There's been some discussion on other threads but I want to bring it up in one single thread.

Do you use some kind of confirmation when sending a PBS book? Whether its through PBS or through the Post Office itself, do you use it? Do you think its worth the extra money to know where your book is (even if the scans are sometimes faulty or delayed)?

Any thoughts you have are welcome!

I have never bothered with it. I've successfully sent out 1,276 books and have had only five books go lost in the mail and stay lost, so I don't think it's worth it.

I use it for games where it's required and if I'm sending multiple books to someone. I figured it out recently that if I'd used DC on every book I have sent then I"d have spent around $150 just in DC fees.  Way more than the cost of a lost book and credit.  I haven't had a single one go lost.  I support PBS by paying for a Boxing membership and donating credits.

I use PBS DC on every book I send out. I have not had a book go lost, but I'm a bit of a control freak and like to know where the book I sent is at all times.

I don't do it. I've sent out 50 books and none have gotten lost. I know one will someday. That's OK.

I use PBS postage on everything I send out. Same at SwapaDVD and SwapaCD. The little extra money is worth it to me to not have to drive 15 miles to the post office or else risk the book getting lost entirely sending it out of my campus mailroom. Plus I really do like those instant credits!

I mutter about the extra cost because I don't really worry about a book going lost... but the convenience of not having to go to the post office is heaven.  So for me, the extra cost really isn't about fast credits and book loss issues, but about time and convenience.  I have sent a lot of books and haven't had a single one go lost. 

A majority, no,  -Most-  transactions never go lost.   So if you are buying PBS DC or Printable Postage for that reason (just to guard against it), then it probably isn't worth it...

However, like Bren, I use PBS Printable Postage all the time, even non-PBS transactions (mailing books to friends, for example).  I love the convenience of it and having the label so I can just pop the packing in my office outbound mail and not worry about going to a Post Office.  Worth more than the add'l .65 per package that it costs me.  Plus I have the benefit of the instant credit recieved and can track my package.

And, like Liesl said, PBS Delivery Confirmation is the way to go if you only use the DC and not Preprinted Postage option.  PBS DC is the only one that guarantees you receive your credit AND it costs less than non-guaranteed USPS Delivery Confirmation.

No, don't think it's worth it. The ratio of books sent to books lost is very low, despite all the complaints on the forums! :-)

I use PBS DC all the time.   There are only 2 days a week that I would be able to get to the post office when they are open and I like to get my books sent out faster than that.  The instant credit is nice also.

I don't use it. I've sent out almost 50 books without it and not yet lost one. Same with incoming books (although I get a lot with DC so I'm sure that helps with no problems on that end).

I had a couple problems on Half.com when selling textbooks and not using insurance. I've stopped using those kinds of sites though. They always gave me problems and I've never had problems on PBS. I rarely worry unless the book isn't marked as received within a couple weeks of sending.

I rarely use it.  The PO is good enough I don't worry about it--not worth the cost to me. 

I've gone both ways, but with rising fuel costs actually using PBS online postage is a savings for me, not just in money but in time as my postal carrier will pick up my books regardless if they are first class or media, she's just a sweetie.  That being said, if I get laid off this May, a real possiblity with budget cuts in our district.  I probably will only use it occasionally, especially if gas stays under the $2.00 mark.

It is nice, though to get that instant credit. 

If you're out of credits and don't want to buy any but want a book - using the PBS postage and DC is the way to go.  I also like that I can put it in the Blue box and away it goes.  I have to rely on others to mail them and they aren't going to stand in line to do so.  And the extra goes to PBS and it's a mostly painless way to suport PBS.

Ruth

I use PBS postage and DC all the time and find it cost effective for me.  It's 3 miles to the PO from where I live, and my truck doesn't get the world's greatest fuel milage (but it'll tow a house).  Considering the cost of fuel and what my time is worth, any "extra" cost under a dollar is worth it to me.

I use PBS DC all the time.  I haven't had problems with books going lost, but I can get to the post office once a week if I'm lucky (more realistically every other week).  PBS is more expensive than paypal, but since I'm going to  pay for DC I might as well gaurantee myself a credit.  

I sent the great majority of my books without any sort of confirmation and rarely had a problem. I think I have had a total of maybe 5 books go lost out of 1200+ sent. If I were looking strictly at a cost factor, I'd say no, it's not worth spending more.

I do use the PBS postage now, but not because I want a guarantee, I do it because it's easy and convenient and I can only get to the actual PO once a week--since I send a fair number of HC and large trade paperbacks, I can't just slap stamps on them and drop in the blue box in front of my work as I do with the printable postage. I use the PBS postage instead of printable online postage from some other site like PayPal or something, even though it costs more here with the PBS fee, because it's really about the only thing I do nowadays to support the site monetarily (I don't do boxer, book journal, etc.) and I like contributing. But mostly because it's easy. LOL

Cheryl

300 plus books mailed - one lost credit when the book went lost - not financially smart for me.   Add up what it would have cost if I had put DC of any kind on all 300 of those books.

I support the site in other ways such as giving back of credits.

I use the PBS postage for convenience. It's too much of a pain to go to the post office (especially this time of year). I like being able to drop them in the blue box in front of my office. I like the instant credits, too!

I always use the PBS postage. If I calculate the amount of money and time it takes to go to the post office then PBS postage is a bargain. Add the fact that I get an instant credit which I keep even if the book gets lost and the fact that I can stick it in my mailbox and it is a no brainer for me.

I always use DC on multiple book orders. I like having the credit guarantee on those (just in case!)

So it sounds like most of you guys do with when you cant make time to get to the Post Office or when sending multiple books. Well, since I send my stuff out from my college's mail room, I guess that that wont be a problem for me. But maybe I will add confirmation when sending multiple books. So far, Ive sent two packages with two books in them. Good to know. Thanks guys for all your feed back!