Several times recently, I've ordered an extra book or two from a member using the Order More from Member button, and the books end up getting shipped separately -- thereby defeating the entire purpose of saving them money.  (And yes, it's the same members...they're not rolling over to the next peopl in line.)  It's as though the "connection" between the original book and the extra book(s) isn't showing up on the other end.  Has this happened to anyone else? 

I'm wondering if the fact that the original books are auto-requested WL books might have something to do with it...but it shows up as the same option/button on the Books I've Requested page.

Any advice/thoughts?  Do you think this is something I should report to R&R?

Nope - never had that problem at all.   I often order this way, too.

it may be that they don't know how to do a bulk order or aren't paying attention to realize it is the same person.

I'm guessing that they are not paying attention and seeing that it is the same person and then realizing that even after they have wrapped them seperately that they can use packing tape to tape them together and they will be mailed as one package...

Yesterday I had an AR for one book and I immediately printed it out and wrapped the book and then oh 30 minutes later I got a second request and printed out the label and just happened to notice it was from the same member...I just wrapped the second book put the mailing label on it and then taped the two packages together  with packing tape...

When it does a bulk order it'll print them up on one label. I think that it being a WL book that was accepted and then you went to the shelf and ordered another one is what caused this. But still they could have mailed it in one packaged. Did they use the printed postage?   Maybe they thought they couldn't use it on the 2nd one.  One time I used the printed postage on a book order forgetting that the same person had ordered another book afterwards.  I just weighed it w/the 2nd book added and looked up on the USPO website what the postage would be and added stamps.  So my printed postage didn't go to waste and I still saved on postage by mailing together. 

I ordered 2 DVD's from someone on the Swapadvd site recently. They came today in seperate packages both using the printed postage. So he paid the postage twice, the DC twice and the printing fee twice.  I'm not sure why it didn't put it on one order since I did the Order More From Member thing.  I'm thinking he probably didn't realize they were going to the same person until he printed both labels. 

I always check where the books are going before I send them just to make sure there aren't any duplicates.

I've noticed that only about 10% of the orders I do that way show up as bulk orders. I can't see anything I do differently to cause it to split the order. I've started to just PM the senders and let them know the total number of books I ordered. That way they can get them all into one package and warn me if they didn't get one of them for some reason.

The system doesn't do anything to let the shipper know that there are multiple books from the same person.  I got 2 book orders from the same person, but didn't even suspect it until I got home from the post office and saw that my receipt had 2 books going to the same city.  When they arrived and I got identical thank yous from the receiver, I knew that they had both gone to the same person.  Would have been nice to save on that shipping :(

Jennifer - it does.. sometimes.. when the bulk order works right. If bulk orders work, you'd get one order with all of the books listed in it and check boxes next to each in case you need to remove only part of the order. It will have one accept button, print label button, one book has been mailed button.  I know what they look like because I've had them in both orders from me and to me, I just don't know why it doesn't do that all the time.

It's supposed to do a bulk order if, before you finalize the order, you do the order more from member option. But it doesn't always happen. If you order a book and then go back later and order another one from them-it won't do a bulk order.  When I have more than one order to mail out, I hit the PM button to make sure there aren't any that are going to the same person.

I think that might be it, mrslefty -- when it auto-responds to the WL book, that must "finalize" the offer, so the additionally book doesn't show up as part of a bulk order.  I'll just have to remember to PM the person and give them a heads up, so they don't get hit on the postage.

There are two different "Order More From Member" buttons and they behave differently.

1) While you are requesting a book, there is a screen that allows you to give an alternate address. There is an "Order More From Member" button there. If you use that button, you are creating a bulk order that includes the book you originally requested.

2) After you have requested a book, if you go to your My Account page and look at the Books I've Requested tab, there is an "Order More From Member" button on each request. This button does not add books to the existing order. It creates a new order. If you request multiple books all at one time using this button, then they are on a bulk order, but it's a separate order from the original one.

If I use button #2, which I sometimes do when I get an auto-request wish list book, then I just send a PM to the sender that says something like "You posted X which was one of my wish list books. I just wanted to let you know that I looked at your shelf and found Y & Z, which I also ordered. These probably show up as two separate requests in your account, so I just wanted to let you know before you print the wrappers that they're going to the same person so you can send them together and save some money on postage."

So when they use "button number 2," how are you supposed to do a bulk order with printable postage?  I have only today gotten the very first ever bulk order for books where I was able to use printable postage.  Up until this point, I just assumed it didn't work at all for multiple books.  If I receive seperate orders, and can't combine them using printable postage, it totally defeats the purpose of printable postage.  And I really abhor going to the PO.

I've had it split the order even when I do the initial order, though usually it works like Cathy said in #1 above.  When it doesn't, or when I "order more from member" later, I always try to PM the person like others said and let them know.