I have a lot of books, too many books really. It's so hard to resist an interesting book. I find them with the new books and I like the way they smell. I find vintage, retro and just plain old books at the thrift store and the second hand book stores (one of my favourite places).

I've begun trying to limit buying books. I really need to because I've got a hoard of books, more than I have storage space for really. So, I'm sorting my books and trying to part with some - even some that I would love to read but have to be practical and realize I will (in reality) never have enough time to myself to read all these books.

People who don't love or hoard books don't understand the love of books. My family are not book people. They read them and forget them. Some of them seldom read anything more than the occasional street sign or grocery flyer. But, I love the non-fiction books. I want to find out more about everything. As a kid I wanted to know about everything and I wondered how long it would take me to learn it all. I estimated I'd be in my thirties by the time I was done. As a kid, that seems old but, as a kid, the world seems much smaller too. In reality, as an adult, the more I learn the more I know I have yet to learn.

So then what...? I'm taking a look into selling my books. I bought them in the first place, who better than myself to know the advantages of owning such a great and interesting book?

My Friend (Deanna) Has Written about Selling Books Online and Kindly Gave me the Interview Below

• So You Want To Sell Your Books (Almost Everything You Need To Know)
• So Many Books, So Little Time
• Advice On Starting A Book Collection | Inherited Values
• The Value In Collecting & Reading Antique & Vintage Publications | Inherited Values

An Interview with an Experienced Book Seller

Before we begin, please introduce yourself and give us a summary with your experience as a book reviewer and seller.

I've been reviewing books online for over a decade, and as a result, have review copies filling my mail box weekly. (Please note, there are precautions to selling review copies; not everyone knows or respects the rules!) I've been selling books as well as antiques and collectibles online since 1997, I believe it was... That includes buying, and then selling, entire estates full of books. And I've been reading and collecting books for decades, of course.

Do you consider yourself a book collector? What do you think makes one person a book collector versus someone who reads books or someone who hoards books - where do you draw the line?

I actually believe there are several categories of bibliophiles. There are readers, those who just love to read but do not need to keep or save books or periodicals. There are the book lovers, magazine lovers, etc., who need the objects themselves. Then there are the collectors, who consider the pursuit of works as important as the keeping of them. As for hoarding, there's the seriously negatively impacting disorder which is pathologically compulsive (which I'm not capable of addressing) and the state hoarding which many of us joke about doing. As someone who professionally writes about collecting, I'd say the true distinctions between "collecting" and "hoarding" are about the focus in the accumulation of and care of that is given to the objects themselves.

For the record, I am a book-reading, book-loving, book-collecting bibliophile!

Are there different methods of selling books online, beyond using sites like eBay?

Oh there are likely hundreds of options! It depends upon what kind of books you have, as well as your personal goals and preferences. Each site or marketplace varies as much in audience (types of buyers) as they do in their terms or conditions and fees. It's not just a matter of what sites you like or trust, but where the buyers are for specific types of books and how much they are willing to pay. This not only affects how much money you are likely to get for your book, but how quickly you are likely to get it too. Depending on how much you sell, these sites work perfectly for keeping track of your sales. This can come in handy for when you file taxes at the beginning of the year. Depending on how much you sell, these sites work perfectly for keeping track of your sales. This can come in handy for when you file taxes at the beginning of the year.

Along with online marketplaces, there's also just tossing up your own site, using PayPal buttons for purchasing. Blogging software, like WordPress, now offers ecommerce plugins so that you can sell online easily. Of course, those options require you driving your own traffic to get sales, but the rewards can be greater too.

Where have you found your most success as a book seller?

Matching the book for sale to the appropriate sales platform in order to get it in front of the largest group of most likely buyers is really important. That's how you get the best prices for your items.

Do you sell books offline, in flea markets for example?

I sell a lot of books at flea markets and at good old fashioned rummage sales in my backyard too. These books tend to be more common books; think "used books" rather than "valuable books".

I also sell a number of books at the antique stores we have booth and case space in. These tend to be antiquarian books, rare titles, and other collectible works which are perhaps not as commonly sought after but fetch higher prices.

What are the extra costs for selling books online, like shipping?

Shipping is a cost -- and that includes boxes and mailers, packing tape, shipping labels (the ink and paper you print them on), and other items for packaging. There's also fees for shipping insurance and tracking options. If you don't consider those costs, or are charging less than you should, those amounts can really eat at any profits you may have.

And then there's your time. There's the time it takes to ship items, but even before you get to that, there's a lot of time invested in properly listing books to sell. You'll need to research each book to have an idea of its value in order to set your price or start the bidding at. You'll need to accurately describe the book and its condition; you may need to photograph or scan the book itself. You may need to respond to questions from potential buyers. And then there's the time spent organizing your books for sale. (You have to be able to find a title quickly to answer questions and to ship it.) This time can add up surprisingly fast.

