I would like to create a list of members to whom I do not wish to trade books.  Is there a way to do this?

Antonia B.

There is no way to do this via the system. You can always keep a word doc file, but the chances of the same member ordering from you is very slim, what with over 2 million books and thousands of members. You can tell who you are ordering from by going to the tab Books I;ve Requested and clicking on the PM button.

What are the problems you are having with the senders/requestors?, just curious.

So far I only had one person I would never want books from again only because it smelled like they were marinated in cigerette smoke. I couldnt imagine having that many people I would want to block.

I've had a couple of people to whom I sent books who have sent me fairly blunt and rude messages about water damage to books that weren't water damaged, but did have humidity-related wavy pages and foxing.  I've traded 150 books thus far, and found that problems related to whether the correct book got sent, ISBN problems, etc. are fine, but the water and mold issue drives me nuts.  As I've said, I haven't deliberately sent out water damaged books, but I do live in a humid climiate and I am just tired of dealing with complainers.  I refund their credits, but  I'd love to be able to add them to a sort of anti-buddy list, purely in order to make myself feel like I'd done something to ensure that I would never have to experience that particular aggravation again...

Or perhaps I should just find a site that caters to readers rather than collectors...

Antonia the Aggravated

"Or perhaps I should just find a site that caters to readers rather than collectors..."

I'm sorry that you are having problems but, PBS does not cater to collectors and not readers...you've been here a very short time and perhaps you've had some bad experiences but, it is not all that way.  You won't find a site that is better than PBS...

How about adding them as a Buddy and then creating a tag that lets you know not to swap with them? You could always PM the person, if they request another book from you, and just say "Sorry, because of issues in the past, my books probably won't meet your requirements."

Or is that too backwards a way of doing it? I know it seems odd.....

With the new buddy system you'd probably have to get their OK to set them as buddies, so that doesn't work as well as in the past.

I know I've only been here a few weeks, and I know that most people are terrific swappers.  But the degree of aggravation I feel at being informed that I've sent a defective book is just ridiculous.  The one time I realized that a book did have some water damage and I'd already printed postage, I went ahead and mailed the book and refunded the credit at the same time, with a PM to the requestor.  I don't go around deliberately spreading moldy, water-damaged books, and I generally refund credits when someone pops up with a problem.  But I'd love to be able to tell myself at the same time that I won't put myself in THAT position again.

So would the PBS gurus consider adding an anti-buddy feature?

Antonia B.

If you are having multiple people complain about the books, you might want to consider not sending them.

So LG, 2 complaints  out of 150 books, in both cases about humidity and age foxing rather than actual liquid damage, means I should stop participating in PBS?  Or just stop sending books to people with snarky requestor conditions?  Or some combination of the two?  I don't mind refunding credits, but I mind people assuming that I have sent them a non-postable book out of deliberate malice.  I have never gotten a thanks for promptly refunding a credit, by the way, which would seem to be the polite thing to do for quick resolution of a problem, even if I was a bad swapper spreading damaged books about the universe...

First off, welcome to PBS. We always enjoy having new members help with our book addictions. After reading the following that you have typed....:

I've traded 150 books thus far, and found that problems related to whether the correct book got sent, ISBN problems, etc. are fine, but the water and mold issue drives me nuts.  As I've said, I haven't deliberately sent out water damaged books, but I do live in a humid climiate and I am just tired of dealing with complainers.

The one time I realized that a book did have some water damage and I'd already printed postage, I went ahead and mailed the book and refunded the credit at the same time, with a PM to the requestor.  I don't go around deliberately spreading moldy, water-damaged books, and I generally refund credits when someone pops up with a problem.

I don't mind refunding credits, but I mind people assuming that I have sent them a non-postable book out of deliberate malice.

Reading your own words, it does sound like you've had issues more than twice, which does mean multiple people. If that is the case, I think it's only fair to point out to you that members do have a right to complain when they receive books that don't meet PBS guidelines. An easier way to stop receiving PM's that say your books are damaged is to check them well before sending them out. If they don't meet the guidelines, don't send them. Period.

While it was nice of you to mail a book that didn't meet guidelines while refunding a credit at the same time, that member still received a book that was not in good condition, plus lost their place in line if it was a WL book. That would irk me off enough to send you a PM also.

So, to sum it up, instead of starting a do not trade list, I'd check the books you are sending out to ensure people aren't putting you on their do not trade list. (To answer your question, those of us who keep track pretty much just write down names or keep in a spreadsheet) If to many people complain about your books, the powers that be will take action.

