It is typical of my 'luck' that the day I chose to start sorting out the books in my toy/wargames room is the first day in nearly a fortnight that it has not been cold and damp. In fact it was quite hot in the loft extension (which is where my toy/wargames room is located) and I had to have the fan on for most of the day.
So far I have identified and removed over fifty books, and this has freed up enough space in one of the bookcases/store cupboards for me to be able to store all my Hexon II hexed terrain (but not the hills, rivers, roads etc.) on the empty shelves. This means that the terrain is now far more accessible than it was. (My Hexon II hexed terrain was hitherto stored in wooden storage crates. This provided very strong and durable storage but was a real pain when you wanted to use the terrain because you had to unstack and restack the storage crates ... and the one you wanted always seemed to be at the bottom of the pile.)
I have now begun to catalogue the books I am getting rid of and I have begun negotiations with a bookseller who might be interested in buying them. I had thought of selling the books on eBay, but recent changes to UK postal rates could have made it very uneconomical for both me and any potential purchasers. The postage and packing for a book would probably have been more than the actual price that the book sold for, and that does not make sense to me. (I know that P&P charges are paid by the customer, but who wants to pay more for that than they do for the book they have bought?)
With luck I should be able to finish the process of identifying, removing, and cataloguing the books that I am going to dispose of by tomorrow afternoon. When that is done – and I have found somewhere to store the books for the foreseeable future – I can then complete the task of tidying up my toy/wargames room. Once that is done I intend to fight a wargame to celebrate!
So far I have identified and removed over fifty books, and this has freed up enough space in one of the bookcases/store cupboards for me to be able to store all my Hexon II hexed terrain (but not the hills, rivers, roads etc.) on the empty shelves. This means that the terrain is now far more accessible than it was. (My Hexon II hexed terrain was hitherto stored in wooden storage crates. This provided very strong and durable storage but was a real pain when you wanted to use the terrain because you had to unstack and restack the storage crates ... and the one you wanted always seemed to be at the bottom of the pile.)
I have now begun to catalogue the books I am getting rid of and I have begun negotiations with a bookseller who might be interested in buying them. I had thought of selling the books on eBay, but recent changes to UK postal rates could have made it very uneconomical for both me and any potential purchasers. The postage and packing for a book would probably have been more than the actual price that the book sold for, and that does not make sense to me. (I know that P&P charges are paid by the customer, but who wants to pay more for that than they do for the book they have bought?)
With luck I should be able to finish the process of identifying, removing, and cataloguing the books that I am going to dispose of by tomorrow afternoon. When that is done – and I have found somewhere to store the books for the foreseeable future – I can then complete the task of tidying up my toy/wargames room. Once that is done I intend to fight a wargame to celebrate!
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Sounds like a great reward. My Den/ loft is in dire need of a cleaning as well. Sounds like there is hope after all.
ReplyDeleteI have been doing a similar exercise recently with various history and gaming magazines - reducing clutter to gain usable space is a wonderful feeling! As to "I know that P&P charges are paid by the customer, but who wants to pay more for that than they do for the book they have bought?" - this a routine situation for folk in NZ, buying stuff from overseas. My favourite example was a purchase from Amazon - the book was less than $1, but the postage was around $20! - very good book though!
ReplyDeleteUncle Brian,
ReplyDeleteThere is something cathartic about having a good clear-out.
You will not be aware that postage in the UK just went up substantially, with some prices rising by up to 70%. The Post Office complains that they cannot make a profit ... and then make themselves too expensive to use!
They also have a really good 'scam' going. If the postage on an item is not sufficient, they won't deliver it. You have to go to the local collection office and pay the excess and a charge for their time and effort. My wife had to pay an excess of 4p for underpostage ... and a £1.00 charge to go to collect her item!
The book must have been good if you were willing to pay twenty times its price for postage!
All the best,
Bob
Sean,
ReplyDeleteAs I have recently discovered, it won't get done unless I do it ... so I did.
Good luck with sorting out your den/loft.
All the best,
Bob