I have a bunch of books I want to get rid of, simply because I've run out of bookshelf space. Two weeks ago, I took a few boxes of books to sell at my favorite used bookstore, and they gave me $140 for them, some of which I immediately used to buy other books for sale at the store (I know, I'm pathetic). I'm sure I could have gotten more for the books if I'd listed them individually on eBay or Amazon, but I've tried that before and the listing and fulfillment processes are a hassle. It takes too much time to fill out the information forms and then box up the stuff.

Today on Netted (a terrific online newsletter that reviews useful websites), I just learned about a new website called Glyde.com that greatly simplifies the process of selling unwanted books (as well as DVDs, CDs, and video games). To list an item for sale, all you have to do is enter the title in the search field, indicate its condition in a checkbox, and the price (Glyde gives you a suggested price). Then, when someone buys the book, Glyde will send you a pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope. All you have to do is stick the book in it and put it in the mailbox. Glyde will deposit the money in your Glyde account, which you can withdraw at any time in the form of a bank transfer or check. There is no listing fee. If the item sells, Glyde takes a commission of 10% of the sale price, plus $1.00 - $1.75 for the mailing. (I wouldn't be surprised if eBay buys this company soon.)

I've started listing books on Glyde already. I'll let you know how it goes!

Mark Frauenfelder – Editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine and the founder of the popular Boing Boing weblog, Mark was an editor at Wired from 1993-1998 and is the founding editor of Wired Online.