I just got this email from Paperbackswap on a book I requested:

We wanted to let you know that the book you requested on 12/24/2007 'Ultra-Solutions: How to Fail Most Successfully' by Paul Watzlawick cannot be mailed.

The member who this book was ordered from had this to say....

Even though this hardcover book is in good shape, I realized that there was writing inside the cover of the book, when I was preparing to mail it. It is a brief message and a signature. Since there is to be no writing in the books that we swap, this book is not eligible for sending. Sorry about any inconvenience.

We checked our database and found that there are no other copies of the book available at this time. Credit has been returned to your account for this request.

Long story short, I still want the book, and while I appreciate the sender being thorough in looking over the book and finding this, I would rather the sender had PM'ed me about it and let me decide if I still want the book (I recall a sender doing just that with another book with more severe problems, but I was still happy to get it). In fact, I'm not sure that "a brief message and signature" on an inside cover (endpaper?) disqualifies a book for Paperbackswap (one of the first PBS books I got has a Bookcrossing sticker in it, and I recall that's okay).

The worst part is neither this email nor the "request accepted" email has the (non)sender's ID, and of course I had no reason to write down the ID when I requested the book, so there's NO WAY I can contact this person. Well, maybe it's you, Dear Reader, and you're reading this because you recognize the author's name in the subject line. I can only hope.

Is there anything I can do here (other than whine)?

Look in your transaction archive to see if the transaction is there. I found the contact info there on someone who declined an order of mine today due to RCs. You can PM them from there to let them know that the book is postable with a note in the front of the book and you want the book anyway.

As Melanie said go to your transaction archive.  You can search "Books requested by me" and then "Cancelled by sender".  There should be a details link and a PM link.  Good luck!

And according to the Help Center, this kind of writing in a book is acceptable:

"No writing or highlighting on text pages

• a signature or note on the flyleaf or inside front or back cover is OKAY
• an author's signature on the title page is OKAY"

Thanks, all, I just sent a message saying I still want the book. I forget all thes features such as "transaction archive."  

Ben, you should be able to go to that person's book shelf and order it again directly from there, if the person re-posts it.