Please take a deep breath and realize that we aren't trying to be snarky. We're just tired of receiving books that don't meet the PBS guidelines. It happens alot, and it is so easily avoidable that it gets quite annoying.

For the record, you would at least get a "Thank You" out of me when you refunded credits to make things right. That's just rude on the receivers part.

So please, give the club another chance. Check your books before mailing, and continue reading helpful hints here on the questions forum along with the Help Center. Trust me, it gets much better after you get through the learning curve!

Marcy--

Well said.  New members often don't seem to be familiar with the PBS guidelines, which are more strict than some other book swapping sites on the web, and double-checking books before posting and again before sending can really help, once you're familiar with the guidelines.  If you're getting multiple complaints, it is appropriate to re-evaluate your books, your packing, whatever is appropriate, not start blaming and blocking recipients.

Shannon--

Thank you for posting and reminding us that there are always 2 side to every story.

Nobody likes getting damaged books, nobody likes sending damaged books (I hope), and rude PMs aren't allowed here per PBS policy -- if you receive a rude PM, be sure to report it via the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of any PBS page: "Even if you get a rude PM, do not respond in kind.  Abusive PMs should be reported to us."

The only way "to ensure that I would never have to experience that particular aggravation again" is to ensure that you're sending out books that meet PBS guidelines, and use packaging methods that will hold up in transit. 

Cheers,

Catt

I have to agree with everyone about double-checking the books before you send them out.  Usually, if I have a book to post that I think "might not" meet the guidelines it usually goes to the Goodwill instead.  I think the majority of booklovers can tell the difference between humidity damage and plain old water damage...and I probably wouldn't be too happy if I received a yucky one.

If you've sent 150 books, and two people have complained, and THAT agitates you enough to want to leave PBS, you might want to talk to someone about your anxiety levels, too.

Just sayin'...

Antonia wrote:

So LG, 2 complaints  out of 150 books, in both cases about humidity and age foxing rather than actual liquid damage, means I should stop participating in PBS?

Shannon's input aside, in another thread you wrote:

I live in a humid climate in which books (and just about everything else) can smell mildewy, so should I remove myself from PBS?

You can leave PBS if you want, but I sure wouldn't be posting books that smell like mildew, or you will be asked to leave, eventually.

This is a tough thread to read, but I have to say I have learned a lot from this type of discussion.  I am fairly new to PBS , just a few months.  I swap a low volume of books.  My first serveral swaps were just fine, then I received a book of very poor quality.  I was a little shocked, but didn't  PM the sender, accepted the book..."because it was Free", read it .....then without a lot of thought in the whole proces, put it back into the system.  Then, as you would all guess, I heard from the person I sent it on too.  I know it was my  own fault.  I should have read these boards before it happened to me...then I would have understood what I should have done in the first place.  Antonia, stay with the system, check your books before you send them, learn from your mistakes and move forward.  I enjoy the service so much, as does the rest of my family.  We love to get books from all over the country and track where our own books go to!

<grin> I'd like to know how anyone gets "free" books here.   I've been a member for 3 years, and other than recent "freebie" deals from the Book Bazaar, I've never gotten a "book for free" here.    Every book I've gotten through the normal PBS system has cost me.  It either costs a few dollars to buy a credit in order to get a book, or it costs several dollars postage + cost-of-book to swap for a credit.    I'd love to know the secret for getting completely free books! (GRIN)

I've read quite a few of these threads debating over the rules, over the guidelines for posting books, whether they're too strict, etc.     Bottom line -- the owners of the site established certain rules & guidelines for the site, and some books simply are NOT allowable here, whether they're "readable" or not.   If someone participates in this site, then you need to abide by the rules, whether you agree with them or not.   But don't "bend" the rules just because you think they're too strict - that's not your place to determine what is & isn't acceptable to trade here.   Contact the owners & make suggestions for changes if you feel strongly about it - but follow the existing rules or go to a different site whose guidelines are more to your liking.  Seems pretty straight-forward to me.   I don't send a lot of books out myself - but if they don't TOTALLY meet PBS guidelines, then off they go to the thrift store - I don't try to pass them off to someone here just so I can get more credits.  

I looked at her info yesterday and she had sent 130 books and recieved none. Maybe she has to get crappy books to realize how much it sucks?

I think the dash that was under the "books received" just means that she didn't choose to show that information. 

Now the profile is blocked completely. 

Ahh. I didn't know you could pick and choose which info. Thought all or nothing.