Green Metropolis
It has come to Lady Bracknell's attention that there may be a method by which she can dispose of portions of the teetering piles of books which clutter Bracknell Towers which does not consist of burdening Dude the chauffeur with heavy boxes and insisting he take in a charity shop or two on his way home to the members of his long-suffering family.
Green Metropolis provides a market place for second hand books at which one may both buy and sell. As a buyer, one pays a flat fee of £3.75 per volume. Delivery is included in this price unless the book in question is a hardback.
As a seller, one lists the books of which one wishes to dispose on the website. When one's book is seized upon by an enthusiastic buyer, one dispatches it post haste and one's account is thereupon credited with the sum of £3 by the good people at Green Metropolis. One may either set this credit off against the cost of one's own purchases from the site, or request that the money be paid into one's own bank account. (The site is keen to point out that, for every 5 books one sells, one could buy 4 new ones.)
Green Metropolis donates 5p from every book sold to the "Tree For All" campaign run by the Woodland Trust. (A total of £1,974.50 was donated in 2005.)
This is certainly not the cheapest method of acquiring second hand books, and the stock is nowhere near as extensive as that held by, for example, Abe Books. It is with regret that Lady Bracknell is forced to conclude that it would not, after all, be practicable for her to sell her own books through the site because she is often insufficiently robust of health to venture to the Post Office for long periods.
Nevertheless, Green Metropolis strikes Lady Bracknell as being a most worthwhile venture, and one about which various of her regular readers will have been intrigued to hear.
Green Metropolis provides a market place for second hand books at which one may both buy and sell. As a buyer, one pays a flat fee of £3.75 per volume. Delivery is included in this price unless the book in question is a hardback.
As a seller, one lists the books of which one wishes to dispose on the website. When one's book is seized upon by an enthusiastic buyer, one dispatches it post haste and one's account is thereupon credited with the sum of £3 by the good people at Green Metropolis. One may either set this credit off against the cost of one's own purchases from the site, or request that the money be paid into one's own bank account. (The site is keen to point out that, for every 5 books one sells, one could buy 4 new ones.)
Green Metropolis donates 5p from every book sold to the "Tree For All" campaign run by the Woodland Trust. (A total of £1,974.50 was donated in 2005.)
This is certainly not the cheapest method of acquiring second hand books, and the stock is nowhere near as extensive as that held by, for example, Abe Books. It is with regret that Lady Bracknell is forced to conclude that it would not, after all, be practicable for her to sell her own books through the site because she is often insufficiently robust of health to venture to the Post Office for long periods.
Nevertheless, Green Metropolis strikes Lady Bracknell as being a most worthwhile venture, and one about which various of her regular readers will have been intrigued to hear.
posted by
Lady Bracknell | Monday, October 30, 2006
3 Comments:
I quite like BookCrossing, which my favourite cafe participates in.
No money involved at all, nor any difficult trips to the nearest (ha ha) post office. But, on the other hand, you never really know what you're going to get...
I don't know if her ladyship is aware of this from Royal Mail? The ability to print postage from your computer. I realise that one may require the assistance of a technically minded employee, and either a friendly postman or another employee to take the posting to a postbox. Also, the item in question would need to be small enough to fit through the apperture of aforementioned postbox.
Of course, I would encourage anybody who is able to visit their local Post Office to do so, particularly in rural areas.
I also notice that your ladyship has a need for easy to prepare veggie meals, presumably when the cook is unavailable. May I suggest the following, which I believe are all sugar free.
Pure and Pronto
Beany burgers Their site isn't the easiest to navigate, but these are available via mail order.
Best wishes
Ma'am
Now that I am returned from the Dude family’s annual holiday, for the purpose of which your Ladyship most graciously granted me nearly a week-and-a-half's leave of absence, may I just interject that both I and my family (who are nowhere near as longsuffering as you suggest) are more than happy to continue with the present arrangement whereby I transport all manner of sundry goods and reading materials to local charity emporia in support of the poor and needy of the Parish? Not least because, in the impecunious circumstances brought upon us by the continued fiscal and moral support of two rapacious youths, the Dude family (and some of our closest friends) occasionally avail themselves of first pick, particularly from the novels and cookery manuals en-route to the Salvation Army from your Ladyship's library. Whilst such pillage is always atoned for by corresponding donations to charity, I confess these seldom amount to £3.75 per volume.
Incidentally, with regard to my recent vacation, I am pleased to report that - following your most kindly letter of introduction which went some way to assuaging their fears that I was intent on murdering them in their beds - I was able to pass a couple of exceedingly pleasant hours in the company of Ms. Goldfish and her partner AJ at their Yorkshire Aquarium. It appears that, in common with your Ladyship, they too have a less than entirely sociable neighbour whom I encountered on the adjacent pavement, but this in no way marred the occasion nor the hospitality which was proffered (I am a huge fan of ginger nut biscuits!). We passed much of the time making small talk and building my knowledge of the history and culture of their adopted home town (although I confess that we did talk “shop” for a while too, during which time the social model of disability and our shared exasperation at the failure of so many disabled people to “get it” might have received more than a passing mention).
If at some future date your Ladyship finds herself in sufficiently robust health to make the journey, I would be most pleased to chauffeur a return visit directly from Bracknell Towers.
I remain, ma’am, your humble and obedient servant,
Dude
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