Trade-In Trials

You really have three options when it comes to media you have already consumed: you throw it away, give it away, or try to sell it. The first just seems all wrong to me (I mean, putting a book in the bin? A book!?), so traditionally I've always gone for option two. But, inspired by all the TV ads on the subject, lately I've been using online trade-in sites instead.

Rather than go with the usual tried and tested option (Ziffit), I decided I'd shop around a bit more with this lot to see if I could get a better deal. They all pay within around seven working days of receiving your package, so I was more interested in how much they offered and how easy the process was when rating - as I prefer using Royal Mail to Collect+ that was also a factor.

Plenty of stuff to trade in...

Fatbrain.co.uk 
Trade-in Limit: £15
Shipping: Label is emailed to you, with the option of using Royal Mail or taking the package to your local Collect+ point.
Comments: This came out worst in my test, with no trade in offers for the bulk of my items and typically the lowest offers for items they did want.


ZAPPER.co.uk
Trade-in Limit: £10
Shipping: Label is emailed to you, and package must be taken to the nearest Collect+ point.
Comments: Slightly more offers than Fatbrain, with offers generally around the 20 - 30p mark. The biggest downside of ZAPPER is the high number of items the site didn't recognise the ISBN for, and even popular, well selling books fell into this category.


webuybooks.co.uk
Trade-in Limit: £5
Shipping: Label has to be printed off and package taken to Collect+ point, although they will send you a Royal Mail label if you have no local Collect+ point (doesn't specify how local...).
Comments: The search function was slower than on the other sites, and trade in offers were generally low - but it would take some of the items none of the others wanted.


Amazon
Trade-in Limit: £10 (to be paid in Amazon vouchers)
Shipping: Label needs to be printed, but there is the option of Royal Mail or Collect+.
Comments: Didn't offer trade-in on many items, but did offer a decent price for the items they wanted.


Momox.co.uk
Trade-in Limit: £10
Shipping: You need to print the shipping label or write out your own label, then post it via Royal Mail.
Comments: I've used Momox before and was impressed with the offers I received from them for books which no other site wanted. The only downside I can see is that they're the only one based out of country (Germany), so turnaround time might be slightly longer.


Ziffit.co.uk
Trade-in Limit: £10
Shipping: You can either print out the label or request that they post you one, then you either take your stuff to the nearest Collect+ point or, if your trade-in weighs over 10kg, they will collect it from your house.
Comments: By far the best trade-in site in my experience, offering trade-in on the widest range of items, along with offering the highest price in around 75% of cases. I've also found their customer service department to be very helpful, with a quick response time.


Have you tried out any of the trade-in sites? Which one is your favourite?

Review: Jumperoo

Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo

I had heard loads of good things about the jumperoo, so was thrilled when my cousin offered to get her daughter's rainforest one down from the loft for us. FP don't provide an age recommendation to start from, just that the baby needs to have good head control. Marianna certainly does, and with her number one favourite activity being kicking (preferably a person...) it seemed just the kind of thing she would enjoy.

The jumperoo is so bright and colourful her face lit up as soon as she saw it. And when we swivelled the seat around to the lights and sounds workstation she looked positively amazed. She's too young to bother much with reaching out for things, but she enjoys watching the lights and when the more up-tempo tune comes on she likes to kick a bit. I'm sure that she'll work out the joys of actually bouncing in it over the next few weeks!

As the above picture shows, the jumperoo is a large and sturdy structure. To my mind it's safer than a door bouncer, and has the added advantages of letting us a) shut the door and b) not getting us into trouble with the landlord for marking the door frame. Marianna's not quite big enough to be able to reach the floor whilst in it, so we put her mat and blanket underneath it. The jumperoo is suitable for babies up to 25 lbs so she will have plenty of time to grow into it.

I really have to go with the vast majority of reviewers on this one, it's great. There are lots of colours, lights, noises, and things to reach for. There's dangling toys, and spinning toys, and the ability to bounce. It's safe and secure, and even at this age Marianna is happy to sit in it for 20 - 30 minutes before wanting out. You can expect to pay £80 - £115 new, but if you're able to collect you can pick them up for around £10 on eBay.

New Phone!

The weather was great today, stuff happened and things got done but, really, today was just the day I (finally) got my new phone. I'd had a contract with Orange for years and decided to end it and look for a better deal. ...I ended up back with EE, just with a new handset and £5 extra in my bank account each month. Result. My new number is:  07940 434654

The 13MP camera is plenty decent enough for everyday use.

Choosing which handset to go with was pretty easy. I hate touch screens so, short of giving up and buying a Doro PhoneEasy, Blackberry is always the obvious option. I'd read mixed reviews on the Blackberry Passport, even taking into consideration the fact that most tech reviewers seem to be of the opinion physical keypads should have gone out with the pull up aerial. Then I saw how it handled a spreadsheet. I use my phone mostly for reading - online, offline, plus agendas and supporting docs for work - so the BB's selling points of 60 characters per line and good PDF handling were really big draws for me.

There is also a 2MP selfie camera on the front of the handset.

