Is anyone else ever hesitant to order a book if there are many copies already available?  I almost always repost books that I order through PBS -- I have a small apartment and enjoy only needing one shelf for all my books.  So I'm a bit hesitant to order books with many copies available and a slow turnover rate since I want to be able to get rid of them after I read them.  Has anyone else had this experience and what did you do? 

Thanks,

A new PBS member

Some of those heavily posted books actually move pretty quickly.  I find that they sometimes get added to the order when I post a WL book.  Another place to trade them is in teh box of books program. 

Sometimes I post heavily posted books before I've  read them.  I wouldn't do it with a lot of them at once. But I'll do it with a few books at a time.  But I'm a quick reader and if one gets ordered before I've read it I know I'll have to time read it by the 5 day mail by date. 

Also if there's more than 1 of these more heavily posted books that you want-you could try posting in the book bazaar what you are looking for and you might get them on a deal.

If you want to use the book or audiobook you have to get more credits to "buy" another book or audiobook by posting your book to PBS, you might find your posted book has 95 or even just 4 or 5 copies available in the PBS system. With those amounts of available copies, it makes it impossible to turn over your credits for more credits.

 I see this as a problem, does anyone have a solution to it? (without buying more credits from the PBS store)

I have no problem with doing ordering heavily posted books. But I also make use of the local used bookstore, so I could always take a book there if I was desperate to get rid of it and the wait was too long here.

 I see this as a problem, does anyone have a solution to it? (without buying more credits from the PBS store)

I don't find it impossible to turn around books. I posted a heavily posted book last year around August and it was just requested last week. So it only took me 7 months to move to the front of FIFO. Anyway, in answer to your question, you could always offer a deal in the Book Bazaar and get credit for your books sooner than waiting to come up first in the FIFO line.

My intent in ordering a book is that I want to read it.   If I want it bad enough, the consideration of being able to send it on its way is usually my last thought.   Eventually I  will get rid of it through PBS or, if it sits on my shelf too long I'll donate it to the library or take it to Goodwill.

The solution  is for people to order more books.  Beyond that there's nothing you can other than offering up deals.  They do get ordered.  Some take forever. But I've posted books with 300+ copies in teh system and had them ordered within a few months.  And I didn't do any sort of advertising of it or offer a deal.  Someone just ordered it from FIFO. 

The only adiobook on CD I ever had sit on my shelf for more than a month was The Davinci Code by Dan Brown. That one took months to get ordered.  Audio cassettes are another story. Not that many people have a way to play cassettes anymore so they don't move as quickly. 

There are also virtual boxes in the games forum.  You deposit some credits as a security that you will mail books out.  Basically people trade their books of a specific theme. There's an audio one, a cozy, mystery, erotic, historical romance and several others.

I don't worry about a book being Wl'd or heavily posted on the system before I order it.

I order it because I want to read it, but not so much that I have to have it new. (Otherwise, I'd be using more of my coupons at Boarders! lol)

Posting it when I'm done is just an extra perk, beyond the value of having read it. If it doesn't move, there are UBS near me that'll take it in trade in most cases, and I have a nice library to donate it to.

I don't hesitate, but then I'm not in need of credits. I don't order many books that are in the system (my wishlist does most of my book shopping) but if I need the next book in a series I'm reading and there's a hundred copies here, I wouldn't care. I'd read it and repost it and just wait my turn to have it requested again.

If you are really in need of a quick turn-around time so you can get your credit back, or if you have limited space, then I would be more leery, I suppose, especially if it's a book that's several years old...maybe try the library for those books if you have access to one?

Cheryl

I'm a similar situation...I don't have much room in my apartment for books, I don't have any UBS close by where I can trade books and even my local library is a bit stuffy regarding books you donate (they prefer you to donate from a list of books they have and if the book you want to donate is not on that list, sometimes they make a face which bugs me...but that's another story.)

Like others said, if I want to read the book, I order it no matter how many copies there are. But to manage my shelf space, I usually order more books from my WL and limit the number of books with tons of copies in the system. Also, like Mary, I post a few right away...so they start moving in the FIFO line. I can read a book in 3-4 days so if they get requested, I can read them before the mailing deadline.

I order the books that I want to read.  I don't pay attention to the number of copies in the system.  When I read the book (sometimes it can take me months to get around to it) I post it back into the system and wait for someone to request it.  If I really want to get it out of my house, I will drop it off at the library in the hopes that someone will buy it for a buck.

If I start getting too many posted books I just run a deal in the book bazaar forum. I don't worry about copies in the system (unless there's few, then I hurry and order!).

My most heavily posted books sometimes move shockingly fast.  I have some old paperback VC Andrews books.  There are HUNDREDS of them in the system.  I only own like book 3 of a series, book 2 of another, etc.  Whenever i post one though, they get requested pretty quickly.  In fact, for some very unknown reason, I have had 5 copies of one paperback.  It really baffles my mind as to why I have so many of the same book that I have never read...but I digress.  Since I can only post one at a time, I do and amazingly, I finally, today, mailed out my final book.  So in a year I think...I went through the several hundred long list 5 times. 

So no, the length of the list doesn't change my mind.  If anything, it makes me go to the BB to see what deals there are on it...but otherwise, I order whatever strikes my fancy.  I am so far behind in WL lists that I have started just burning through my little credit reserve on books that just look interesting.  (Maybe why I had 5 copies of one book!). 

I don't take into consideration how many copies of a book are in the system. I have gotten rid of a few with a lot posted when someone orders a WL book or something else they really want and they go ahead and order multiples from me. I have some books on my shelf that I posted when I first came here but I don't really care. I can always donate them or run a deal on the bazaar if I need the space.

FIFO isn't the only way more heavily posted books are ordered, either. Often after receiving a WL book in the mail, I will go back and check out the sender's bookshelf to see if they have posted anything new that looks good to me. One time I got a WL book, and was back a week later to order another book from the same sender. I could have saved her shipping if I'd ordered them together, but I think she hadn't posted the book yet.

If you spend a lot of time in the forums and post in the various threads of interest to you, members will get curious and take a peek to see what kinds of books you have posted.

Most recently I ordered a book from a person who contacted me through Live Help. It happened to be one I've been wanting, but had timed out from the first person FIFO, so I had gotten frustrated and canceled the order with the second person FIFO with intention to get it from the library or from another site. This way I know I'm ordering it from someone who is active and will be happy to send it out to me.

My intent in ordering a book is that I want to read it.   If I want it bad enough, the consideration of being able to send it on its way is usually my last thought.   Eventually I  will get rid of it through PBS or, if it sits on my shelf too long I'll donate it to the library or take it to Goodwill.

My feelings exactly.

I tend to be more thrifty with heavily posted books simply because I have a huge TBR and there's never anything I need immediately that I just order it right out.  But if there's one I really want I'll just order it.

I can attest to the fact that hanging out in the forums helps with book orders. I get a lot  of shelf orders from other forum regulars.  I don't even know it's them until I check the WL to see if I have anything else.  So they aren't like asking me for deals.  I know they order from me because they know I'm here everyday and it won't time out on 5 people before it gets sent out.

I order a book if I want it without regard to the # of copies in the system. I offer deals in Book Bazaar and people order my books. I also take advantage of the deals others offer and somehow manage to keep between 400 and 500 books on my shelf most of the time. I really enjoy PBS and the people here. I will always send 3 books for 2 credits and often offer even better deals.