Got questions? We have a few answers.

Now that the Ash Grove Audiobook Exchange is no more, is there another entity that can take your place?

Many of you have told us that our retirement has left a void in your lives. We've been asked, "Where can I turn now? Who will take my audiobooks in trade? Is there a company you can recommend that will provide me with quality audiobooks at a reasonable price and offer the kind of personal customer service I've gotten from the Ash Grove?"

We have tried to contact other companies and organizations we found listed on the Internet for information about their services, but have had no satisfactory responses.

So sorry, but we have to say "We don't know!" If any of you have found new options that work for you, please phone or email us with the details so that we can share them with others.
 

What can I do now with the audiobooks I'm through with?

There are some places that will buy used audiobooks. Your local used bookstore might; give them a call and ask. On the internet you can list any audiobook for sale on Half.com. And Powell's Books or audiobooks.com will buy some titles.

Or consider donating your audiobooks to a worthy charity. You can earn good karma AND a tax advantage (often equal to what you'd get by selling them - see below). Libraries, nursing homes, retirement communities, hospitals, hospices, organizations for the sight-impaired and others are always thankful for donations.

If you don't have a preferred local charity that can accept your used audiobooks, you might consider sending them to Books Aloud, a non-profit organization that has been around for 30 years, making life better for thousands of patrons through their "Reading by Listening" program. They also work as a clearing house, distributing materials to many institutions aiding the blind throughout the country. Learn more about this wonderful organization at their website.

Here is their address and phone number:

BOOKS ALOUD
PO BOX 5731
SAN JOSE CA 95150

408-808-265

And you can mail them your audiobooks at no charge. Simply label your package "Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped" in the upper right corner of the address side. You can check out the postal regulation on the USPS website -- just in case your local post office personnel don't have their manual memorized :)

We hope that one way or another you will continue to recycle your audiobooks. Thank you for thinking green!
 

Other than warm-fuzzies, what advantages might I reap through donation?

While generosity and kindness are what drive us to give, it's also nice that we can be rewarded through tax benefits. And those tax benefits are nothing to sneeze at!

Charity Navigator provides a brief summary of federal income tax laws. (You are, of course, urged to consult your tax advisor for all the federal, state, and local tax consequences of a charitable contribution.) Here are some points they make:

1. A gift to a qualified charitable organization may entitle you to a charitable contribution deduction against your income tax if you itemize deductions… the actual cost of what you give is reduced by your tax savings.

2. Most, but not all, charitable organizations qualify for a charitable contribution deduction. (Be sure to verify.)

3. There are limits to how much you can deduct, but they're very high. For most people, the limits on charitable contributions don't apply. Only if you contribute more than 20% of your adjusted gross income to charity is it necessary to be concerned about donation limits.

4. For non-cash donations, the value of the deduction is normally equal to the property's fair market value. The IRS requires a qualified appraisal to be submitted with your tax return if  you donate any single item that is not in good used condition or better, and for which you deducted more than $500. (Obiviously that does not apply to most audiobooks!)

We say it is better to give than receive. The glory of charitable donations, like hugs, is that you give and receive at the same time!
 

Where did those market value prices come from?

As you know, most of the stuff one accumulates is worth less now than when it was purchased new. But if you're a fan of Antiques Roadshow or the proud owner of a '57 Chevy in mint condition, you are also well aware that this isn't always the case! It all depends on how many other things just like what you have are out there in the world and on how many other people might want that thing.

This rule - the law of supply and demand - certainly affects the value of audiobooks. Generally speaking, for instance, the demand for books recorded on tape has dropped as people switched to CDs, MP3s, and then to downloads. On the other hand, some people still prefer to use cassettes and are having a harder time finding audiobooks on tape as fewer sources carry them. And some great readings have been out of production for many years, so copies in good condition are rare.

We have used a variety of means to determine current market value of our audiobook titles. We've amassed a lot of statistics over time from our Ash Grove trade-ins and sales, but also, for the past several years we've had a computer chugging along every night collecting information from other, much larger, sellers of audiobooks - Amazon and others. A lengthy program filled with complex formulae daily churned that data into updated values. If adequate statistics were not available for a particular ISBN, we hand-checked to make corrections.

Now you can benefit from all that effort!