I acquired a second copy of The Help in excellent condition at a Thrift Store because I had seen it had 1305 wishers.  I was thrilled I got something I knew a lot of people wanted to put into the system.  Well... that was 2 weeks ago.  Since then then it is  on its 7th 48 hour hold and everyone has let it go the whole 48 hours without refusing it.  I notice a lot of people have dropped it off their wishlist in the meantime as it is now down to 1200 wishers.  At this rate I'm envisioning it to go about a year until it gets to someone who really wants it.  I know a lot of people have seen the movie by now but this just isn't fair.  I'm sure there is someone in the 1200 that really wants this book.  If someone doesn't want a wish list offer they should reject it immediately so it can go on to the next person, not wait out the whole 48 hours for it to drop off.  Anyone else experience this?

I'm betting that you're running into people who joined here soon after the book was published, added it to their wish list, and then didn't stay with the site.  Each time one of them doesn't respond to your offer, the book is removed from their wish list.  So you (and perhaps some other members who have posted the book) are helping shrink that wish list quickly.

Also, if they've already neglected to respond to other offers or requests, then by not responding to yours, their membership may be placed on hold.  So you're also helping to weed out inactive members.  I'm sure that's small comfort.  Here's hoping you make it through the inactives quickly, and reach the people who really want the book.  It's still a very popular book!

I am experiencing the same thing with that title.  The one I posted is now on its 3rd wisher after the previous 2 timed out! 

It happens with the super long line WL books and the heavily posted books.  People join and when they don't get their WL books or many book orders they lose itnerest.  You would think that they'd just close the account. But people die, get sick, have unexpected moves, changes in email address or whatnot and just forget about it.

As others said, it does happen especially with really heavily-wished for books. Since these popular books get wishlisted a lot, when people join and put a few on their WL and then see that they are #500 or 800 or whatever, they get discouraged and think they will "never" get the book...not realizing how quickly it can actually move. And if the books they have posted to their bookshelf are all formerly very popular books like John Grishams, Dan Browns or Nora Roberts, they probably don't get many requests either, so they get discouraged and wander away. Think of your cycling through all these people as weeding out inactive accounts, as those accounts will be put on hold if they don't respond to requests.

I used to get books at FOL sales and garage sales to post here, but found the same thing happening with cycling through multiple times. It's frustrating to try and be helpful and then have it feel like you're getting slapped in the face for your efforts. But don't take it personally... I don't, but I also don't purchase books specifically to post here, I just get what I want, read it and post it and don't worry about it.

Cheryl

Thanks everybody, I was feeling very frustrated.  I see the wishers are down to 1196 now and my current 48 hour hold is about to expire.  I will give it a few more tries and if it isn't taken I see how you can use the Mail it to a Friend button and I will mail it to my mother as she hasn't read it.  I guess I should have thought about her first.  Maybe it would be good to make books that have over 500 wishers change to a 24 hour hold instead of a 48 hour hold, then when it drops back under 500 it could go back to a 48 hour hold.  Just a suggestion.  Theresa

Theresa, the problem is, once you post it, if it's wishlisted you can't cancel the order until someone actually accepts it. It will just keep rolling over unless you put your account on vacation hold to stop that cycle. Then you should delete it from your shelf before taking your account off hold.

The problem with reducing the time allowed to respond to 24 hours is that a lot of people don't have daily access to the internet--they may go to the library or check in only from work or something, so it would put a crimp in their ability to accept on such short notice. Auto request is wonderful but on the other hand if you don't have enough credits to cover all your wishlisted books you may not want to do that either. Good luck with unloading your book!

Cheryl

If you know of another member that has it ontheir WL and is active: put your account on vacation, when the next next one times out, delete the book, come off vacation then post it to your buddy's WL.  It's ok to do this. The next active person probably won't have to wait long and you have already helped to move them several spots closer. 

This is just my perception, but unless you are planning a vacation or something, I don't really understand why it matters how many times your book offer rolls over.

Once someone asks for the book, you would have the same 12 days to handle it as any other book request .... just like a FIFO order.

FIFO orders can come any day or time .... and you get 12 days.

Apparently, your WL book will be the same as a FIFO order. Except that you "know" it will be requested sooner rather than later. Kind of like posting a recently published book to a listing that has 0 copies posted. You know an order will be coming soon but you can't predict the exact day.

I don't get why it matters (unless, like I said, you are entering a period where you know you won't be home).

Sara, for me it used to be trying to group mailings together (before I started using the printable postage and can drop books in the blue box)...because my PO runs were limited to once a week by my work schedule. So I would try to carefully plan when to post a book and nine times out of ten it would roll through until I could not get it mailed with my weekly run and would either have to cancel the request when it DID get accepted or PM to explain that I would mark it mailed on "x" date but actually couldn't send the book until "y." It just throws a monkey wrench when you're trying to coordinate...now I don't care because I just chuck 'em in the blue box, but I remember well the frustration of trying to "time" posting the WL books.

Cheryl

I only do once a week mailing myself .... if I offer a book and it rolls over enough so that it doesn't make my Saturday cutoff for Sunday mailing, then when it is finally requested, I wait a few days if necessary before accepting it, and it goes out the following Sunday.

Since I only (usually) mail once a week, 12 days always gives me enough time no matter what day a book is requested.

I still don't get why it's different than posting a book to the bookshelf. Lets say you post a book to your bookshelf and it gets ordered in 20 days. Why is that any different from offering a WL book that rolls over 10 times and gets ordered in 20 days? If you are ready and willing to mail the one from your bookshelf no matter when it gets ordered, then why is the WL one a problem?

I had a book go through 20 people and then never actually get requested. It happens, but like Sarah P. said, it doesn't have to be a big deal. Stop watching it and you will feel a lot better.

Actually I don't mind waiting.  I just see myself as one of the 1200 wishers not wanting to wait weeks or months for a book I want to read because there are many people ahead of me who don't really want the book and the book is available but their place in line is holding it up.  That is very different from other books I have posted that no one has wanted just yet.  I have 800+ books posted so I usually have books to mail out several days a week which is why I keep coming back to the site.  I'll try not looking it at though and see if that helps.  LOL

I think it's different because when it's a WL book, you know the request is going to happen at any time. So there's a compulsion to keep checking to see if it's finally been accepted.  I know I always check their WL to see if I have something I can read and post to them to save postage.

When it's just posted to your bookshelf, there's no built up anticipation of getting to mail it out soon.  You post it expecting it to sit for awhile.

OH, please let it continue to roll over!  I am wisher number 469 out of 1192 right now.  It says that 52 wishes were granted last week.  When I added it to the wish list, my number was over 2000.  So, in just a couple of months I have really moved up.  I am hoping to use it as a gift for my boss, doesn't matter when she gets it so I can wait.

Someone requested it today.  Yeah!

Thanks for updated us, Theresa!  I know they'll be delighted to get it.  For me, getting a long-awaited wish list book in the mail is a bit like Christmas.

Just an observation from the other end of a long WL line--I added the hardback Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich to my wl and was in spot 800+.  I normally won't get in a WL line after 35-40 as I am fairly impatient when I'm wanting to read the next in a favorite series.  The reason I stayed in that line was how quickly the line seemed to be moving--about 30 copies a week.   I got my book this week and I'm sure whoever sent it probably had the same experience as you but from the end of the WL line I can say I'm very happy to have the people who don't want it moved to the side so those who do want the book are moved along the line.

If your having a hard time finding someone to take that book off of your hands then i'll be MORE than glad to say hey i'll take it....for more than its worth too!!

pm me if you still have it.