At home, the pace of sorting through our curated collections of stuff, marking for donation that which no longer serves, continues unabated. Though my wife and I are both avid readers and highly value the library we have amassed, these tomes do still take up a sizable amount of real estate. We are transitioning to a new phase in which we make more extensive use of our local libraries to borrow books and movies, as well as web based digital distribution of audio and video media, instead of continuing to add to the shelves. We look forward to maturation of the e-reader market, but are waiting for the emergence of a dominant standard (preferably an open standard) for digital books before committing to a device.
In the meantime, we have become frequent users of swap.com, using the online bartering platform to give our books second lives in the hands of other eager readers. In return we receive books on our own wish list. The cost of the entire transaction consists of a few dollars for shipping, depending on weight, and a quick jog over to the post office.
Platforms like Swap, eBay, Amazon and Craigslist have given many the power to rethink the role of stuff in their lives. No longer do our homes (or our landfills) represent the end point of the commercial cycle for goods. Second hand markets are certainly nothing new, but a dramatic change happens when the market of buyers and sellers changes from neighborhood or town sized to national or international in scope, with real time price information. Suddenly, we have significantly greater control over our physical space and economic health, in a way that benefits our community (big and small) and environment. Welcome to the participation economy.
6 comments
Christa Avampato says:
Jan 10, 2011
Great post, Michael and I love and share your sentiments. Trendwatching.com just published their 2011 critical trends to watch and Owner-Less is one of them. I couldn’t be happier to know that we finally be at that tipping point. Welcome to the participation economy indeed!
Michael says:
Jan 10, 2011
Thanks, Christa! Yes, I took a look at the Trendwatching report you tweeted earlier. Very exciting times ahead.
Trinity River says:
Jul 15, 2011
Great post. I will check out swap.com. My house is so full of books it’s bordering on becoming a fire hazard.
Michael says:
Jul 15, 2011
Thanks! I grew up in a “collector” household. I’m not sure what my parents are going to do with all their stuff when they eventually sell their house. Swap helps me get away from that legacy :)
Audrey says:
Jul 15, 2011
Hi Michael. Great post and great blog. I thought I would let you know about BookMooch, another site for sharing books. I’ve been a member for 3-4 yrs., and it’s really great.
Michael says:
Jul 15, 2011
Cool! Thanks for sharing, I’ll check it out.