If you are looking for homeschool supplies, curriculum, materials etc…you may wish to take a look at homeschool classifieds. Many homeschoolers are turning to homeschool classifieds to buy and sell homeschool merchandise in an effort to make homeschooling more affordable for everyone.

Homeschooling families are in a different situation than schools when it comes to textbooks, materials, and other school room necessities: there comes a point at which there isn’t going to be another class, and the textbooks and other items that were so important to the schooling efforts are no longer needed. This means that there is a growing number of homeschooling families with items to sell or give away at the same time that there is a growing number of homeschooling families just getting started or, say, just reaching 6th grade for the first time. Looked at from either perspective, there are a bunch of buyers and sellers who would benefit by coming together and homeschool classifieds sites aim to do just that, saving the buyers money and recouping money for the sellers.

Homeschool classifieds are also useful if you want to sell books or materials without listing them (e.g., to someone in your family or neighborhood) and simply want to establish what a fair price would be. An additional use is trying out one or two elements of a program prior to investing in the whole thing.
Some homeschoolers choose to list their products on existing forums, like eBay and Craigslist. Using Craigslist, you can immediately know that products are near you, cutting down on shipping costs, but look farther afield for hard to find items, if you choose to. But you can also now find forums that are dedicated to sales and purchases by homeschoolers by doing a browser search on “Homeschool Classifieds.”
Homeschool classifieds may accept listings for “items wanted” as well as “items for sale,” and whichever you’re doing, there’s some guidelines you should follow in order for things to work out well:

• Provide an accurate description of the item, including the exact title if it’s a book or series of books.
• Note whether it is hardcover or paperback or some other kind of binding (e.g., spiral bound). If it’s something else (like a microscope), provide specifications.
• Publishers put out different editions, so list the copyright date of any books.
• Carefully review the condition of the book or other material before describing it. Particularly important are missing pages and written in answers in books and any wear that would affect functionality in other materials. Appearance, though less essential, is also important.
• Aim to charge a fair price.
• Weigh the book or materials, estimate the size after packaging, and check your options with the US Postal Service, Federal Express, and UPS to figure out shipping costs.

Some examples of Homeschool Classifieds websites are:

• Free Homeschool Ads: http://freehomeschoolads.com/cheap.htm
• Free Home School Ads Network: http://freehomeschoolads.com/
• Free Home School Classifieds: http://freehomeschoolclassifieds.com/
• Homeschool Classifieds: http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com/default.asp
• Homeschool Trading Zone: http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=ab-homeschool2

We are not recommending them, just making it easier for you to find some sites in order to perform your own evaluation.