Have you been on Paperback Swap for a while?

[Jenny in Florida]

I haven't noticed, but that was so rude. There is a system in place, it works when you let it. I recently requested a specific ISBN of a popular title. When the book arrived, not only was it water damaged it was the wrong ISBN. I had no problem getting my credit back, thankfully.

 

I have had very few problems on paperbackswap and the benefits out weigh the issues for me.

 

I would probably send a PM back to the person outlining the time line for accepting requests and then not accept it for another day. But I'm not feeling very nice today. :glare:

 

Ditto on all counts.

 

I, too, went out of my way to request a specific ISBN once. I wanted the trade sized paperback, not mass market, because at that point my son really needed more white space on the page to read comfortably. The book I requested was listed with the correct ISBN, but when it arrived, it was the mass market size. I complained, had a nasty confrontation about it, but got my credit back.

 

That was about three years ago, not long after I joined. I've never had a problem since.

 

I always try to imagine a situation from the other person's point of view. Maybe the person who requested your book has had a string of bad experiences with other members either not responding promptly or cancelling requests because they don't actually have the book? Maybe this time, he or she decided to cut to the chase?

[CalicoKat]

I removed EVERYthing from my shelves.

 

Same here. I got one ugly transaction and decided that I was done sending out books.

[GailV]

This is from 2010!

 

Is the new trend to restart years old threads?

 

Maybe it would help if the threads turned yellow with age, just like the pages of some books ....

[Sebastian (a lady)]

If yes, have you noticed people getting more demanding?

 

I had a very unpleasant transaction earlier this year that really upset me. Yesterday I thought of a book I wanted so I logged on last night to request it. Just before going to bed, I saw that I had a request for a book. Since I like to make sure I actually have the book before responding, I didn't reply. This morning I went to church and just got on the computer when I got home. I saw that I had a PM at PBS. It's from the person who requested the book, saying this:

 

 

 

I got the request at 10:23 PM last night and the PM at 11:27 AM this morning. 13 hours?!?! Am I supposed to sit around on the Internet in case a perfect stranger requests one of my books? Or am I being oversensitive? Now I just feel like telling this person to cancel the order and find someone else.

 

I've had mostly good transactions. I have found that some people go over the top on their requestor conditions - I tend to say that I cannot meet their conditions because I don't feel comfortable that I could make them happy with a used book. I've also seen an increase in requestor conditions that restate the club guidelines on book condition. Sadly, this seems more necessary as I've been getting many books that are badly mildewed or have heavy underlining or highlighting (that weren't textbooks - and even then it requires prior approval for underlining).

 

I had one woman really flip out because the book took more than a week. It was coming from overseas and was still within the 6-8 week guidelines.

 

With the PM you got, I would be tempted to quote back to them guidelines from the site about how long a sender has to respond to a request. And I would probably be inclined to say no on the transaction, thinking they were likely to be problematic upon receipt. I would also consider reporting the PM to PBS. They might not do anything immediately, but it would be on file if they caused problems with other people down the line.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I have had some issues. Once a person never said they received it and by the time they did it was too late to receive a credit from them. Another time I sent the book they requested but they said they wanted a HARDback......but there was no way for me to have known that.

 

So, I was out 2 books, the credits, and the shipping.

 

I have stopped using PBS for the most part. The books I want are not available EVER and the books I have listed have done ok, but some issues (above).

 

Dawn

 

Just FWIW, if a book arrives late, the receipient can go into the transaction archive and still send the credit. It just doesn't happen automatically because they can't just receipt for the book. If one is taking a long time, you can PM, pointing out that they should mark it received through the Transaction Archive.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Maybe it would help if the threads turned yellow with age, just like the pages of some books ....

 

How funny. I didn't notice the age of the thread either.

 

I was just glad to see a thread I was interested in weighing in on.

[elegantlion]

This is from 2010!

 

Is the new trend to restart years old threads?

 

:lol::lol: I read the initial post thinking it sounded familiar. Yup, I responded, two years ago.

 

If anyone cares for an update, I removed all the books from my shelves in late 2010. We were moving and I had no money or time to mail out books. I still haven't added anything to my shelves, as I downsized prior to the move. Plus with the price of postage it's easier to buy a credit or buy used from Amazon.

[mommymilkies]

I just started back on PBS to downsize some books. I've already spent something like $40 on shipping out about 10 books and I've received just a couple cheap ones with rips. I'm not pleased. I think I'm just gonna stick with Amazon!

[A.Balaban]

For those of you who use PBS... what do you use to mail books? I had an account, but never added anything to it, and couldn't get in, so I made a new account. I need to downsize some books. Apparently I made the right choice because when I logged 10 books, 3 of them were on members wish lists.

 

So, what have you used for mailers? I have a bunch of big white mailers that I use for larger items, but what about for paperback book sized items? Seems like overkill.

[Jenny in Florida]

For those of you who use PBS... what do you use to mail books? I had an account, but never added anything to it, and couldn't get in, so I made a new account. I need to downsize some books. Apparently I made the right choice because when I logged 10 books, 3 of them were on members wish lists.

 

So, what have you used for mailers? I have a bunch of big white mailers that I use for larger items, but what about for paperback book sized items? Seems like overkill.

 

I just follow the instructions on the site. I wrap the book in a plastic grocery bag and then the two sheets on paper that print the mailing info. I tape it all together really well with packing tape and toss it in the mail.

 

Most of the books I receive are packaged the same way.

[melissel]

For those of you who use PBS... what do you use to mail books? I had an account, but never added anything to it, and couldn't get in, so I made a new account. I need to downsize some books. Apparently I made the right choice because when I logged 10 books, 3 of them were on members wish lists.

 

So, what have you used for mailers? I have a bunch of big white mailers that I use for larger items, but what about for paperback book sized items? Seems like overkill.

