I have a problem. Actually, I have two problems. Actually, I have a lot of problems, but for the sake of this conversation, we'll limit it to two. Problem 1) I buy a LOT of books because I read a LOT of books, which gets very expensive and leads to Problem 2) I have a LOT of books I have read, didn't care for, and are now laying around taking up valuable real estate in my humble, not-overly-large-abode. As you can imagine, books in + no books out = *cue Marie Kondo weeping*. But friends, there is a solution, and that solution is Pango.
Now, a couple of rapid-fire disclaimers here. Yes, I could just borrow books from the library and occasionally do, but my tolerance for sticky library covers and weird stains has gone down the older I've gotten. Yes, I could also just donate the unwanted books to Goodwill, but that would require collecting them until I have a decent load and then carting them over for drop-off, which would result in an anxiety-filled exchange in which I'll question if they're questioning if I was the same chick who dropped off a box of cheesy Hallmark-esque books last month. Yes, these are all first world problems and yes, I still support our local indie bookstore if I'm in the mood to just browse and I'm not looking for a specific title. And, last but not least, no, this post is not sponsored by Pango. Sadly. Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
I have absolutely no recollection of how I first heard about Pango as it's been a couple of years now, but, much like the invention of weighted blankets and waffle makers, it's hard to imagine what I did before it came into my life. Pango is essentially Poshmark for books; you can list and sell books for "Pango Bucks", which can be cashed out for real money or left in the app as store credit, or you can buy books from other sellers on the site. If you choose to sell, Pango takes 20% of each sale as a platform fee and provides a prepaid shipping label; all you have to do is package it up, slap the label on, and drop it in the mail. However, if you then turn around and use Pango bucks to buy something, you get 2% of the purchase price back in Pango bucks. It's not much, but it's a nice little incentive to keep your earnings as credit until you need them. Much like buying books from the Amazon marketplace, books are graded from fair to new condition and listed at (usually) shockingly good prices. Unlike the Amazon marketplace, sellers usually have multiple pictures so you can see exactly what you're getting. Additionally, sellers often have multi-buy discounts where you can get a percentage or flat amount off if you spend a certain amount.
One of the nice things about Pango is that you can buy or sell or both. Obviously, if you're like me, it makes sense to sell and then apply those earnings to future purchases, but you could also just convert your sales to real money if you need a little extra cash. Or, if you don't want to sell, you can just pay with a card like any other online purchase. You can often find exclusive, special editions from places like Owlcrate and Fairyloot that you wouldn't be able to get anywhere else, so it's a great place to look for some of those harder-to-find items. There's a search function if you're wanting a specific title, but there's also a feed where you can see the most recently posted books, or you can browse by category. I've found a lot of great, random books I never would've found on my own if I hadn't stumbled on them in the main feed. Additionally, I really like the idea of buying secondhand books where the money is going to actual people and not just some soulless corporation. A lot of sellers include fun stickers or cute little notes when you order from them, so getting Pango mail is a lot more fun than your average retailer.
Like any third-party arrangement, there's some risk in buying from random people. Buyers can rate sellers they purchase from on Pango so you can usually tell if someone is a bad egg, but bad eggs also tend to not stick around for very long once they're on the Pango team's radar. In all the years I've been using Pango, I haven't had a single situation that hasn't been resolved quickly and efficiently, usually before it even has to be escalated. Even an order I made for several books that was lost by the post office was immediately refunded by the seller when I reached out to her. Sure, it might take a couple of extra days without that 2-day Prime shipping, but how many times has Amazon put frog stickers in with your order just for funsies? I would be willing to bet the answer is 0.
And so, to summarize, that is the story of why you should consider Pango for all your bookish needs. (Or at least most of them; brand new releases usually take a hot second to circulate their way into the Pango world.) Buy. Sell. Get cowboy possum stickers. The end.
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