I thought the WL limit was normally 200 or 300 for Gold Key members.  How would a member get up to 582 then?  I have a WL book offer from another member.  I went to his profile to look at his bookshelf to see what else I may want to order.  It shows his bookshelf has 5 books to offer but on his WL, he has 582.  When I  click on his WL, it does, indeed look like there are 12 pgs.  Maybe it's just too early in the morning and I'm not thinking clearly, but I don't understand how it can be over 200 or 300. 

IIRC at one time (before I became a member) you could have more than 200 books on your WL.  If someone had several hundred at that time, would s/he have had to cut back to the 200 maximum at that time or could they have retained all the books on their WL?  If they could have, is it possible that this member had that many at the time and retained them?  Pat

my question would be why would anybody want that many books. and how are they getting enough credits for that many.

Charles, there are people with thousands of credits from actively swapping that could easily cover that many WL books. There are quite a few people who request books for local/school libraries and many of us just like books :) I used to read about 300 a year.

I can't come up with any reason for a WL of that size other than a glitch showing you his WL 2X. Once in a while PBS will have people beta test stuff, I've not seen anything about any WL things going on, but that could be a possibility too.

IIRC at one time (before I became a member) you could have more than 200 books on your WL. 

When I first started, the WL was unlimited. I think the largest I ever saw was about 6,000. Then they changed it to 200, and after some warning to re-arrange your own list, anything after 200 was deleted. Then they came back with the Gold Key thing to bump it back up. I don't know now how they'd have that many except for what someone's already mentioned.

my question would be why would anybody want that many books. and how are they getting enough credits for that many.

If they're WL'd books, then they haven't gotten them, and they may never. You don't have to have all the credits sitting there waiting for them unless you want the system to automatically order them as they come in. You can have no credits and just wait until an offer comes in and then buy what you need. I don't have 105 credits, and really doubt that most on my WL will ever show up. 

And as someone who's had thousands of books in the house, and now how multiple thousands on my tablets, 500 isn't even a baby collection. 

Interesting to say the least.  This evening, it is 581.  I did a quick scroll through the pages and it doesn't look like a glitch of a double WL - it goes from A-Z in those 12 pages and I didn't see any duplicates - they all seem to be unique books, but here's another odd thing:  His profile says he joined in 2009 but in the first couple of pages there are books that say they were added to the WL in 2006, 2007, & 2008. How can that be?  Definitely something odd with this account, do you suppose there were some special circumstances of some kind where TPTB allowed someone to "merge" two accounts or something? I guess when it comes right down to it, though, it is none of my business and it's just my intense curiosity about things that don't seem right that is going to drive me insane!

Edited to add:  Books have been added throughout all years with the most recent ones added last Saturday 4/19/14.  I just don't get it. . . . and I keep trying to tell myself that it's not my business and I need to put a lid on the curiosity but I keep going back to it - LOL.

You have me curious too now!

I find it hard to believe that, even if someone were grandfathered in with the unlimited WL, they'd still have so many books on there after so long.  I've been here almost 7 years and the WL was limited to 200 at that time.  Not being able to add a book to your WL in 7 years?  I know there are those rare books that never get posted but that many?  I find it hard to believe.

I'd probably send it to TPTB and ask how it's possible to have that large of a WL because I'd like to know too.

We all hope you'll ask TPTB and let us know what they said, because we're all curious now. 

Ditto!

when it comes right down to it, though, it is none of my business

I don't necessarily agree with this. The reason for limits on wishlists is to even the playing field a bit between people who have been here for years and newer people. If everyone could get in line for every book, the lines would be so long! I think you have a right to politely ask. If they did not want his number to be public, they could have hidden it from his profile, but they did not.

They had a box with 181 WL books get lost in the mail?  

LOL Emily! 

We hear reports of this every once in a great while, but I've not seen it verified as to a glitch, beta testing, an exception for some reason, etc.  Whatever the reason, it's very rare.

Did the books look suitable for a school, could it be a librarian ordering for one of the PBS schools we donate credits to?

I believe the credit donations programs purchase new books. (Don't ask me how, exactly. I think it has something to do with taxes.). But I do not think they order books from here for the school donation programs.

As far as pointing out the account to PBS, I don't think there is anything wrong with that. You are right, in that it's not really your (our) business, so they may not actually give you a specific answer, but at least they can look into it and see if there is some issue.

Yes, new books are sent to the schools in the school donation program.  Pat

My own take on it: I would not say anything to TPTB. I would send a PM to the person with the list because I would be curious but I would leave it at that. I have no desire to get anyone else in trouble here or ruin someone's fun - and yeah, a WL of 581 books would be fun! lol

Now, don't lynch me or anything, but I just find the "tell TPTB" mantra for the little things on here can be a little bit overpowering at times.

Now, don't lynch me or anything, but I just find the "tell TPTB" mantra for the little things on here can be a little bit overpowering at times.

I agree with you that everything is not necessarily a "tell PBS" issue either. But there are really only 3 possible explanations for a WL of 500+ items:

1. PBS has allowed it on this account.

2. There is a software bug.

3. This member has marked an inordinate number of books RWAP or just not marked them received at all. If this is the reason, then this member has been stealing from other members for a while.

Since 2/3 of those options are undesirable and would also be something that PBS would want to know about, that's why I would tell PBS.

Sara (et al),

I wonder if this is the same guy. It feels like years ago, but once I was trading with someone who had a WL of over 500 as well. I sent just a friendly "OMG I wish" email and asked about it. This was even before gold key. He wrote back saying that when PBS first started, there was no WL cap. So, he was "grandfathered in." I guess that could mean #1 in Sara's list above this post. It definitely wasn't #2 or #3 with him. I say, just ask! The member probably won't mind (well, if it's #3 in Sara's list, the member might mind haha). Can you check his/her profile and see how long he/she has been a member? If it's a super long time ago, that could be the answer.

Now, don't lynch me or anything, but I just find the "tell TPTB" mantra for the little things on here can be a little bit overpowering at times.

It's only taken as a "tell TPTB" if you consider asking them a question a negative thing. "Ask"ing if its possible for a member out there to have over 500 on their Wish List isn't telling on anyone or trying to get anyone in trouble. Its a simple question. Finding out about the workings of the site is not a bad thing.

Wishlist size was capped before I joined PBS.  But thought I'd heard somewhere that members were asked to trim their lists by a certain date or the system removed the excess books by date wishlisted (keeping the oldest and removing the more recent)?  I could be wrong tho, and that's what happens now when a Gold member doesn't renew their membership.

I'm mildly curious tho, so please share if you find out the answer

OK, I was kinda hoping this thread would just die but it hasn't so I will come back and let you know that I did go ahead and ask TPTB if the huge WL was legit.  This account is currently suspended or closed.  That pretty much sums it up. 

Did you ever happen to get the WL book from them? 

My W/L is nearing 200 and I've been a member less than a year. I guess if a ton of these books came available at one time, it could be a problem but that's very unlikely. I've maybe received five to ten books through the wishlist since joining.