I have a book I sent in April:

USPS DC#: XXXXXX

• 4/9/2009 11:00 AM - Electronic Shipping Info Received - MACOMB,MI
• 4/9/2009 8:51 PM - Enroute - PONTIAC,MI
• 4/12/2009 2:36 AM - Enroute - DENVER,CO
• 4/12/2009 3:14 AM - Enroute - DENVER,CO
• 4/14/2009 4:24 AM - Arrival at Unit - UT
• 4/14/2009 11:05 AM - Delivered - UT

I took out the confirmation numbers and the actual final delivery for privacy.  I have that standard notice not to contact the team until May 7.  Do I have to contact the team or will they just declare it lost?  When it's declared lost is my credit taken away?  I should know and I'm not sure.

I haven't PM'd the receiver or done anything but anguise over what happened to the book.  It was a heavily WL'd book and I just hate the thought that it's lost somewhere.  I know that things happen and people have lives I think that's why I've left it alone.  I also realize someone may be happily reading the book thinking that was very nice of me to send them a free book.  I mean someone other than the original requester.

Thanks everyone.

You don't have to do anything.  It will automatically be marked lost.  If you used PBS DC, you will not lose your credit.

After it is declared lost, I don't see a problem with contacting the member. It's possible that he or she may have just forgot to mark it rcvd.  Or it could have been misdelivered, etc.

Help center:

If a book you sent is declared Lost in the Mail at PBS:

• First, contact the requestor to confirm that the book was not received.

  • Sometimes the requestor just forgot to mark it received
  • Sometimes the requestor was away from home when the book arrived
  • If you don't hear back from the requestor within a week of sending a PM asking about the book, you should contact us to look into the situation.
  • You can contact the requestor using the PM button on the "lost" transaction in your transaction archive.

• If the requestor confirms that the book was not received:

  • As the sender, you should call 800-ASK-USPS or go to http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MLNtRcvd.aspx (the Postal Inspection Service's website) and input the information online there . This will help USPS try to recover your book if it truly has been lost in the mail.
    • This form at USPS is titled "Mail Theft"
    • This does  not mean only theft of mail.  USPS categorizes any mail that does not arrive or that is tampered with as "mail theft".
    • The choice that should be made under "Class" if Media Mail was used is "Parcel Post"
  • You can get the information about the transaction from the Transaction Archive:
    • Click "Transaction Archive" in the menu under My Account in the toolbar at the top of the site
    • Click the Request Details link on the right of the "lost in mail" transaction
    • If you need more information (such as requestor address) you can ask the requestor in a Personal Message for that information.
      • We are unable to provide member address information outside of the duration of an active transaction, due to the PBS Privacy Policy.
      • You can use the button on the transaction to contact the requestor.
  • If USPS does return your book to you, and it is undamaged:
    • You should ask the requestor (using the button on the Lost transaction in your Transaction Archive) if she still wants it. 
    • If she does, you can re-send it.  If she does not, you can repost it.
    • If she does not respond to your PM, you should repost the book.

If you sent the book with Delivery Confirmation and it has been recorded as delivered by USPS but hasn't been marked received yet:

• Remember that the book could have been scanned as "delivered" at the local PO, before it went to the requestor's mailbox--the actual delivery can be a few days later  Also, the book could have been misdelivered.
• You should FIRST contact the requestor using the button on the transaction on the Books I've Mailed tab in My Account when a few days have passed after delivery.
• If the requestor does not respond to your PM within a week, and has not marked the book received by a week after the delivery scan, contact us.  We will look into it.
• If you used DC purchased through PBS, or PBS Printed postage, you will already have gotten your credit for sending the book.

Hi Geri,

I have been waiting for a book for some time (mailed on April 7th).  The little truck has been indicating that the book arrived at its destination.   Yet, nothing has arrived.  Its not going to be declared lost for awhile but, PBS sent me a reminder note asking me to mark it received if I did get it or to ignore the email and wait if I have not.  Just wanted to let you know that the recipient of your book should be getting some notification from PBS (as I did).

I have to say there is a part of me that wants the sender to know that I am not just sitting on the book without responding.   If they sent me a note inquiring, I would welcome the dialog.

Susan

I have one showing delivery in Jan and I still don't have the book. If you used PBS DC then you will keep your credit. 

Thanks!  I wasn't sure about the credit.

Susan, yes, I've had the same thing.  A book just took it's sweet time getting to me.  I actually got it the day it was going to be declared lost.

I didn't want to be one of those people nagging at the requestor before the book got to them.  But, according to the little truck and it's destination codes the book as delivered.  Of course who it got delivered to is another matter.  I'll hang and PM after the 7th.  

I had a book that I had mailed and it wasn't quite time to contact PBS ... but I did send a PM to the buyer asking if it had arrived because I was concerned about them getting it.  By the next day, the person receiving it marked it received and sent me a PM apologizing for the delay in marking it.  It was just an oversight to mark it received....So a nice PM might be in order.  IT is a busy world, and we do forget sometimes..<smile>

Henri, I'm with you. I think it is fine to send a polite PM right before or after it goes lost, just asking them if they have in fact received the book. In my case, each time I have done this (3 X, as of this week), the other person had received it, and had just not marked it for one reason or another.

I know that PBS sends out the email reminder, but in my cases, the people seemed to have been ignoring them ... but they have responded to my PM within a day.

With a DC saying it was delivered a few weeks ago, I'd send a polite PM asking if they have received it or not, especially since it's about to go lost.  If they haven't gotten it, I'd probably ask that they take the DC number to their post office and see if their PO can come up with any more info to track where the book may have gotten delivered to.

Today I got the notice from PBS that the book was received.  It doesn't show up in my transaction file.   Maybe it's just too soon.  It's only 4 am here and not everyone is awake on the east coast...lol.. 

If I remember the file it had that note that the post office was giving it until May 6 and not to contact PBS until after the 7th.

Maybe the person finally picked up their mail or the book finally arrived at their house.

You might want to double check your Transaction Archive.  The books are filed by request date, so it's likely that that book is a ways down the page.