Black Friday see store specials
BookSwim.com is America's only hardcover/paperback online book rental service. Utilizing the Netflix rental model, similar to GameFly and BagBorrowandSteal, BookSwim acts as a book rental library club. They offer no due dates, no late fees and free home delivery with prepaid return bags.
BookSwim's rental plans range from 2 to 11 books at a time and from $14.99 to $35.99 monthly, with no limit on the number of rentals per month.
Founded in 2006 by NJIT graduates, George Burke and Shamoon Siddiqui, BookSwim has a strong focus on the environment. Not only does BookSwim.com encourage book-renting as a great way to reduce the number of trees cut down each year for virgin paper, but they also plant a tree for every Gift Subscription sold, through a partnership with EcoLibris.
For consumers, BookSwim acts as a supplement to local libraries and a relief for those who live debilitatingly far from their nearest rural library. With the cost of an average best-seller at over $22, BookSwim's rental plans are designed to save money over buying just one new book each month.
BookSwim also works with library systems and senior centers, providing multiple copies of new and popular books, as well as facilitating supplies for book discussion groups and summer reading programs.
MSRP $14.99
Release date April, 2007
love it
want it
have it
tag it
Pros & Cons25
Reviews4
Details
Buy It
Competitors1
Related
Gallery1
Pros & Cons
2 positive
0 mixed
2 negative
How is the ProSCORE calculated?
show me!
The ProSCORE is calculated based on the ratio of Pros & Cons about this product as voted by
approved reviewers from the ProductWiki community.
ProSCORE = 100 x (Pro votes) / [(Pro votes) + (Con votes)]
Numbers used for this ProSCORE:
Pro votes = 22
Con votes = 10
Total votes = 32
If you want to help improve the accuracy of the results, register and start voting!
» see the top ranked reviewers
[close]
Details
Submit a link
This report was started
April 21, 2008 at 12:22 pm by
indibulous
with the last edit occurring
September 21, 2009 at 11:18 am by
Fila
This page has been viewed
622 times,
with
100 edits by
5 contributors.
See the
full report history »
Buy It
Competitors
BookSwim.com is ranked 1st among it's competitors.
See the
top picks in
Websites »
MSRP --
Released January, 2001
Pros
- immensely powerful gateway
- libraries relevant even in web 2.0 world
- constantly improving
Cons
- can be difficult for newcomers to navigate
BookSwim.com
100%
vs.
Public Libraries
0%
Reviews
April 21, 2008
approved
reviewer
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- cheaper than buying books
- free shipping, both ways
- great customer service!
- easy to send/receive books
- try-before-you-buy option lets subscribers keep great books and send back the rest for free
- Bob Marley plays on hold with customer service
- I can add books I want to their catalog and they buy them for me
- has every book I want to read
- no competitor has hardcovers, so BookSwim is my only option for new books
- better hours than my 9-5 local library
- better for the environment than buying new books
- better for the environment than driving to the store/library each time I want a book
- BookSwim plants trees to balance out ones cut down for paper
Cons
- no audio books (real books, only)
- no textbooks
- USPS shipping time to West Coast is slow
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
July 12, 2009
approved
reviewer

trusted
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- cheaper than buying books
Cons
- no audio books (real books, only)
- no textbooks
- Bad business plan
- Sophomoric corporate attitude
- Got the feeling I ws dealing with junior high school crowd
Comments
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
July 11, 2009
approved
reviewer

love it

have it
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- cheaper than buying books
- great customer service!
- easy to send/receive books
- try-before-you-buy option lets subscribers keep great books and send back the rest for free
- Bob Marley plays on hold with customer service
- I can add books I want to their catalog and they buy them for me
- new releases, popular bestsellers are usually available
- libraries can have long holds for popular fiction!
Cons
- no audio books (real books, only)
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
September 21, 2009
approved
reviewer
Pros
Did not agree with any pros
Cons
- No correct info on book swapping alternative.
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
Price comparison information by: