I got an email from PBS telling me I had flashcards among my posted books, they had  been removed, and to please make sure I didn't have any other inappropriate items. It was an honest mistake. I actually don't even remember having any flashcards posted, but since they and all record of them have been removed, I'll just have to take their word for it.

My question is, if you aren't allowed to post flashcards, then why is the ISBN # recognized in the system? Same with coloring books. If they aren't allowed, why have the ISBNs enabled?

I'm assuming these items are not appropriate because they can't be mailed media? Because I would love to be able to order coloring books for my kids! 

Curious,

Andrea

PBS gets it's imformation from other sites like Amazon.  So non-media mail items with ISBNs get into the system.  PBS is run by volunteers who can't review every single listing-there's millions.  So they  rely  on members to 1: follow the rules and 2 report items that are listed that shouldn't be in the Report Suspicious Items Thread.

The PBS database gets its information from outside sources (much of it from Amazon I believe). If there is an ISBN, it can end up in the PBS system and they can't really disable any ISBNs. Often times the ISBN isn't in the system, but as soon as a member attempts to use an ISBN, the database will go find the information for it the next time it updates. The people posting/ wishing for the unallowed items are what is actually triggering the system to include them.

This has been discussed pretty extensively, but it's assumed that the reasoning behind this is that a used coloring book is more likely to be colored in than not, and would just be too much of a hassle postability-wise.

If you feel really strongly about this, you should contact TPTB.

Gotcha! I don't feel strongly about it, I was just curious. But that explains it.

This is interesting to me.

I receive the same email (no flashcards, have been removed, go read the rules) and was really annoyed they didn't include an ISBN or title. 

I have yet to figure out what they were talking about.   I can't find any flashcards on my bookshelf of PBS stuff.   I checked the report-an-item thread and nothing in last two months are flashcards or anything on my shelf. 

I don't have any organization to my shelf so I can't easily tell what was yanked, to see what they thought were "flashcards" to see if I messed up or if they did.

I am rather irritated & frustrated that I received a nasty PM without any details telling me I've broken the rules, since I can't figure out with what.

If you are annoyed by the PM's or emails about this then send them a PM through Contact US.  You may not find out what it was - but if they get enough of these they may start putting appropriate information in the notices.

Ruth

I PM'd them and they sent me back details.   I don't know if they'll take the suggestion to add it to the mail in the future. 
 

(My item IIRC has the larger problem of having been given away a while ago, so it really shouldn't have been there.   It did have "flash cards" in the title, but if IIRC it was an actual children's book about dinosaurs with flash cards you could cut out.   I know it wasn't a box of flash cards, but I don't remember exactly what the inside of the book looked like.   I'll check when I get home, but if I am correct on the first point I will never know for sure.  A reminder I really need to reorganized and double check.)

Kayote-someone may have seen it on your shelf and reported it and whomever looked at it didn't realize it was a book with flash cards and not just flash cards.  Because I think that would be allowed.