Discussion Forums - Questions about PaperBackSwap

I received a library copy of a book in a swap about a month ago, and completely forgot I received it. Then I bought the same copy while I was on vacation (imagine my surprise that I'm going senile when I got home from that trip!) Anyway, I put the library copy up for swap again.  I have now received a request from another member asking about it's condition:

A moldy book would be a problem, or a significant amount of water damage, chew marks, missing covers, etc.

Here's my issue. It's has all over it that was a library book at one point, has stamped on the bottom of the book that it was a discard, and so forth. There aren't any missing pages, it's not moldy, it's in fairly good shape.  What I don't have is the option to contact the member and ask them if they'd like the copy I have, even though it's not mint. I can only say "No, it doesn't meet requestor's conditions", or "Meets conditions".) I don't want to say no, in case they don't care about it being a library copy, and I don't want to ship it out and look like I was deceiving them.  I'm tempted to say no, but they don't specifically say "no library copies".

Help?

If it were me, I'd mail it out. She is a member who obviously knows how to make a RC, and she has already listed the things she cares about. Therefore, she doesn't care about ex-library books.

That's how I see it!

(In general, I don't read into RCs anything except what is written, as someone who has an RC myself, I know that I have put into it everything that I care about, and if I didn't write it down, then I don't care. I do find it strange when I have an RC about dustjackets, for example, and someone will reject my book request because the book has a lot of dog ears. If I cared about that, I would write it down in my RC.)

Yeah, I've had members mail me in the past with a specific RC of  "no library copies", which is about as specific as you can get.  :) I'm tempted to mail it out as well, I just don't want to get negative feedback (and in trouble with PS!) for sending a copy s/he may not have wanted.  I just wish there was a way to contact the member first. Argh.

Ex-library books are postable. She doesn't have an RC that says "No ex-library books."  Therefore it is safe to mail the book.  She can't give negative feedback over something that is not stated in her RC. You are not required to be psychic and know what s/he may or may not want.

Send It

I would accept first. Then I would send a PM saying you're mailing it out in 2 days and it's condition.

Mail the book. There is nothing in the RC referring to ex-lib books and ex-lib books are postable. As long as you've looked over the book and made sure that it has none of the things listed (all of which make a book unpostable anyway), just send it.

Ditto what Melanie said.   Since they have an RC, they know how the system works and if they didn't want ex-library books, I'm sure that would be addressed in the RC.  In the unlikely event that they do complain about receiving an ex-library book you are under no obligation to return their credit (as long as the book is postable otherwise).  Even if the transaction were to get RWAPed incorrectly, it wouldn't be held against you--TPTB have the ability to look at all the details of the transaction, and would easily be able to determine that the RWAP was unwarranted.  (Although, they won't do anything to officially change the marking.)

I agree; send the thing! I have had one person (politely) complain about receiving an ex-library book, but when I responded letting them know that ex-library books are allowed under the general condition guidelines and if they don't want to receive them they need an RC, they thanked me for the info. PBS doesn't make this fact as widely known as it should be, maybe, but it's still the rules - ex-library is OK unless there's a no ex-library RC in place.

That's a pretty honest RC.
I'd send it.
Well, first I should ask... is it a  well worn library book?
I mean would you know it if it weren't for the stamps?