When I WL a book, I have a word doc. that I copy the details about.

In July, I WLed the book.  Here is what came up then:

Wish Date: 7/25/2011 - Your position: 1 of 1 - Estimate: N/A
Rick Steves' Paris 2012 :: Rick Steves, Steve Smith, Gene Openshaw
ISBN-13: 9781612380063 - ISBN-10: 1612380069 - Book Type: Paperback

Yet today, I look and I am now 2 of 5?

This book has been on auto-request since the day I requested it.

So, how did I get bumped to #2?

September is a month when a lot of members return home from summer vacation and take their accounts off vacation hold.  If a member wish listed the book before you, then went on hold, his spot in line would not show in the stats.  When he returns from hold, he shows up again.

There are other possibilities too.  This is from the help center:

Why did I move *backward* on my Wish List?

This happens when another member who was "ahead of you" in line previously  and was taken out of line gets back into line. 

This can happen if a member (or members) ahead of you in the Wish List line:

• Put her account on Vacation Hold (and this book was not set to auto-request).  This will temporarily move you up in line for the book, since Vacation wishes not on auto-request are hidden by the Vacation Hold.  When the Vacation Hold ends, the member goes back in line ahead of you.  This is a very common scenario. 
• Got offered the book but used the Not Now button - this puts the book back on the Wish List in its previous position, on hold.  If (a variable time later) the member removes the Hold from the Wish, that member will be ahead of you in line.
• Put this Wish on individual Hold on the Wish List, and then later unHeld it.
• Got an offer of the book, but the sender canceled it (did not mail it).
• Got an offer of the book, and the sender mailed it, but the book never arrived and it was declared lost in the Mail
• Received a "problem" copy of the book - damaged or wrong, etc.  This will put the member back on the Wish List in his or her previous position.

Please be assured that we would NEVER put another member ahead on the Wish List without good cause--in order to go ahead of others on the Wish List, a member MUST have Wish Listed that item earlier (on an earlier date) than they did.

Thanks a lot, Patti.  I hadn't thought about vacation holds, nor problem copies!  Glad I asked.

I have seen it go from 1 to 2 many times.  However, if it makes you feel any better, I have been bumped to 3 before.    This happened after a person refused to ship because of my cat RC.  Took almost two more months to get the book, too.

A few years ago I decided to watch my WL position on a weekly basis.  After about 4 week I gave up.  With vacation holds and RWAPs in the mix, looking at the position just didn't help indicate at what point I would get the book.  So now I just chalk it up to a lesson learned in patience and ignore what position I'm in (unless the book is on hold and I'm getting close to #1).