As the saying goes, time is money. If, after you take out the fees for listing and selling at a site, you find you are only getting a dollar or something for your book, it may not be worth your time to sell books online.

Is there a danger of being ripped off by a book purchaser?

Most sites have protections for both seller and buyer. Sites like PayPal favor the buyer a lot, which means you are best off using the insurance and delivery tracking options to protect yourself. But still, even when you've accurately described the item and taken the shipping precautions, issues may still arise. There are fewer scammers than one fears; but there is always the element of just bad luck with a sale or shipping. Sometimes things just end up going sideways and aggravating you, if not costing you money outright.

What advice would you give to someone starting to sell their own books online?

Whether you are simply down-sizing your book collection or planning on generating income by selling books, it's really important to know what you have. Not just in terms of the books themselves and their values, but your time constraints, skill sets (or willingness to learn), and desire to want to do the work it takes.

It can all seem overwhelming, I know! But once you have realistic ideas and expectations, the right options for you are much easier to see.

Thanks for taking the time to be interviewed. Is there anything you would like to add?

Just that most of this information applies to used or past issues of magazines and periodicals as well -- and anything vintage or antique, for that matter. While a lot of the collecting shows make it sound like there's treasure in your attic or basement, it's not as easy as many people think it is. Learning to identify and separate the "gems" from the "junk" takes time and experience, as does the act of selling it. There is money to be made, for sure; but, as the saying goes, there's no easy money.

And thank you so much for including me in your discussion about selling books!

When you think about Beanie Babies do you think cute, sweet, playful, disappointing, clutter, or does anyone still think they are collectible? I bet there are people still collecting them. Still, running on the Beanie Baby high, sure that Beanie Babies will rise (in value) again.

The first Beanie Baby was marketed twenty years ago, 1993. Some young people won't know what a Beanie Baby is. The Beanie Baby fervour died down in about 2000.

I only bought one Beanie Baby during the rush to collect them. I bought Maple, the Canadian Beanie Baby when they were offered at McDonald's restaurants. Does anyone remember that? I was in the US, living on and off with Todd. It was before we were married in 2000. I remember Todd's Aunts asking me to bring them Beanie Babies from Canada, when I went home again and was coming back. (I was doing a lot of border crossing in those days).  I hadn't caught the Beanie Baby craze so finding time to get them and space to pack them was not a priority for me. But, his Aunt was a big collector.

Funny how I have bought two Beanie Babies since the days of the Beanie Baby crash but only that one during the rush to collect them. The two I bought since then were found in a thrift shop. I paid a quarter for one and the other came in a bag of toys sold for a dollar, just trying to get rid of excess toys in the shop.

The Beanie Baby has been brought low since the days of it's huge popularity and the rush to collect them all. People collected hoards of Beanie Babies and now still have to deal with a hoard of Beanie Babies worth far less than they paid for them. Not quite worthless, they are still cute after all. They are still what they always were, a cute toy for children and adults who like something to cuddle. The Beanie Baby never changed, just our concept of them. It would be nice if collectors took this as a lesson. If people used more caution with their collecting, keeping it exclusive rather than hoarding and collecting ALL of them. But, people still get caught up too easily in the marketing, the need to have them all and the idea that they will make a lot of money when they sell them.

I do still have Maple, somewhere. The other one I bought was the St. Patrick's Day Beanie Baby and it is somewhere too. Put away, not with the idea of selling them for big bucks later, just something nice to have around even though I don't have the space to display them right now.

Rag dolls, plastic dolls, porcelain dolls... there are dolls made out of so many different materials. Then there are Barbie dolls and baby dolls and show dolls who are dressed up but never played with. Then there are dolls by brand, some doll collections are all about the company who makes the doll. Most doll collections are vintage dolls. An older doll, not so easily found has more commercial value.The easiest thing about doll collecting is to decide which dolls to collect. You just collect the dolls you want to keep. The dolls which have personal appeal to you.

Where to Find Dolls

Retail stores are not the best, or the only source, for finding the dolls you want to collect.

Look online at sites from other doll collectors. Online auctions and shops like eBay.

Garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets, antique stores, doll shops and doll hospitals. Go to craft shows. Look at museums too.

Talk to friends and family, ask around.

Identifying and Valuing a Doll

The first value to put on a doll is your own personal value of the doll. It's sentimental value to you.

Beyond the personal value you can find the commercial value with guides written by doll collectors who evaluate the worth of the dolls based on their re-sale value, their rarity and the condition they are in.

Search online auctions, retail shops and sites from doll appraisers for the market value of your doll. See what people are currently paying for the same doll you have, in the same condition as your doll.

There are guide books written and updated each year which will give you a price guide based on the value doll collectors put on each doll. This is only an estimate really. The value of a doll can go up or down depending on what someone is actually willing to pay versus what the book says the doll is worth.

