I mailed out a book i don't know... 3 weeks ago? It is a board book for a child, and as it happens, was being mailed a short distance to a town not far from me, the same town my best friend lives in. I know for a fact that our mail goes in the opposite direction, to St. Louis first, then comes back this direction to it's destination.

I still have til the 12th for it to be received, but i am stressing out. From what i've read here, the USPS is slow lately, and i shouldn't worry about it... but still, i wonder where the hell the book went.

Do you fret about these things too? I read a while back that i probably shouldn't PM her and ask her if she received it, but i dread it being lost, and then getting an angry PM about it not being received, or someone accusing me of not sending it.

I mail all my books in bubble mailers or PBS wrap. I've read in other threads about how a machine sorter could let a package 'get lost' somehow by catching onto wrapping, but i surely hopw this isn't the case. It's not a flimsy book.

Alright, i guess i feel better, having got this out of my system. After all, i have 9 days left right? *angst*

don't worry about it to much (although that is much easier said than done).  sometimes books really take the 3-4 weeks (someone once didn't get a book for 7 months).

They should be receiving emails asking if they have received it and if they have to mark it received.  maybe they are on vacation?

have patience!  I have a book that should have been received by now (since all of the otherbooks mailed with it have been) but it still has a it of time before it goes lost.  If it does, this will be my first in a year and I've mailed out about 135 books between 3 sites

I too much other stuff to worry about than fretting over a book going lost.  I woudln't worry about it. I mailed one recently using DC.  I sent it media mail.  It took a week to leave my post office.  Another book I sent the same day, also MM left immediately. 

See, the deal with Media Mail is the post office deals with it when they can. It goes on trucks that have room, it gets dealt with when there's not more pressing stuff.

So even short distances can be very unpredictable.

On the other hand, I've had two instances when I've PM'd members.  One said, "Oh, my gosh!  I forgot to mark it received!"  The other said, "Oh, my gosh!  I forgot to mail it!"  So it isn't always a bad idea to PM, if it's really late.  You take your chances on the temperament of the person receiving the PM, but that's life, right?  =0)

Thanks for the help! I appreciate it!

<3