NZ, thus my thoughts have wandered into getting the 40ft and selling it there.

Can anyone confirm that used books seem to be pricey enough in NZ that this might be a good idea?

Thanks,
-Richard

[richardh]

For those bookworms out there it might be useful to describe the contents of the library....

About 1/3 is mostly science fiction paperbacks.. likely to be of marginal value
About 1/6 are college textbooks about 7-17 years old... (oof.. that is hard to admit..spent 10 years in school from undergrad to grad)
The remainder are mostly hardcover or trade paperbacks of history, science or perhaps the history of science.

-Richard

[jo-and-jeff]

Richard,

It might be worth bringing them here if you're willing to go to the time and effort of putting them on TradeMe (http://www.trademe.co.nz) (NZ's eBay). Do some searching to see whether you think there's a market, and what kind of prices you could get. Personally, I suspect that there's a market, since Amazon shipping here is not inexpensive (and you pay 12.5% GST on top for any orders over $150NZD), and there's not really anything like Amazon here. I have found bookstores like Whitcoulls (http://www.whitcoulls.co.nz) and Dymock's (http://www.dymocks.co.nz) to be quite expensive, so I think you might be able to charge enough to make it worth your while whilst the buyer can still get a good deal. But do consider what it will cost you to ship them here in relation to what you can get for them. If your 40ft won't be close to full, it's probably not worth it.

When we moved across the U.S. for one of our residence changes, I sold all but a handful of my hundreds of books (mostly sci-fi with a large dollop of mystery and suspense) to a used bookstore. I got an average of 25¢US each for them, and I went home and cried, swore never to buy books again but just get them from the library. So I can feel your pain.

Jo

[Ana&Steve]

That's a toughie...my advice would be, do all your whittling (get rid of any copies of "I'm OK, you're OK" and "Lonesome Dove"; these seem to always turn up though I never bought them :p ) them put some stuff on stand-by for Oregon shipping, then on container day, see if the movers can make room for it all in the 20ft container. From what I've gathered from all the moving threads, the packers always have a little space left.
I felt that new books were pricey in NZ, but there were nice used book stores and thrift shops. There is a huge used book store in Wellington called Arty Bee's, I think it's on the west end of Courtney St.( :confused: )
Good luck with your move!
Ana

[willsken]

Hi Richard

I had 100's of books I wanted to ship and we were in the same position as you. Just over the 20 footer. We decided that it really wasn't worth taking a 40 footer. It wasn't financially viable, as you won't sell them for enough money to warrant the difference in cost between the 2 size containers.

We went through all our belongings again and dumped anything that we didn't want (we were very strict with ourselves) and then I boxed my books in order of priority. The books I least wanted were left to one side and if we had any spare room some of them would find a home on the container. As it turned out on move day, we had room for all the books and more beside. :raebanana

[jonSE]

Second Nicolas post

prioritise what you must keep and what you don't care about. What you don't care about gets left until everything else is packed and there is room left for some more - happens most of the time.

[jbharvey]

Dump it all except your most prized books.

[willsken]

Dump it all except your most prized books.

Dump a book!!!!!

[Howie]

Look into shipping books via USPS. They have a special rate for shipping books internationally. I think it's about $1(US)/lb which we worked out to be only slightly more expensive than shipping with the rest of our stuff.

I hate getting rid of books. That's the worst part of moving!!!!

[Ana&Steve]

Hi Richard

I had 100's of books I wanted to ship and we were in the same position as you. Just over the 20 footer. We decided that it really wasn't worth taking a 40 footer. It wasn't financially viable, as you won't sell them for enough money to warrant the difference in cost between the 2 size containers.

We went through all our belongings again and dumped anything that we didn't want (we were very strict with ourselves) and then I boxed my books in order of priority. The books I least wanted were left to one side and if we had any spare room some of them would find a home on the container. As it turned out on move day, we had room for all the books and more beside. :raebanana
Yes, this is what I was trying to say,too, but w/o the experience with moving or writing skills! :o
Ana

[veronica]

the ones you think you will want to read again bring, the ones you cant bear to part with put in storage and the others sell there. If the text books are relevant to US college courses still can they be sold there as wouldn't think there would be much application for them here.

[richardh]

Thanks for all of the advice. Much appreciated. It will all enter in to the equation.... need to get some quotes from shippers to move to Oregon and perhaps a quote from a used book buyer or two.

Later,

-Richard

[Smiler]

I sold a lot of the OH's text and study books on Amazon before we came over from the UK.

I was surprised how easy it was and you can specify a price for used or 2nd hand books, unlike selling on auction sites. They even factor in payment for postage costs, so you don't need to do all that weighing lark. Just pack and go. :D

In saying that, books do very well on TM here.

[jbharvey]

Dump a book!!!!!

Not in the trash silly, used bookstore!

[willsken]

Oh, that's OK then!! :D

[sweetpea]

I would sell everything you don't see yourself reading again in the near future.

You could sell your books in a couple of lots on Ebay - it may or may not be worth it vs. selling them to a local used book store. The Amazon route is kind of a pain, unless individual books of yours are high value - most books are worth very little on Amazon these days.

Stored books, especially in damp climates, often end up getting mildewy over time.

Libraries here are excellent. There's really little reason to buy books unless you love to get new releases the minute they come out.