My requestor condition states:

I am not willing to receive hardcover books without dust jackets: I WANT the dust jacket.

If my request from you is a paperback, ignore this message.

And yet, I can't tell you how many times I've had my request canceled with a message saying something like: "requestor wants a hardcover, this is a paperback."

Argh! Could my conditions be any clearer? Maybe I'm too close to it to see what's wrong with it....

Sounds perfectly clear to me.

Try this instead:

            If I am requesting a paperback from you, ignore this requester condition.

If I am requesting a hardback from you,  please include the dust jacket.

I have found that putting the positive first helps.

This is how my RC's read - and I've had very good luck with it.

Please note that this condition does not apply to any paperback books. If the book that I have requested from you is paperback book or an audiobook, please IGNORE this condition and click on "Yes, my book meets the requestor's conditions."

However, if I have requested a hardback book from you, I would prefer that the book have the dust jacket.

Thanks.

Yes, your wording is clear Joseph.  But maybe one of the above (or a combination) would improve your percentages?

I can't tell you how many times this happened to me. My RC used to simply say:

If the book I ordered is a HC, please decline if the dust jacket is not included.

One person after another, after another, after another declined with something like "this is a paperback, pay attention!" 

The word IF is completely beyond the comprehension of many people.

Here's the RC I've been using for a while now:

• If the book I requested from you is a paperback, please send it.
• If the book I requested from you is a hardcover, please decline if the dust jacket (in good condition) is not included. Hardcover books that were published without a dust jacket are fine.
• Please be sure your book meets the site's posting guidelines before sending.

Thank you!

Placing the paperback disclaimer first will ensure that those with incredibly short attention spans will see it first thing. I haven't had any misunderstandings since.

A new member may not be aware that a requestor condition is attached to every request you make (unless you toggle it on and off, which is an option.)  He assumes the RC is specific to the book you just ordered.  Your wording is clear, but his assumption makes it confusing: he gets hung up on "If this guy ordered a paperback, why is he talking about hardcovers?"  Maybe that's why putting the positive first can work.

This is how I word my RC. It never gets rejected for the "this is a paperback" reason anymore. (I used to get the same thing before I added the part about paperbacks into the RC). I find RCs to "sound" kind of abrupt without saying "Thanks" in them.

If the book is hardcover, I would like it to have the dustjacket. If the dustjacket is old, worn, or torn, this is OK.

If the book is a hardcover and has an illustrated cover but not a dustjacket, this is OK.

If the book is paperback, I have no special conditions.

Thanks very much!

If it's causing problems, why not turn it off when you're requesting paperbacks?

Some of those people may just not accept any RCS and use the paperback thing as an excuse for declining. 

If they aren't reading RCs what are the odds they arent reading the posting rules either.. Might be saving you a big headache with RWAPS!

I had the same problem and then changed my wording to:

• I have no conditions for paperbacks.
• For Hardcovers I require the dustcover it the book was originally sold with one. Thank you. 

I also had the same problem, rejections with "but it's a paperback!" *facepalm* I have most of my WL on autorequest so it's not possible for me to turn my RC on and off. I experimented with a longer, more detailed RC and found that it's best to keep it as simple as possible (and avoid the suggested wording of "I will not accept" because that seems to get senders' backs up). I've not had a rejection for inappropriate reasons in a while, and my RC currently reads:

Hi! Please, no ex-library books, or hardback books that originally came with a dust jacket but no longer have it. Thank you very much.

I would agree with turning off the RC for paperback requests...it totally eliminates the possibility that someone who declines ANY request with an RC on it will decline the request even if they fully understand it.

Cheryl

For those who posted examples of their RCs, some of you use words "prefer" and "would like".  Those are subjective terms, not a distinct declaration.

For those who posted examples of their RCs, some of you use words "prefer" and "would like".  Those are subjective terms, not a distinct declaration.

That's semantics. The fact is, if there is an RC that mentions "something", you may consider it required, unless someone specifically words it in a way as to make it optional. Like saying "I prefer, but do not require", etc.

Most, if not all, people seem to understand it very well, regardless of the exact word choice. I've never had people send anything to me that broke my RC, and when people reject it, they almost always do so because there is no dust jacket on their book.

If someone goes to the trouble of putting an RC on their account that says "I prefer to get the dust jacket" ... would you really consider that you could send a naked hardcover instead?

This is mine, which I turn on only very occasionally:

Please decline this request if this is a hardcover that does not have a dust jacket.

Thanks!

I think it's very clear while remaining polite (though I have no problem with the musts and the requires. At least I know what they want.)

And yet, I can't tell you how many times I've had my request canceled with a message saying something like: "requestor wants a hardcover, this is a paperback."

This is exactly what my RC was too ... I can't tell you how many times I had that issue until I swapped around the wording.

I changed it to read, "If this is a paperback, please disregard the following requestor condition .... " and then I moved into wanting the dustjacket if the book was a hardcover.

I changed it a year ago and haven't had a problem since.

ETA: I see others have said the same thing. lol