So I have a friend that lives internationally. We’re both into book collecting, as she lives in a different country with super expensive shipping she’ll ship huge packages of books to me and ask me to help her sell off/trade her books for her. I don’t mind doing this on occasion because she is my friend and I’d love to help her….however, it sometimes feels like I’m doing endless favors for her and nothing from her for me in return.
Some things I’ve done for her:
-Handle all her packages. She’ll ship me 30lb packages and I have to unpack, take pictures of everything for buyers, using packing materials to wrap up all her books and trades. She sometimes will send me a roll of boxes or bubble wrap but for the most part I’m using my own materials.
-The 30lb box was too heavy for me and she told me she had a 60lb package of books coming my way and I told her she may have to split it up into two shipments and she said no that’d be too expensive shipping for her I’m just gonna have to handle the 60lb box on the porch and open it outside and bring all the books in
-Help her buy books she doesn’t have access to in her own country.
-If she has a book I also have, she’ll sometimes use MY book and sell it and will ship me her book a year later but in the meantime I’m without my books.
-Gave her a book to help her secure a book for a trade and then she never paid me (assuming she forgot)
-She uses my address to receive free books and so I then have to take PR pics for her to use on her social media
-Had me go to Target and buy books for her and her friends
Some things she’s done for me….she once helped me with a trade when I asked to buy the book from her friend who had what I needed. And she does give me a birthday gift every year. We get each other a book from our wishlist so that’s equal. And she once helped me find a book I was looking for.
But then there’s times where I could use her help with something and she doesn’t offer? Like she has books that she doesn’t even want anymore up for trade/sale and if I need one for a trade she won’t offer it up and I know she doesn’t HAVE to but sometimes it feels like she should? I do SO much for her. I know friendship doesn’t need to be gift for gift, help for help….but with the amount of time and money I’ve saved her over the years it just came off as kind of selfish that she never helps me with some stuff too. I work a full time job, so all the pictures and post office runs have to happen during lunch breaks or weekends off. It’s consuming, not a ton of my time, but it does take up time and it also takes up a lot of storage. I have around 100 books of hers at my house at a time sometimes. Fills up totes and totes in my basement.