I just signed up for box of books and was excited because I have a bunch of books in my library and wanted to try to thin them out some.  I almost immediately got a request,  YEAH!  Only thing is they only requested one book (I thought the idea was to trade a "box of books")  But in reality it is a blessing because I don't really see much on their much smaller list I am interested in.  I really hate to decline as this is my first trade.  Is it common to only request one in a box trade?

It happens often enough that people put in their bookshelf header that they aren't willing to do BOB for only one book. I won't do it unless the person has something on my reminder list that I'm basically willing to pay a credit for anyway as there is no savings at all in mailing a single book. Don't feel bad about declining...people are understanding and everyone has experience in refusing, usually from both sides. There is no sense in getting books you aren't interested in.

I don't do BOB anymore, because my TBR got so huge, but I did it when I first joined.  At first, I felt I had to accept trades, and I got many books I didn't really want.  Toward the end, I was much more picky and consequently happier with my trades.  I'd say most people understand if you don't see something you want. 

You need to get over the guilt of declining BOB offers or you'll end up with a bunch of books you don't really want to read.  I never did BOB trades unless I wanted their books.  I used to prefer smaller BOB trades of 2-5 books.  Some people only want trades of larger #'s of books. But I found I rarely found more than 5 books that I wanted off someone's shelf.  Also smaller trades provide less risk if someone doesn't ship or a box goes lost. I did do some single book trades if they had something I wanted and it was an equitable trade. 

I bought the boxer subscription, but then i quickly realized it's not for me.   My taste is pretty specific, and it's rare that I see anyone's shelf that I want multiple books from.  I think it would be different if I liked all kinds of books, but I am pretty much looking for historical fiction.  Most of the books I want are wish listed.  It's even rare that I can find TWO books from one poster---when I look to see if I want to order something else when I place an order.   I got one request that the person wanted 10 books.  I could barely  find one on their shelf that I wanted.  They had lots of books, but not the kind that I am interested in.  That's when I realized I'm probably not meant to be a boxer.

I've accepted quite a few BOB trades where the other person didn't really have anything I wanted, partly to get rid of some books that were just sitting here, and partly because I didn't want to appear rude by rejecting a trade. I think I need to start rejecting some of the trades I'm offered, or I'll end up with a big pile of TBR books that don't interest me. 

I had a request a couple of times for one book so I put in my header that I would rather sent 3 or more.  Seems to be working okay for now.

Don't be afraid to decline an offer.  Be sure to PM the member so they will know why you declined.

Boxing allows me to try new authors for very little cost.  :)

I used to do BOB and if there weren't any books I wanted, I would trade for books that were wishlisted on bookmooch. But now I have a lot of points there and I let my BOB subscription expire.