Just reported another book with water damage, crinling top 1/2" edge all through book.  Seems I get more & more like this.  Hate reporting so many, but rules are rules & I certainly would not repost.  

Are crinkles & puckers from water considered water damage, or am I too picky?

Yes, if there is liquid damage then the book is unpostable. Sometimes people mistake poor quality paper for liquid damage, but if that's not the case here, and you're sure you're seeing liquid damage, then you should mark these as received with a problem and give that as the reason. It's up to you whether you ask for your credit back or not.

If you're seeing more of these problems lately, then it's worth double checking the packaging. If the problem is actually with USPS getting mail wet, then you need to report that as a USPS problem, not a sender problem. Senders are not required to protect books from USPS getting them wet.

Not all crinkles and waves are from water damage. You're not being too picky, just make sure it is really liquid damage and not something else. 

If it's fairly consistent through the book, it might just be that it's cheap paper and humidity got to the book.  Usually, (at least when I've had water damaged books) it's just a few pages, and you can tell as the pages are rougher.  It's really hard to tell in some cases.  Good luck.  Pat

No, not too picky.  I've also noticed an increase, in spurts and mostly in the non-fiction genre (classics and classroom type usage).

I've received several books with liqid damage all the way across one end or the other, like the books were set in water or liquid was dripped or spilled over the top while shelved.  Sometimes the wavy pages can be caused by humidity or poor quality paper, and are not RWAP.   Otherwise liquid damage often has a different feel, discoloration or watermark.  Once in a while when I really can't tell, I take the book outside in the natural sunlight...watermarks that are not visible to my eye under indoor lighting will be visible under natural UV.  Also if the markings are throughout the entire book, check inside the front and back cover as those often show watermarks more clearly than the pages themselves.

And no laughing about taking my books outside   I"m getting blind as a bat lol.

Denise,  Maybe that's why I seem to get more books with water damage.  My computer/office is in the sunroom.  Lots more light than the normal inside room.  lol

While pbs does not require it, they do recommend in the help docs to use plastic wrap around a book in a paper only wrapper. I always do this when I use the two page printed wrapper as my sole wrapper. It's a no-brainer...plastic wrap will save the day if delivered on a rainy day...also on a very hot day like we get in Oklahoma when my poor postman is drenched with sweat! Believe me, it's true - soaking wet mail on a dry day - so I use saran wrap and wish others did.