Watching the weather news. Here in So Calif., we're relatively dry this week, but I see that much of the country is very, very wet. Sooooo, don't forget to wrap books in plastic wrap or plastic bags when shipping and make sure the destination address is covered with clear tape (particularly important if you use an inkjet instead of a laser printer).

Although you may be handing those packages to a mail clerk in a temperate, dry post office, you never know what dampness may be encountered before those books rest on someone else's TBR mountain. Outdoor surfaces that are usually covered and dry can turn to puddles in a strong wind. Roadside mailboxes are certainly not watertight. Even doormats on covered porches can get soaked in a heavy storm or two.

They're talking about lots of freezing rain in eastern Texas and much of the South. So I hope you'll all drive slow if you have to go out and if you don't have to go out, stay home! Make a cup of hot chocolate and curl up with a good book!

Colleen

I second Colleen's suggestions!  LOL   Especially the hot chocolate and good book routine!  My son had a 2 hour delay due to ice - after over 2 inches of rain yesterday we'll be lucky to reach thirty degrees today.  And we're in west Texas where we hardly ever get winter weather! 

I received a book a couple of weeks ago that thankfully the sender wrapped in plastic, because the outer (brown) paper was completely torn open along two sides!  I honestly don't know how this book stayed in the addressed wrapper.  Luckily it wasn't wet here then, and the book wasn't damaged, but if it had arrived yesterday things would have been dicey!  LOL   I promptly thanked the sender for using plastic - the majority of the books I receive are just wrapped in paper.

Gonna have to tell my mom that it's wet in Abilene... She knows all about west Texas dry. She's originally from Floydada (wide spot in the road 40mi NE of Lubbock). My aunt attended Abilene Women's College and coached Abilene Golden Gloves boxing back in the 30's.

We had some fairly floody days last week and just hearing about taking kids out in storms makes me so, so glad I'm homeschooling my 13-yr-old daughter. First thing she ever learned to do in the kitchen is heat water/milk for hot chocolate! '-D

Colleen

I never ship wo plastic wrap-or bubble wrap.  It's just a thoughtful thing to do.

I usually ship in a strong plastic mailing envelople. Sometimes I also wrap but often not. I buy them from someone on ebay, they are great.

I'm loving those little white bubble mailers from Book Depository.  Coming all the way from the UK, with no inner wrapping, and I have yet to get a wet book - even when the weather here is nasty.

I got a 1,000 page paperback the other day that appeared to have sat in the snow back on a loading dock somewhere.  It was, and I mean literally, dripping wet.  After a week or so it dried out.  Now it looks like a dog peed on it.  Oh, well.  The print is still readable, just a little stinky.   And to think a piece of saran wrap would have saved this 25 year old paperback.

My stocking stuffers this year were, 1 roll of plastic wrap, 4 rolls of packing tape 2 ink cartridges  bubble mailers and assorted envelopes and small boxes.  I think my kids see my addiction and are enabling me!

I wrap 90% in plastic anyway. The ones I don't are ones that end up in an envelope that has that bubble wrap lining.

Oh Amen! I lost THREE pbs books in one day because they were not plastic wrapped.  As stupid luck would have it, I had four books delivered on the same day of a massive rainstorm - sideways rain and all.  Crazy weather!!  The books kept my mailbox cracked open and allowed the rain to fill right in, and all my mail was ruined except for one book. THE ONLY BOOK THAT SURVIVED IN MY MAIL BOX WAS WRAPPED IN PLASTIC WRAP.  I only send them in plastic now.  I am tempted to make it a condition of accepting books too. (Who care if someone's pet smokes, I dont want water damage!)

I always wrap my books in plastic. I just want the receiving members to get their books. I got a water-damaged book once because it was  not protected and it was one of those heavier books. I am just glad that none of that has happened to books that I sent.

OR look for the store brand plastic bags that aren't zip-lock type, the ones that come with a supply of twist ties. They cost about 3 cents each ($2.50 for 75 bags). I buy a box just for books and use tape to seal them.

I agree with you all. I always wrap in plastic, I live in the Pacific Northwest so it is always damp up here, especially this time of the year. I received a book a few weeks ago and it was just wrapped in the PBS paper wrap, but the book was a larger one so the edges of the book were not covered at all! No plastic wrap either. Luckily, the book was not damaged (don't ask me how that happened) 

I never ship wo plastic wrap-or bubble wrap.  It's just a thoughtful thing to do.

I so agree.  Another reason to wrap books in plastic is if you are sending more than one book, and wrap them all in plastic before putting them into an envelope, if the envelope gets torn, chances are the books will stay together and not tumble out.  I received a package of six books wrapped in brown paper.  The sender had enclosed all six in a plastic bag and taped it up tightly.  Then she wrapped it in brown paper.  Something happened during shipping and one end was pretty torn up.  It looked like the PO taped it back together.  I'm thinking that if the books had not been wrapped together in plastic, they probably would have tumbled out of the package before the PO could tape the package back together.