Also, a doll may be worth more to you, personally. Someone may offer to pay a price from the guide book or the selling price on eBay but that may not be how you feel about it yourself.

Protect, Repair and Preserve your Dolls

If you collect dolls you will need to know about doll repair, doll preservation and doll conservation. Light, dryness, humidity and storage and display of the dolls are important for maintaining them. Even if your dolls are displayed behind glass and never touched they will still need to be taken out and given a light cleaning now and then.

Avoid natural or fluorescent light. Natural light will fade the dolls clothes. Fluorescent light can change the colour of the doll hair and/ or skin.

Avoid extremes of hot and cold temperatures. Most dolls are made of materials which can degrade in the heat or begin to crack in the cold or even cooler temperatures.

It's good to keep the dolls in glass cabinets but not in air-tight plastic. Any least moisture inside the plastic will cause mould and mildew to grow.

If you use paper or cardboard to store the dolls make sure it is acid-free, just like they use for scrapbook making.

Keep pets, bugs, dust away from the dolls. Not smoking either. Those should be pretty obvious really.

When did you first see and hear a music box play? I think the first I ever saw was one which had a golden Christmas angel who played 'Silent Night'. My favourite music box was not really a music box, it was Truly Scrumptious (the actress, Sally Ann Howes) in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The music box most people think of is the little girl's jewellry box with the music box and the twirling ballerina inside. I had one of those too. A long time ago. They still sell them in the stores, unchanged in all those years.

A music box produces sound by having a cylinder with bumps/ pins on it revolve around while being swept with a steel comb. My description isn't great. You need to see a real music box at least some time in your life to understand how it works and appreciate how it sounds.

The History of Musical Boxes

In the 15th Century, in Europe, a cylinder with pins was being used to regulate the ringing of bells. But the first known steel comb used for music was a gadget in watches, snuff-boxes and other objects, created by Antoine Favre ( a Swiss clockmaker) in 1796. They were called carillons à musique. Some of those early musical boxes had a tiny drum and a bell as well as the cylinder and steel comb.

The first musical boxes were clockwork, made by watchmakers, most of them in Switzerland. Some musical boxes were as large as a piece of furniture. However, most were smaller, a size meant to sit on a tabletop. The first music box factory was opened there in 1815 by Jérémie Recordon and Samuel Junod. In 1862 they were given removable cylinders so the boxes could play different tunes. Some music boxes were able to play up to three hours at a time.

At the end of the 18th century music boxes were being changed from the cylinders to flat metal discs.

Player pianos were replacing music boxes by the end of the 19th century. The player pianos were more melodious, when kept tuned. Gramophones (able to play back voices) came along then too.

After WWII Japan started making music boxes based on Swiss music mechanisms. In time they began making them in their own style and sometime later they were produced in Taiwan in greater quantities.

Music boxes were produced in North America for awhile but the main producer of music boxes since the 1990s is now China.

I explore abandoned houses and such places. The rule is not to take anything (or leave anything, like garbage). I photograph the outside of old farm houses mainly, seldom entering them at all. In more than five years exploring the only thing I have ever taken was a green Pyrex bowl which I found out in the deep grass, full of rotting weeds. It took several bleach washings to get the smell out of the bowl. I kept the bowl and I have no desire to sell it. I kept it for the house, the history of the place.

My Mom and I go to auctions, flea markets and thrift stores. We also pick up stuff from the side of the road if it looks good. But, we don't sell it. Most of it gets refurbished and then we give it to family members and friends who need it. We repurpose. The odd time something ends up being left at the bottom of our own driveway for another picker to pick it up and see what they do with it.

A few times I tried selling old things we don't still use or have space to keep around. But, it was annoying to deal with people who wanted to shop, rather than buy.

When does collecting become hoarding? I think a lot of people forget the actual pleasure of having something you enjoy. Instead they just want the hunt, the finding of  so-called collectibles and then they just want to own it. Not to enjoy it, but just to own it, like having the right number in their collection. They forget to actually enjoy having it. Someone could move all the items and they could never see them for years and it would make no real difference. They might even prefer to just collect it again rather an feel the loss of it.

I like to watch the shows about antiques, collecting, the storage locker buyers and even (less often) the hoarders. But, I don't think I will take it on as a business. That would take the fun out of the picking up of junk and turning it into something of value. Plus, I don't want to take on more stuff. There is only so much space available and only so much time I want to spend on dusting and maintaining stuff.

• HubPages: American Pickers: Who Has the Money to Buy This Junk?
• HubPages: How to be a Picker of Antiques and Collectibles
• Daily Motion: Pickers Inc.
• Yard Sale Shark
• Snip.it: Antiques, Vintage Collectibles and Collecting
• Entrepreneur: Four Tips for Getting Started in a Collectibles Business
• Mother Earth News: How to be an Antique Picker
• HubPages: Would you Be a Great Picker?

The above photo is upcycled jewellery from The Key of A.