I have to mark a book RWAP. I was wondering, do you normally wait to see if they offer you the return of your credit or do you request it back when you let them know what happened? If you do request it back, how do you put it? I don't want to come off as rude as I understand these things happen or maybe the sender didn't realize how damaged the books was.

Nicole, you do ask for your credit back.  This Help Center section has a recommended wording:

There is a problem with a book I received!

Edited for spelling and to add:  The sender won't know that you expect it back if you don't ask.  Not everyone asks for their credit back, although you certainly are entitled to if the book was unpostable.

Thanks for the info! It is definitely not fun doing this.

It depends on the situation. If the book is very badly RWAP--I mean, totally obvious stuff like missing cover, wrong book, pages falling out, huge stains, looks like it was water-logged, etc. then yes--I would ask right up front. I generally cut new people some slack and probably wouldn't if they were brand new--would point them to the Help Docs with the posting guidelines, etc. I've done that a couple times and months later was buddied a credit by that person. Good karma, I guess! LOL

I would say something like, "Thank you for sending the book. However, there is (name problem here) which means the book doesn't meet the guidelines PBS has established for posting books. (See this page --insert link to Help docs--about posting guidelines.) While this is a used book trading site and no one expects perfect books, since this book doesn't meet posting guidelines, I can't repost it into the system when I'm done with it, and therefore would like to have my credit refunded to recoup my loss.

Or whatever works for you. There's a billion different ways to word it without being snarky. :)

Cheryl

I kind of do what Spuddie does.  If it's obviously unpostable-stained, falling apart etc.., then I mark it RWP and ask for my credit back. If it's something that anyone could have missed or that might have happened in transit (like spine damage) then I mark it OK then maybe send a polite PM about the damage. Eventually all books get to their last member as a postable book. Sometimes it can happen in transit where a spine that seems ok it broken during a rough transit. 

It's always best to be clear about what the problem with the book is and what you'd like the sender to do to resolve the problem.  If you don't ask for the credit back, how's the other person supposed to know that that's what you'd like?

I gotta tell you, I wish I had requested a credit back.  I received a book with the bottom right corner literally chewed and some of the words of the first 30 pages were illegible, but I kept my mouth shut like an idiot.  Of course I can't repost this book.  My dogs have gotten ahold of quite a few of my books, I don't list them, unless of course they are legible and I inform the person first and foremost.

All of my RWAPs have been for water damage and I asked for my credit back right off the bat. So far it has worked 4 out of 5 times.

I used to ask for my credit back but got tired of the often rude and nasty replies (whereby they still don't give back the credit.)  My MO now is to politely explain why I marked it RWAP (which I did before) but without asking for the credit. I have found that I get a higher number of credits spontaneously returned to me this way.  Weird, I think, but whatever.  I don't get that many RWAP anymore, since I instituted my Requestor Conditions (basically saying I don't want books with highlighting or underlining/writing.)