Size wise, the Passport is big. They say size doesn't matter, but obviously both ways have their pros and cons! The screen is excellent for browsing, watching and reading, and using it feels like having a mini tablet rather than a big phone. On the downside it is a little more awkward to use one handed. But, I did manage to download Instagram, the lack of which was one of my only criticisms of my last Blackberry. I think we're going to get on well. :)

Prams and Tutu Baskets

My mum made the most adorable personalised pram keepsake for Marianna. It has her name on the back, and her initials on the little pillow. Here it is posed with two of my pose doll collection:

I also have my eye on the super cute tutu baskets she's been making lately. I could make my own, I suppose, but I am notoriously lacking in patience when it comes to crafting...

Organix

Organix is a well known baby and toddler food brand - so well known that they've even made it onto the list of things the Daily Mail says causes cancer. (Let's face it, there aren't many things left that don't.) In truth Organix have a very good reputation, especially in catering for different dietary requirements, from vegan to lactose intolerant. Anyway, the point in blogging about Organix given that Marianna is still too young to move on from formula is that I won the cutest tin from them in a facebook competition this week.

The prize was a box of six orange and apple oaty bars (I had one yesterday with a cup of tea - I might not be the target audience, but I enjoyed it all the same!), and a special Goodies tin. I think the tin will make an excellent crayon / pencil box when Marianna's a little older. :)

Review: Mothercare Loved So Much Playmat and Gym

Over the weekend my friends Cat and Kathryn came down from London to see Marianna (and me!), and one of the gifts Marianna was given was the Mothercare Loved So Much Playmat and Gym. Kathryn had asked me what she needed and just about the only thing we didn't have was a baby gym, so it was very very much appreciated. :)

The bear itself is so soft and cosy - every time I look at it I wish they made one in my size so I could cuddle up in it! The arms can move a little. like the bear is giving baby a hug, and have jingly bells inside the paw; the feet make a crinkly noise when played with. The gym bars were very easy to attach, simply clicking into snaps underneath the mat. Marianna loves anything with faces so we wanted to rearrange the toys so she could see the animals better. The toys are really easy to attach and detach, whether to move around the frame, or to change the toy on the hanger. 

Look at those little legs go!

I was impressed with how quickly Marianna picked up the idea that if she kicked the bar, the toys would move and rattle. Now she will lie there and amuse herself quite happily for a few minutes which is a great bonus. The whole thing just looks adorable, and doesn't take up as much space as some other gyms I've seen. The only change I would make is to make the centre (the bear's tummy) a little more padded, but it's not a big issue and we haven't needed to put a blanket or any other layer under her. In short, I love it and would highly recommend, especially for the younger baby.

World Book Day

World Book Day - actually recognised in most of the rest of the world on April 23rd - has really taken off over the last few years. The first one in the UK was launched by Tony Blair back in 1998, and I still have the little book of short stories I bought with my £1 voucher that year (Anne Fine's hilarious 'Keep it in the Family'). These days kids dress up, craft their favourite book characters, and raise money for the charity's wider projects. For more info check out their website HERE.

A younger me spurning conversation in favour of a book...

Growing up, reading was just about my favourite thing to do, and I really hope that Marianna gets bitten by the book worm bug too. We've been reading to her since day one, and I began collecting vintage ladybird books for her from the day I found out I was pregnant. Are there any young children's books you'd particularly recommend? In the meantime, here are my answers to the obligatory WBD meme:

The book I am reading: - The Invention of Murder; How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime by Judith Flanders. This book is so well researched, and utterly fascinating. I'm a bit morbid and love historical 'true crime' (especially the Ripper), but even with an extensive interest in the subject this is the first book I've read that has totally rejected the truism that all Victorians and their dogs were poisoning each other. Turns out it was as much a media invention as the 1980s/90s explosion of satanic sacrifices.

The book I am writing: - One day... I've written a lot of short stories, but I just don't have the sticking power for a full length novel.

The book I love most: - Such a cruel question! There are so many books I've loved, from the Famous Five series to Harry Potter, to Adrian Mole, to The Mennyms, to Grasshopper Island, to Clan of the Cave Bear. Lately I've been really into sentimental Victorian and Edwardian girls' literature, like Pollyanna and the full back catalogue of L.T. Meade. The book I'd recommend the highest from the last year or so is Emmi Itaranta's award winning Memory of Water.

The last book I received as a gift: - Anthony bought me the awesome Downton Abbey 'Rules For Household Staff' book for Christmas, but if you count competition wins as gifts I've received about three dozen more since then. I had two Goodreads wins arrive this morning; Misdirection by Martin Link and Develop Your Own Media Application! by Alexis Aronis.

The last book I gave as a gift: - My Mam Shirley by Julie Shaw. I gave it to my mum as part of her birthday present.

The nearest book: - There's my cinema collection including The MGM Story, Taschen's Movies of the 30s, and Horror: The Definitive Guide to the Cinema of Fear, along with a shelf full of A's books ranging from The Authorized History of MI5 to Alan Moore's controversial Lost Girls.

I've also got my collection of film annuals, like this one from 1932.