After hundreds of books that I received through PBS, I finally got an "unpostable" one. The book has substantial water damage on the last 45 pages. There is a 2-inch water stain steeped through the last 15 pages and lesser size for previous pages.

I have sent the other member a PM requesting a refund of my credit. Hopefully, I will receive it :(

Update: Wow!! This was resolved superb fast!

It's only happened to me once and it was apparent that the book was shipped in fine, like new condition. It was a hardcover and the sender just put it in a plain manila envelope. Both the envelope and book showed a lot of water damage.

We all need to be especially careful during the winter months. I live in Southern California where we don't get much rain until February, but even if I'm shipping to Florida, books get wrapped in plastic wrap or plastic bags. I buy the store brand wrap and plastic bags (you know, the ones that come with twist-ties instead of zip-locks). You just never know what kind of weather the book will go through en route or where it might sit during that trip or after delivery.

Colleen

I've gotten quite a few books that were just a little bit too well worn.  And then I'm stuck in the guilty trap - I feel guilty relisting them and I feel guilty complaining about them.

I just got one too - cleaved spine.  It was a WL book & I'm sitting here trying to decide if I complain or not.... Most of my experience with PBS has been really good.  I hate it when I get a book  that's not postable. 

I've gotten 2 or 3 with damage.  Only 1 that I noticed when I received it.  I didn't get my credit back because (a) I didn't ask and (b) the sender didn't think a little water damage was a problem.  Another was an anthology (a steamy one) that in the middle of the 2nd story had pages from an Agatha Christie book!  um...not even close to the same genre. 

If I have one that is unpostable here, but it is something minor, then I post it over on bookmooch and mention the damage in the book description. 

I've only gotten one book that was damaged and it was clear that it wasn't the sender's fault - it got chewed up by the Post Office. Still readable - on the first 20 pages or so, the last sentence had a word or 2 that was only 1/2 there.  

I for some reason don't check my incoming books very well and have received a LOT of damaged books in my   year and half of  PBS. I couldn't ask for credits back because it was my fault for not checking very well before clicking the receive button. I have a hard time reposting iffy( leaning towards  soon to be unpostable)  books too, because I know how disappointing it is to get a messed up book.

My idiot husband picked up one of my books from the post office and threw it  on the wet floor of his work truck , soaking the back cover. Luckily it was very well wrapped and didn't do damage.

Yeah, I usually find out it's not postable when I finally get around to reading it. I have a bunch of books I'm going to either freecycle or see if my mother-in-law wants them.

I just received my 4 and 5th unpostables from the same person.  This is out of over 1000 books swapped so I do not feel too bad, but I do want the two credits back.  And she doesn't think the books are so bad because they are readable.  One paperback has the front and back cover taped on the spine with duct tape.  I kid you not!   and the other is a hardback that looks like it was under the seat of a Pickup truck for a year or two - the cover is separated from the spine completely.  what do you do besides mark them RWP?

if they admit in their pm that it is not postable, it might be worth contacting pbs about, if your links to help docs did not convince them.  maybe if pbs tells them they cant post them, they will believe it.  but if they say it is not in the condition you say I think that pbs cant really do anything.

Otherwise, put them on your list of people to avoid. (I don't have that list yet)  No RWAP from me yet. 

But on Bookmooch I did have one and the person sent me the credit without even being asked when I emailed them that the condition didn't match what they had listed (I would have probably still got it if they had listed the condition properly, but I just had to say).  Alot of people are like that too, no problem, they send you back the credit.

This sender was very friendly. She sent me back my credit right away. I normally don't check my books that carefully but the water damage on this one was very obvious. I am setting the book aside to read it and donating it to my library for their book sale or something.

RWP? What does that mean?

Rec'd with a problem, Keira. Frequently, PBS will review the reason and if the book was unpostable, refund your credit.

Colleen

I've had 3 or 4 in the few years I've been here & they usually give me grief about the refunded credit.  What's up with the publishers lately?  Bad glue?  I've had a couple of **almost** new books lately where the spines were cleaved & pages falling out.  This shouldn't happen on new books =(

I think the publishers are like everyone in this economy.  They don't want to increase the price of the books and look for ways to cut costs - inferior paper, glue...  I have bought brand new books and the pages are wavey - I have heard this complaint from many members here.  As for me recieving unpostables, I have recieved some books that are borderline.  I just read a book that had finger print smudges on a few pages.  Not a biggie for me but to someone else it might be.  And like everyone else I don't thorougherly look over the books when I get them and then I find things as I read them.

I have received 2 moldy books in my  time here and I didnt say anything because I got them in deals through the book bazzar , so they were freebies. I was'ent sure how to handle that , I would have felt guilt. NO I didnt re-post them , I threw them in the trash...lol  I would never send someone books like that. It seems common sence.

For the most part I am totally happy with the books that I get. But recently I got a book for my hubby and that thing was in horrible shape. It was a small hardback that evidently someone was putting on tape. They were writing in the margins where they would stop and start. They had wrote all kinds of things all in the poor book. It was like the person had no paper and this was only thing they had to write on. But my hubby checked it received before he ever opened the book. I probably wouldn't have complained anyway, but still...

This has only happened to me once - Jennifer Crusie's Anyone But Me.. It was readable but absolutely unpostable. I pm'd the sender and she claimed it must have happened in the mail. It was very obviously not an issue with the mail. I didn't report it but won't trade with her again.