I am new to the website. I have a good personal library. I was wandering, if I list all the books I own, and someone requests that book. May I decline a request or am I giving up that option since I am posting 

on as being available to swap?

Thanks,

Jacklyn

Welcome to PBS Jacklyn!  You might review the Help Documents (under Help Center), lots of useful information there. 

Per guidelines, by posting a book for swap on PBS you are stating that 1) the book is in postable condition (per Help documents), and 2) that you will mail the book to requester in a timely manner.  If you are not ready to part with a particular book you should not post it here yet. 

Thanks so much. It was helpful.

Hi Jacklyn,

Welcome to PBS!

In general, you should be ready to mail out the books you post here. However, you may certainly decline any particular swap, if you wish. Sometimes, peopel request books with special conditions (called Requestor Conditions or RCs) and your book may or may not meet the extra conditions, whatever they are. It is perfectly OK to decline if your book does not meet the conditions, or if the request makes you uncomfortable for some reason.

It is also not unknown that you may post a book, and then when it is requested, you may discover an issue with it that you didn't notice before. It is perfectly OK to click on "can't mail" for those requests too.

And, I personally will admit that I have just changed my mind once or twice, about a book that I had posted. It happens.

PBS does keep track so if it seems like you are declining lots and lots of swaps, they might start to question that .... but just declining some is OK.

Another thing to consider, though, is that books get requested here on a FIFO basis (so first in, first out). The books you post get in line to be requested, with the earliest posted the first to be requested. When you get a book request, your book has reached #1 in line to be requested. If you click on "Cannot Mail" after your book has been requested, then it is removed from your bookshelf. You can repost it to your bookshelf, but at that point, you are at the end of the line for that book again.

You should not list any books that you do not have the intent to swap. The Terms of Use that you agreed to when you joined state:

Listing or Posting
By listing or posting items for selection by the exchange community, you aver that you are the sole owner of the items and have the unrestricted right to transfer ownership thereof. By posting or listing an item for exchange with the Site, you agree to ship the item when requested. The posting or listing of items without the intention of exchanging them when requested is expressly prohibited and may constitute wire or mail fraud in violation of U.S. and state law. The listing or posting of items for exchange that you do not have in your physical possession is expressly prohibited.

Its OK to change your mind once in a while, but you shouldn't list them with the plan to decide when you get a request; decide what you want to part with a start with that. You can always add more later if you decide you do want to part with them.

Welcome to PBS. I use the TBR (to be read ) List to list my own books that are waiting for me to read them , but you can use that list as your own personal inventory if you like. No one will see that list . Their is a Reminder list as well. Then as you are ready to part with a book you can move them to your public bookshelf. I like these features to organize my library of books.

Welcome to your newest addiction! :)

Also...just so you're aware, you are swapping these books for good, and not getting them back. I've had PMs on a couple of occasions from new members who hadn't really read about how things work...about a week after I received their book asking when they can expect it to be returned! So do make sure you post only things you're wanting to permanently trade off. (Unless you order another copy of it later, of course.)

Cheryl

If it's a  money thing and wanting to keep within a certaiin postage budget: Many members, myself included, just put their bookshelves on vacation when they reach their postage limit. You can autorequest WL books and request books while on vacation.  You just won't get any book requests or WL offers on books with the autorequest turned off.  You'll still move up the FIFO lines though.  Just don't do the individual book hold on your posted books-that removes them from FIFO and you go back to the end of the line when you unhold them.