Paperback Swap - do I have to mail books?

[Night Elf]

I had no idea that all my books would go so quickly. Right now, I have 22 credits, spent lots of money on postage, and don't know what books to ask for. I just got 4 more requests, leaving only 1 book left on my bookshelf. Do I have to mail these? What happens if I say I can't mail them? Is there a way to remove them from the bookshelf so I don't continue getting requests for them until I'm ready to pay postage? I hate the idea of paying more postage right now when there aren't books I can get back in return! I really wish I had not listed so many but I didn't know it would turn out like this.

[cathmom]

Click no, you can't mail them, and then remove them from your bookshelf.

[meet me in paris]

You can also put yourself on "vacation" for a while - it saves you from having to relist them, but it gives you a break. You just can't request any books until you're back online again.

[Night Elf]

Click no, you can't mail them, and then remove them from your bookshelf.

 

When I clicked 'no', it required me to list a reason and now the books are gone from my bookshelf. I guess they were removed completely and if I want to make them available, I have to list them again. Hmm.. I feel so guilty.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

When I clicked 'no', it required me to list a reason and now the books are gone from my bookshelf. I guess they were removed completely and if I want to make them available, I have to list them again. Hmm.. I feel so guilty.

 

I wouldn't feel a lot of guilt over it. It is a free book swap. The person you said no to will still be at the top of the list to get the book when it is available. I wouldn't feel guilty unless I'd actually marked the book mailed and then failed to mail it.

 

I've had to say no because I couldn't lay hands on a book. I've had other people do the same to me. And I am at the top of the list for a title that about 5 people have either declined requestor conditions (of a customs form) or have said they have loaned the book out.

 

You can go on vacation hold and still order books, you just will get skipped for sending any out.

 

I know what you mean about sending a lot out. I've been scouring our shelves and evidently homeschool books end up on a lot of wish lists. I have 29 that have been sent out in the last week, and another half dozen waiting for people to respond to their wish list holds.

 

I'm about at the point where I'm not requesting many books to come here because I'm worried they won't arrive before we pack out. So I've started looking at books that we'll need after Christmas and next year. Maybe that's a way to whittle down your credits. Are there craft or devotional books you'd want for Christmas? Is there something you'll be studying next year that you'll want to get on the wish list for?

[Stacia]

You don't have to send them out. But, it most likely will be disappointing to the person who thought they were going to get the book (because they have already been notified that the book has been posted & they've notified you that they want it). I say that because recently I've had bad luck requesting books -- they're posted or I'm notified that someone put up something on my wish list & then a few days later I get notification that the person is not going to send it. This has happened multiple times to me in the past month; prior to that (for probably half a year), I've never had that problem. It is frustrating & disappointing, esp. when it starts happening often & in a row (as it seems to be in my case). I realize that it's a free site, but I guess that (imo) refusing too many (other than for a reason such as a requestor condition you can't meet) seems to be against the spirit of the site -- an honor system that you have the books you post & will mail them if someone wants them. (Imo, an honor system doesn't work too well if many people don't abide by the guidelines, even it is just a 'free' website.)

 

Prior to posting anything, I suggest doing an 'advanced search' for the ISBN of your book. Doing so will show you how many people (if any) are 'wishing' for the book (which means it will be requested as soon as you post it). Does that make sense? That way, you won't be surprised if you post a bunch of books & suddenly all of them are requested & you don't have the time, inclination, or funds to send so many out w/in a short time period. It also shows you if there are some of the same book you're posting already in the system (which would probably allow you to safely post your book w/out having immediate requests pouring in because whoever posted the book in the system first would get an incoming request first).

 

If you have too many credits that you're not going to use, you can donate them or give them to someone else. I'm not sure of all the details, but have seen mention of it & you can find details somewhere on the site. I know PBS participates in some sort of military donation program where you can donate the credits & a military member stationed overseas can pick a book (or books) using the donated credits.

 

If you don't want to send anything out, I'd suggest just clearing your shelves on PBS (not vacation hold since books can't be shipped to you then) & look for ways to spend the existing credits over the next many months.

Edited August 15, 2010 by Stacia

[Pam L.]

Hi,

 

I can understand about sending out a lot of books when you first sign up - that happened to me as well - but not so many as yours.

 

I am new also to paperback swap and still learning the various procedures. But I did learn how to remove some/all of my books listed if necessary. Sign in, click on "My Account" then "bookshelf" they will list all your titles. You can check mark any you want to remove or vacation hold, etc. You can also create a wish list of titles you are seeking.

 

HTH

Pam

[cathmom]

I would have just written "can't afford the postage right now" or something.

[Georgia On My Mind]

You don't live in Utah and haven't mailed my Norton's Anthology, do you?:angry: I've now been waiting for it 20 days.:crying: Yes, I am disappointed but I will get over it. Take the books off the shelf or go on vacation and mail what you have money to mail.:leaving:

 

It's like money in the bank for me to have credits in my account. So many books and so little time to read them all. I got several pieces of curriculum, a Norton's I didn't have, two Jensen brain books, and lots of books for my grandkids. I've also gotten to make more room for more books on my shelf. Works for me both ways. I mail from my mailbox and don't even have to use gas to get to PO unless I want to and it's on my way. What's not to like?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I wonder if it has something to do with being summer. I haven't had much trouble in the past other than an occasional sender who couldn't send to an APO/FPO (usually because they don't mail from a post office). But I've had one particular title get turned down by several potential senders (and I have a bunch of books on wish list hold waiting for the receivers to respond).

[Sebastian (a lady)]

If you don't want to send anything out, I'd suggest just clearing your shelves on PBS (not vacation hold since books can't be shipped to you then) & look for ways to spend the existing credits over the next many months.

 

 

I found this on the Help section:

 

How does the Hold affect your Bookshelf?

•The books that are on your Bookshelf at the time the Hold goes into effect will be hidden from requests.

•This does not include books that are involved in a Wish List Hold or an active transaction.

•The FIFO order of each book will be preserved during the Hold; it will not "lose its place in line" to get requested.

•Books that are already involved in an active request will not be affected by the Hold.

◦Any book request that was submitted before the Hold went into effect will not be affected by the Hold

◦Any book request you submit at any time (before, during or after the Hold will not be affected by the Hold.

•This means that all auto-emails associated with an active transaction will be sent to you as usual

◦You will still get auto-emails asking if you have received a book that is en route to you 14 and 21 days and 25 days after the book was marked mailed by the sender.

◦You will still get "second" and "third" notifications for previously-submitted requests to which you have not responded.

◦You will still get auto-email reminders to mark your outgoing books mailed before the deadline if you have not done so.

•Books newly Posted to your Bookshelf during a Hold will be hidden from requests.

 

 

Though I have to confess that I didn't try to order anything while on Hold, so I'm just going off of how I read this.

[Stacia]

Oops. Maybe I'm mistaken on how PBS processes your requests/wish lists if you're on 'hold'.

 

Anyway, check their website, lol.