I've decided to buy a huge chunk of my library on eBay, because I'm sick of going to yard sales and finding tons of romance novels and Sweet Valley High books What are some keywords you use to find classroom sets? I've been typing in "5th grade books," and I'm finding a few good auctions, but a lot of it is home-school stuff. Any tips?
I don't buy books on ebay. Here is another site for new and used books, many for $1 each: http://www.abebooks.com/docs/Browse/childrens-fiction.shtml
AR LOT 5th grade AR Scholastic Lot (some teachers sell bonus point items on there) Your school might not use AR, mine doesn't, but I was able to find a lot of popular third grade books this way. You could also search by popular series/authors as well. I was a first year teacher last year and went a little crazy on the books. Just remember, your library might not be everything you dreamed of your first year, but it will get bigger! Of course that being said, I got the best feeling in the world when I announced their were new books in the library, and my students faces lit up like Christmas! So I went to the thrift store a lot. Send home your Scholastic Orders, use your points, and occassionally buy some stuff too. You'll be amazed by how quickly it can build up. Also take advantage of teacher collections from your local library. A fellow teacher asked for donations to her library around Christmas time. She just sent home a note asking for any books around the house that weren't being read anymore...she got a lot of great books! And since I'm rambling, keep your books for lessons seperate from your classroom library! I have a whole plastic portable filing box from Sterlite that labeled "For Miss Buck8teacher" only...
I agree with trying something that says 5th grade AR books. I really want to warn you that the shipping on book lots is really high. Don't forget that you will be able to buy books from scholastic for pretty cheap with free shipping (most of the time) and earn bonus points.
Also, I would ask sellers if they will ship via media mail. They should with books (unless they are trying to make money off of shipping). Have you tried used stores? My goodwill always has books. Also craigslist & freecycle here are good about requests for books too.
Pisces--I don't need any more ideas on how to spend money lately!!!! I saw some pretty good lots on the picture books section.
Well, I tried goodwill, I got practically nothing. Every time I've gone, I only get 2 or 3 books. I live in a rural area, so craigslist is pretty small. I've tried yard sales, and again, I've only found 2 or 3 books each time. freecycle.org won't let me join(!) I wanted to go to Scholastic's warehouse sale, but it falls during my orientation. I will use Scholastic once school begins, but I was hoping for eBay to get started.
I always search "scholastic book lot 5." I also have bought lots of series. The other day I bought a lot of 55 Goosebumps books! Searching for AR books will help out alot too. I've not searched that way before.
If you have a goodwill in your area I would recommend that. I have over 500 books that I bought from there. Many were as cheap as a quarter or 50 cents! Every other Saturday in Phoenix for me is 50% off the ENTIRE store. It's fantastic.
Did you check to make sure your school doesn't provide you with a library? My school was broke, but we had good libraries, thats about it unfortunately! If you look in the Scholastic points catalog, you can buy the book lots with money, not points while you are starting out. You can put up a wanted ad on Craigslist. Also, try library book sales.
I got a huge crate full of books from the Salvation Army in my area and it was only $3.00......for allllll of the books!!!
I am going into my third year and I have a HUGE library thanks to eBay! I have searched: Scholastic lot Childrens books lot Specific series (Arthur books, Magic school bus, etc.) Nonfiction book lot
I shop consignment sales for my little boy's clothes and you can find good deals on books there, too.
Ok, Pisces--I've been ebaying for the last 2 days, thanks to your post! Holy cow that is fun!!! I've never been on there before and OMG! It is so easy to click on BID and think that they may be yours! But then I realized I needed to look at shipping. Holy Cow! Some folks charge an arm and leg. Luckily I've been outbid on a few sets of books. I bid on one set that was just awesome and did the automatic bid thing. Then I saw the shipping and about passed out. My husband won't notice 10 or 20 out of the account, but will certainly notice 60 or 70. And he already fusses about classroom costs.
i ALWAYS type in "book sets" and get large lots of books to pop up. i bought tons my first year. just be selective with ebay. sometimes you get a lot of crap. i sure did! LC
Why can't you ask friends, family, neighbors if they have any books they are willing to donate or sell first. I also recommend doing Scholastic books with your class. You can earn free books and points. Did you ask any fellow teachers if they have extra copies of books they no longer wish for their library? How about visiting town libraries in your area. I know my library has several boxes of books that are always for sale.
This week I have done pretty good on ebay for books. I got 1 action for $7.75 and that was for 24 books and another auction for $5.50 for 10 books. I think ebay is a hit and miss on finding good deals.
Do you use ebay or do you use half.com? Half.com is a sublet of ebay but all about books. Going straight to half.com might be more beneficial. Maybe you already go there!
I go to the local library used book sales. People donate books, and some are discarded library books, and they sell them for twenty five or fifty cents.
I love using ebay for books! I rarely buy new since they end up looking used after a first grader or two handles them! I typically will search for a particular author or series. I agree with others who have mentioned to use the words "book lot" in your search. Have fun! I got a grant for $300 for independent reading and it's spent (and a little more ) all through ebay!
