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Topic: Deal books - one unpostable - WWYD?

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tiffanyak avatar
Subject: Deal books - one unpostable - WWYD?
Date Posted: 11/27/2009 8:21 PM ET
Member Since: 1/20/2009
Posts: 2,680
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I asked for a deal on Nicholas Sparks books in the book bazaar a while ago, in order to give them to my mom to read. One person offered me the two Nicholas Sparks books off their shelf for one credit (so, it should have been two postables for one credit). The one I basically got as a freebie is in pretty great shape, with just some minor shelf wear. So, definitely postable. The one I actually 'officially' requested from their shelf is a different story though. It's far more worn than PBS allows, with a big brown stain on the page edges and a big rip of at least two inches on the front cover (I don't have a ruler, so can't measure it exactly). It's so worn that I actually don't feel right giving it to my mom and saying I got it for her. Used books are one thing, but extremely worn used books (the kind we wouldn't even pick up if it were free) are a different story.

So, what would you do in this case? I DID get one postable book out of the deal, but I never would have made the deal in the first place for only one postable. These are pretty highly posted books, with hundreds of copies in the system, so any single one takes forever to go through FIFO. Which is likely why my request for deals was so successful.

vampsita avatar
Date Posted: 11/27/2009 8:42 PM ET
Member Since: 1/23/2009
Posts: 3,041
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I would mark it as RWAP. If both books came off her shelf (which they did) then both need to be in postable condition. Tears on the cover need to be less than 1". (Go here to print out a paper ruler so you can measure the tear. But if you are guessing it is 2 inches at least, then it's unpostable.) Stains of any kind are not allowed.

It is up to you if you want to ask the person to refund the credit. Since you got one postable book out of the deal, I probably would not ask for the credit to be returned. I would still mark it so that PBS has it on record that this person is not upholding the postability rules on the sites, which they have agreed to each time they post a book on their shelf.



Last Edited on: 11/28/09 12:37 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
jubead avatar
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Date Posted: 11/27/2009 8:45 PM ET
Member Since: 5/14/2009
Posts: 6,852
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Tiffany the brown staining on the edge is that just do to age or foxing?  If so, that is permited unless you have a RC.  If it is another type of stain it is unpostable.  The tear on the cover, if it is more than an inch, then it would make it unpostable.  You can eyeball a inch tear is just about one inch or much longer?  Also some books journey will end with you as I am sure you know. 

You have the book so you are the only one that can determine if it is just age and the journey ends or if it is damaged.  If you find that it is damaged then mark it RWAP and let the sender know.  If the deal was both were from the bookshelf, then both should be free of damage. 

 

Generic Profile avatar
Date Posted: 11/29/2009 2:53 PM ET
Member Since: 8/19/2009
Posts: 79
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I agree - they should both have been postable. This has happened to me before too but it was a 4-for-1 so I let it go. A 2-for-1 is a different story though!

caviglia avatar
Date Posted: 11/29/2009 2:56 PM ET
Member Since: 1/30/2009
Posts: 5,696
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This has happened to me before, too - but it was a 5-for-2 and I received 3 postable books so I (possibly wrongly) let it slide.  I would at least PM.