I have been waiting for a member to respond to my request since Aug. 9 . When I looked to see if they had other books I might like, I saw they only had 2 other books listed.  How long are non -active members kept in the system? This has happened before and went thru 3 requests before getting a book. Thanks

If you requested teh book on 8/9 then they should have until 8/14 to accept the request-it gives 5 full days plus whatever is left in the day that yThey u requested the book.  They may still accept. It could just be someone who needs a few extra mailing days.  Don't go by the #of books on their shelf.  Many members keep very small shelves are still very active. They either post a lot of WL books, buy most of their credits or just purge books a lot.  The WL is a little better of a guide still not full proof.  If I don't see any WL books added in a long time I'm not surprised if the book times out. 

Thanks Mary, I know these things in my head. I am too impatient . It is still Summertime and perhaps the request will move on to another member tomorrow.

I once ordered a book from a member who also only had 2 other books on their bookshelf and nothing had been added to the bookshelf in nearly three years, and as I requested the book I thought to myself, "There is no way I am going to get this book!" and you know what? It was accepted shortly before timing out and mailed in a timely manner. So you can't always go by the obvious!

Actually, I just came to the forum to ask about this same issue.  I requested a book ~ a while ago and it is still waiting to be accepted. A moment ago I noticed that the new "message" says, "you requested this book at 3:07 AM 8/13/2010".  Hmm, no, I was asleep at 3:07 AM.  So, I guess that the first person "timed out" and the request has gone to the next person in line? I searched for the title and the result was 1/1 copy.  Does this mean that there is only 1 copy in the system.  Thanks in advance for any insight on my comment/question.

When I looked to see if they had other books I might like, I saw they only had 2 other books listed.

I tend to almost always post one or two wishlisted books at a time (as I read them), and  have them in the mail within 48 hours of being requested. So, my bookshelf almost always shows zero (other) books posted - why must people make assumptions?

So, I guess that the first person "timed out" and the request has gone to the next person in line? I searched for the title and the result was 1/1 copy.  Does this mean that there is only 1 copy in the system.  Thanks in advance for any insight on my comment/question.

Yes, the system cancelled the original transaction and passed your request on to the next person with the book.

The only way to see the number of copies in the system is to add the book to your Reminder List and look at it there. If a search resulting in 1 hit, that just means there is only one ISBN available, there could be thousands of copies of that one ISBN. 

I think right now there are a lot of members getting kids ready for back to school and taking last minute vacations that either need more time to take care of mailing or just miss it all together due to life's distractions.

Maybe I should trim my question down to ; How long will a member remain "inactive" , before PBS stops sending them requests/ And yes , I guess I do make assumptions about people that may be wrong; and I am willing to admit it. I will try to not judge a book by its' cover,,,lol

Maybe I should trim my question down to ; How long will a member remain "inactive" , before PBS stops sending them requests

Nobody here knows for sure. PBS doesn't publish their exact algorithms for this sort of thing, but from observation it seems to be two or three unanswered requests or unaccepted wish list offers or books not marked received.

I feel your pain!

I requested a  book on July 9th that had over 60 copies in the system

It timed out so often, it took till August 7th to be accepted.  I just received it yesterday.

I couldn't believe it took so long when there were so many copies out there!

I so love when a book I have looked forward to comes in, it is just like a birthday or Christmas. PBS is so wonderful it far outweighs those minor problems that sometimes pop up. I will wait for Church Folk to reach me , no matter how long it takes. Thanks everyone.

I think they probably look at every account that's flagged by a time out on a case by case basis. 

Sometimes the books with a lot of copies are the worst, because the books at the front of the line have been posted for a long time, sometimes years, so they are more likely to be from inactive accounts. 

frusterating, isn't it?!  I've been trying to get someone to mail me a certian book for over a month.  It's been a pretty popular book and there are 121 copies in the system and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to end up getting the 120th!  Other than me being so impatient, it's not a big deal, I've got plenty to read while I do wait :)  But the last person my request went to really got me frusterated. The person accepted the request, quickly, then picked the last availiable mailing day, then cancelled the transaction 2 days after the scheduled "will mail by" date!  I know "stuff happens" to all of us from time to time and we have to cancel, but geez after my request timing out so many times, it almost felt like a cruel joke! lol

ah, well, I'm still waiting, I'll get it eventually..........

ETA: slightly better grammar ;)

"you requested this book at 3:07 AM 8/13/2010".

Debbie, yes -- you figured it out.  The server cancels transactions and passes on the order to a new sender shortly after 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time.  Generally, the only thing you'll see change is the request date, although if you hit the PM button, there will be a different name  there, too.  You can watch this happen in your Credit Registry, if you like.  It's on the yellow bar on your My Account page -- a little hard to read at first, but lots of good info when you get used to it.

Oops, just saw Melanie already answered this.

How long will a member remain "inactive" , before PBS stops sending them requests

Fara, my understanding is that after two consecutive non-responses, a member's account will be placed on temporary hold.  (It's temporary because he can take it off hold by logging back in.)  This may have changed since I got that info, but it's still pretty close to that.  And any "non-response" will remove that particular book from your bookshelf or wish list.