 

I'm too anal to use the plastic bag/two sheets of paper thing (I never mind if I receive them that way though!), so I buy smaller mailers at our dollar stores. I can usually find 3 for $1 or something like that. They're just the right size, and I don't have to mess with so much tape. It's a bit more expensive, but it saves me some headache :D

[mommymilkies]

I don't have luck with wrapping in paper, so I just use the right size mailers I got at the store, or reuse mailers I've received.

[gardening momma]

I wouldn't be a happy camper if I got a book with yellow pages. Just because a book is old doesn't = yellow pages.

I have several books from a series that was written in the early 60's. They all have yellow pages. I'd like to get more, but I'd be highly surprised to find any without yellow pages.

[gardening momma]

For those of you who use PBS... what do you use to mail books? I had an account, but never added anything to it, and couldn't get in, so I made a new account. I need to downsize some books. Apparently I made the right choice because when I logged 10 books, 3 of them were on members wish lists.

 

So, what have you used for mailers? I have a bunch of big white mailers that I use for larger items, but what about for paperback book sized items? Seems like overkill.

First I wrap the book in plastic. I often use gallon size non-zip bags (they're thinner than ziploc and come with twist ties), but I've received books wrapped in plastic wrap (not cling wrap) or plastic grocery bags. That's fine, and I might use that someday too. Then I print the wrapper and wrap the book in that. I rarely have books that are too large for the 2 wrapper pages that print (the one that has the book info I place facing inward, and the one with the address I place facing outward). If the book is too large for those 2 pages, then I will probably not mail the book, since it would cost too much in postage. I make those decisions before putting the book on my bookshelf.

[gardening momma]

I don't have luck with wrapping in paper, so I just use the right size mailers I got at the store, or reuse mailers I've received.

I reuse mailers too. I never buy them.

[GailV]

I wouldn't be a happy camper if I got a book with yellow pages. Just because a book is old doesn't = yellow pages.

 

Whether or not pages yellow has a lot to do with the lignin content of the paper used in printing. So, yes, some old books don't have yellow pages, but it isn't a reflection on the character of the book owner (which is what this seems to imply) so much as a matter of what the publisher and the printer decided to use. Here's a nice little article on it which could be today's science lesson. Note that where the book is stored would make a difference, but most of us don't have archival quality storage in our houses.

 

How funny. I didn't notice the age of the thread either.

 

I was just glad to see a thread I was interested in weighing in on.

 

Well, obviously it's still interesting to a lot of people! ;)

 

For those of you who use PBS... what do you use to mail books? I had an account, but never added anything to it, and couldn't get in, so I made a new account. I need to downsize some books. Apparently I made the right choice because when I logged 10 books, 3 of them were on members wish lists.

 

So, what have you used for mailers? I have a bunch of big white mailers that I use for larger items, but what about for paperback book sized items? Seems like overkill.

 

For small books I've done the plastic-grocery-bag-plus-print-out-sheets. For larger I've re-used mailers we've gotten from other things. Sometimes I've used boxes -- another homeschooler nabbed a bunch of my stuff one time, and I just put everything in one box.

[melissel]

I reuse mailers too. I never buy them.

 

Ooh, I should have said that I do that too. But I haven't been receiving as many packages/books lately, and I've had to resort to buying mailers more often than usual. Also, some of the things I receive are already in reused mailers, so I may or may not feel comfortable using it again.

 

In general, though, reusing if you can does make the most sense!

 

ETA: I've also bought manila envelopes at the dollar store for this purpose. I'll wrap the book in a plastic bag and slide in a piece of cardboard for sturdiness (so the whole envelope can't be squashed). The manila envelopes are usually cheaper.

Edited April 24, 2012 by melissel

[plath]

I've been a member for a few years, although I just started using it a bit more frequently the past year or so. My wishlist is full (200 books) and I continually get emails about my wish being granted :) I love it. I have only had a handful of problems ~ one book I requested said it was a hardback and it arrived as a paperback, so obviously someone didn't input the isbn for it. And one book I sent out, I got an email that said a few pages were printed incorrectly. I don't know how I was supposed to know that since it was a long book I didn't even read myself...

Overall, I've been really happy with paperbackswap and it's totally worth it for me. I have found 3 oak meadow curriculum books using pbs!

[Amy in NH]

I have had some issues. Once a person never said they received it and by the time they did it was too late to receive a credit from them.

 

I had once ordered a book that didn't come by the PBS deadline, and it ended up listed as lost. I got my credit back. Months later the book finally showed up. I was able to go into my order archive and mark the book as received so that the sender could get their credit.

 

Another time I sent the book they requested but they said they wanted a HARDback......but there was no way for me to have known that.

 

When you post a book, the listing will state if it is a paperback or hardcover. Perhaps the listing showed a hardcover, which is why the requester was expecting one?

 

I once ordered a book that was shown in the listing to be an Oxford paperback unabridged version of a classic. I received a hardcover Great Illustrated Classic abridged children's book. I got my credit back for that one; it was not my fault that the poster hadn't bothered to check to make sure PBS was listing the correct book when she posted it.

[Amy in NH]

I reuse mailers too. I never buy them.

 

If they don't fit in the printed PBS mailer, I wrap them in brown-paper from grocery store bags. I don't bother with plastic; I don't believe the PO throws mail into puddles.

[Mom-ninja.]

I've had a few books that arrived not in "good condition" according to the good condition rules set by PBS.

 

Overall, it's been pretty okay.

 

When I get such a book and want to send it on, I will notify the person requesting it and let them know that I received it damaged and if they still want it. Most people do, some don't.

 

My main problem with PBS is that the books I want are almost never available. I have over 20 credits because I'm always sending books but not requesting.