Hi, I´ve asked RISI twice now, privately by email, over the past couple of years, when it´s going to open up to Brits in Europe because there are loads of people starved of English books who spend time in other European countries.The answer both times has been that 'Yes we´re going to do it soon' But how soon is 'soon'? It´s been so long already! If the postage to Europe is too much for some Brits it wouldn´t need to be compulsory to swap with European postal addresses. It could just be an added possibility. Sometimes that person might have just the book you (both) have been wanting for ages and it might still be really worth doing. I spend some time in Spain myself and it is very hard to get decent books out here when you want to. I use the second hand section of Amazon.com and have spent a fortune buying from them. If Europe was included in RISI it would make an awful lot of people SO happy! :0) It is only a matter of putting an extra note on peoples' memberships to say where they are, and people can even search for that country if they want.. if they´re in it.. and only want national postage costs.. and being able to change your membership address to say where you presently are. Nothing compulsory for anyone, and a lot more choice for everyone and more members as well! So WHEN????? :0) Louisa

Hi Louisa

I understand how badly you want English books - I would be exactly the same if I were in your shoes.  However, the site is owned and run by two guys who do this in their spare time - they both work full time, and make no money from RISI.

It's very difficult and time consuming for them to make major changes to the site on a regular basis - so 'soon' could be anytime. Hope you can bear with them on this.

Best wishes  

Hi Anne, Thanks for replying. Yes of course it must be hard for the people who run this site to do much if they are working full time elsewhere.

However I´ve been asking for two years now, not in the sense that I feel they owe anyone anything (they have done a great job anyway most generously!) but because I figured they would probably like the opportunity to add another string to their bow on the readitswapit site... and to give them the opportunity to know there is a demand for it should they wish to follow it up.

However if they don´t have the time or ability to do it and as it´s been two years already that things have been 'on hold' in that respect, I hope they won´t mind if I now start a bookswap forum for expats in Spain as it´s sorely needed out here! I´d be happy to somehow merge it in the future, if it as all possible, with readitswapit.. however for now I think I´m going to start with humble beginnings and make it 'Spain only' as then the postage will probably only be about 1,10euros per average sized paperback.

 If anyone is interested in joining a Spain-only bookswap forum run on very similar lines as this one - ie a book for a book - direct swaps - please let me know.

 Best wishes to everyone here. It´s a great place! Anything I do is a tribute to it!

Louisa-I was just about to suggest this for you.It seems perfectly practical to set up your own swapping site:good luck with it. When you're functional,could you let me know (I'll p.m. you my email address), as I'd be interested in obtaining Spanish books.

 

RISI is one of the things I would sorely miss when I go back to NZ, because I think it such a fantastic site and a fantastic idea....I would consider setting up something myself if there was nothing still in NZ by the time I got there....(watch now someone will do it...lol)

OMG when you going back to NZ?

Hi and thanks for all your kind responses!

It´s encouraging. I was thinking of doing Spain only within Spain but as there IS interest from UK about it already - and so fast.. then why not do the whole of Europe, and that can include Spain-Spain of course. Anything I do will be a tribute to RISI! Possibly merging in the future.. nothing would ever beat the UK books in UK that are all so widely available - you are all very lucky people!

 If there was a way of doing something similar to RISI it would make life a lot easier. But until anyone can suggest things or help me there, I´ll put my thinking cap on anyway and see what I can get going. It may not be quite as slick and professional as RISI to start with but I´m capable of doing various things already and have experience with yahoo groups with several of my own. It may be that I go down that route to start things off and do the bookswaps via a yahoo group for starters. In fact I´ll strike while the iron´s hot and get a yahoo group set up and come back with the title in a moment. That is at least a starting point and a meeting place for anyone interested in bookswapping UK-Spain and Spain-Spain and within Europe. We can always transfer things to a better forum later on. Back in a moment!

Louisa

Louisa - good luck with what you want to do, I wouldnt have a clue.  Maybe email Admin again and point them in the direction of this thread, they may now be interested in helping you out.

Please come back and let us know how you get on. 

Hi Anne and everyone,

OK the European bookswap on a yahoogroup is now in place at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bookswapseurope/

It´s just a bare bones thing right now but I don´t see why it can´t work! Maybe ADMIN at RISI will get wind of this thread and let me know if they´d like to merge/cooperate in some way.. as I can do some of the work myself as moderator/admin... and really it was totally inspired by this wonderful RISI here! It would be great if it was part of it somehow. But anyway, the main thing is that it´s now possible to swap books within Europe! Perhaps not as slick, but certainly in a friendly way :0)

Please join the group if you´re interested and don´t forget to put your postal address in the bit where yahoo asks why you want to join.. to filter out the spammers and let us all know you´re the genuine article ;0)

Louisa 

 

Good luck with this - I'm going to e mail my  cousin in Spain and let her know about it I'm sure she will be really interested.

FANTASTIC lenziegal!

I know LOTS of expats in Spain will be very happy to swap books within Spain. It only costs E1.10c to post an average sized paperback.. and it will really cut costs for a lot of people.

The high postage that amazon charges from UK to Spain adds about four UK pounds to each book, and is invariably much more than the actual postage really does cost. It will be a godsend to swap books with people all over Europe directly, and specially Spain/Spain!

All that´s needed is for people to start emailing into the new yahoogroup the books they´ve got to swap.. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bookswapseurope/ and that will get things going. However I´ve been constructing this group and emailing for a while now and haven´t had a bite to eat in hours, so I´ll be hoping to do some of that myself in the next day or two.. Meanwhile it´s open to all! Just put your address in the box where yahoo asks why you want to join, and you´re away!

Happy swapping in Spain and Europe! Yipeeee!

Louisa