I know that PBS doesn't require wrapping books in plastic, but I agree it's just a thoughtful thing to do.  It will protect a book and protect the sender from ending up with an angry recipient if the book arrived wet. 

BTW, here's a tip for anyone who is receiving books in their mailbox that seem to be damp.  Check your mailbox to see if it is airtight.  I recently noticed that mine was not and replaced my mailbox with a new airtight one.  I also replaced it with a bigger mailbox so my postal carrier doesn't have to come to my door when I get a package of more than one book that won't fit in my mailbox.

I am tempted to make it a condition of accepting books too.

Rather than making it an RC, you might want to do what I do.  I PM the sender once they accept the order and politely ask them to please wrap the book in plastic since the weather in Oregon has been really wet this year.  I haven't had one person complain and all my books have arrived wrapped in plastic.  I didn't put it as a RC because I already have one about non-smoking (due to allergies) and I didn't want to add anything else to my RC that may scare someone off.  Some people will turn down a request if there is any RC. 

The Dollar Store carries "Zipper" quart storage bags that are 7" x 8".  They fit a paperback perfectly.  The 8" is the height so make sure that you don't get gallon bags that are 8" x 7" (I mistakenly got some recently), because the 7" in height isn't enough to be able to get the book into the bag.

I use these for single books and then put the covered book in a poly mailer that is slightly bigger than the book.  I also make sure to tape down the corners because they are easy to get caught in the PO's machines.

And do remember to tape over your return address and the address of the recipient.  I received a book once where the address was practically gone.  All the mail carrier could read was the street and city.  She figured it out because I'm the only person on our street who gets books every other day.

Y'all know what I find really sad? We forum participants seem to take our PBS book swapping more seriously than casual PBS users, so we are more conscientious about carefully wrapping our books.

Unfortunately, the casual users who receive anonymous requests for books won't ever read this thread. :-(

Colleen

Too true, Colleen.  I started using Ziploc bags a while back.  I live in the Pacific Northwest like Kelly, so it's just not worth the risk that a book could get damp or wet before it even leaves the state!

Unfortunately, the casual users who receive anonymous requests for books won't ever read this thread. :-(

That's part of the reason why I PM the people I request books from asking them to please wrap it in plastic, if they don't already to it.  I've had a couple of people thank me for the "heads up" saying they never even would have thought about problems with water damage to books since they live in a dry area of the country.

PBS does "suggest" that people wrap their books in plastic, but it's more like an after thought than a real suggestion.  I think if they emphasized the need to protect books from the elements more, then more people would do it.

What gets me are the people who say that since PBS doesn't require them to wrap books in plastic, if the book is ruined by water damage, it's not their fault.  I would totally think it was m y fault if I forgot to wrap a book in plastic and it ended up ruined by water damage. 

I just want to say another inexpensive source for plastic is the bags for picking up doggie doo. You can get them at the dollar store to refill those little containers and there are a lot of bags on the roll. Very compact and fit perfectly in my desk drawer at work. Sometimes they even hand them out for free at events. Not sure why but they do.

susan/vt

Those bags for doggie doo are really good.  Petsmart sells some bags that are 10x10 and are biodegradable.  They are thicker than your average grocery bag.  The bags do have handles though.  You would never know they were doggie bags unless someone told you.

Unfortunately, the casual users who receive anonymous requests for books won't ever read this thread. :\

While this seems to be the case,  it was one such thread when I was a newbie that made me realize the importance of taking steps to make certain that a book arrived in good condition, and not leaving it in the hands of USPS, to see that the contents in a package arrived in good condition.

Good thread!  While "I" don't wrap my books...my hubby does!  We do make sure books are wrapped in plastic first.  I reside near Portland, OR.  So its generally always damp here. :o)  I do have a RC regarding wrapping my books in some kind of plastic of some sort.  It was borrowed from someone in the general forums....oh several years ago.  She said I was more then welcome to use it and reword it to my liking.  So I did.  I've only had a few request turned down because of it.  The strangest one was..."I don't know how to take the saran wrap."  Wha?!?!?   Because I added they could wrap in saran wrap if they like.  LOL.   But in my condtions I also have it listed...."its NOT a requirement that you wrap the book to send it...just that I live here...and it would be nice.."  thats the short version.  lol.

I PM the sender once they accept the order and politely ask them to please wrap the book in plastic since the weather in Oregon has been really wet this year.  I haven't had one person complain and all my books have arrived wrapped in plastic.  I didn't put it as a RC because I already have one about non-smoking (due to allergies) and I didn't want to add anything else to my RC that may scare someone off.  Some people will turn down a request if there is any RC.

So why not just have the RC?  I would rather have the option of turning down a book with a plastic RC than receive a PM asking for plastic wrap after I have already agreed to send the book.  Then I'd have to cancel the transaction and go to the end of FIFO or just send it without plastic wrap.  After all, it is just a suggestion, not a requirement.

Sooner or later someone is going to get that request & complain to the PBS team because they don't feel that they can safely send the book, but don't think they should lose their FIFO position either.