So how long are you willing to keep books on PBS when they don't get requested.

I have over a hundered books in boxes in my cupboard, they are all listed on here and most have been for some time. How long would you wait be fore just clearing out and saying "to heck with it"?

You know, that's really a personal choice depending on space and patience.  I just looked, I've had books on my shelf for 4 1/2 years.  Every once in a while I DO purge a few...esp. HCs or larger PBs that take up too much space...but mostly I just let them sit.  Every once in a while I actuallly get an order for one of those ancient books!  I know there are members who keep the books X length of time and then get rid of them, so it really is personal.

I waited over a year on some.

Now I'm thinking of offering a deal soon on what I have had on my shelf under a year to try and get rid of some so I have more room.

Just depends really.

Whatever you feel is best.

Part of my decision is how many are posted here.   Before I post a new batch, I'll offer a deal.  Then some go to the library for them to sell for a quarter.

I have a really small shelf right now. None of the books on it are ones that I posted when I first joined, though. I did a purge awhile back, but at the moment I am content to leave what I have on here for however long. If I tire enough of having them around, they will go to this used bookstore several blocks from my home.

I also have quite a few unpostables. When I post those in the unpostable thread, I offer them as freebies with an order from my shelf. So eventually those books will get taken.

I keep mine as long as I can put up with the books hanging around the house. Once in a while I'll clear my Shelf and start over, and I usually only post books that have X-number or less in the system, though I did have one book that had over 200 in the system and another member requested it when she clicked on the "order more" button. So you never know when a heavily posted title will move.

Before you purge your shelf you may want to offer a deal in the Bazaar. It looks like you have a nice variety on your shelf. 

I like to do a 5 for 2 credits or better.  Since most of the cost of shipping is in the first book, a deal with 2 credits can actually be better on the shipping budget. 

Nancy

Well before, I kept them until they were requested or I had to move.  But I had a lot of storage space for books.  I would just post some on bookmooch when I needed pts over there.  Or I would join Box of Books and trade out all my heavily posted books for ones I haven't readyet.   I have a lot less space now-so I will probably start donating books if they're piling up and I don't need bookmooch pts.  I'm at the point now where my TBR is huge and I just don't spend many pts on either trading sites anymore.  I really just order WL books and the occasional missing series book that I can't get at the library. 

Another thing I do is to post heavily posted books before I've read them.  Not a lot of them.  But every so often I'll post 5-10 heavily posted books to start working up FIFO.  If I have a lot of pts built up, I've even gone on vacation hold and posted more.  Then I just read those while working up FIFO.  Usually by the time they're ordered, I've already read them. If I haven't then I just read that book ASAP.  But I'm a fast reader and know I can read a book in 2 days if it's requested.  I wouldn't do it with say a 1,000+ page epic or with later books in a series where I need to read earlier ones first.  Only with books I'm ready to read. 

Another thing I do is to post heavily posted books before I've read them.

I do this as well,  just to get them in the FIFO circulation and moving up the Q.  

I have been a member since last year,  and I don't have a huge bookshelf.   I posted books when I joined, and just let them be.  I figure that they'll eventually  work their way up the FIFO Q, and if someone orders them sooner, then that is great.   :)   

Another thing I do is to post heavily posted books before I've read them.

I used to do that, but had a few that I'd done that with ordered well before the FIFO when someone used the "order more from member" button. I quit doing it then because I hate being pressured to read a book before I'm ready to, and I ended up sending the book and then having to re-order it again when I *was* ready.

I just leave books on my shelf until they're requested. I have a decent credit balance and I read and post enough wishlisted books that keeps credits coming in between requests from my actual standing bookshelf, so I can afford to be patient. I also don't order all that many books any more...my TBR is huge so pretty much the wishlist does my PBS shopping now, except for the occasional series book I need that's already in system.

Cheryl

As long as I have room to store them.  Be patient.  When I joined, most of my books had over 100 in the system.  I have been here for over a year and all of a sudden I'm getting orders on these books on a regular basis.  I guess I've worked my way to the top of the FIFO list on many of my books. It came at a good time too.  I was down to 2 credits.  I'm up to 20 now.

I keep a pretty big box on a shelf that I use just for my PBS books. I keep the posted books and paper, tape ,plastics and some boxes all together. So that I can easily retrieve a book to mail out; and not go looking for packing supplies. I might remove a few books in order to add more to the box. I am always surprised when someone orders an obscure book that has been in the box for awhile. I try to limit my PBS books to that box. I try**

It really depends on the space that I have.  Right now I have 3 shelves in my closet dedicated to my books and supplies.  When that gets full then I will offer a deal in the Book Bazaar.  If I still need space then I will go ahead and donate some to my library for their annual book sale.  I have had books requested that had been posted for a year or more.  If I have the space then I don't mind. 

I have a small shelf so I generally don't dump books after any period of time, except maybe a few of the heavier ones that I don't want to carry back and forth between home and college.

It depends on  my mood - when the pile seems to be getting too big, I'll pull out  a bunch og heavily posted mass-market best seller type books, and send off a box or two to soldiers overseas using www.operationpaperback.org. 

I've had books that I posted when I joined be requested recently.  I am less likely to post heavily posted books in the first place.  I have too many books so a few being donated won't make much difference.

I thought I was the only one who added books that are more heavily posted to give me a little wiggle room to read them. In the last 6 weeks I've had a number of multiple-book requests and have had to set aside whatever I was reading to read the requested ones. Not operating at 100% but am doing pretty good. Like Mary I can zip through a book in a couple of days (or 1 day if it's a category, like I'm doing now) so I'm not feeling especialy rushed. Not for everyone, though.

I post them and leave them. There are a few on my shelf that have been there over a year, but sooner or later they get requested. Even the heavily posted ones. I figure they would have sat here anyway if I had never found PBS, so waiting it out doesnt make much difference. With upwards of 8,000 books a day being mailed here, sooner or later they will be ordered.

I don't like to sift thru lots of  pages on mine or anyone else's bookshelf, so when I get to around 75 books, I start donating some to my local library or turning them in for credits at a local ubs.

About a year is long enough for me.  I delete 'em from my bookshelf and either sell them at a yard-sale or at HalfPriceBooks.

I usually have less than 150 books on my shelf...

Mary in KY

I joined in 1995 and still have book from the original posting still listed..patiently waiting for a new home!!!

I have to watch my postage budget so posting the heavily posted ones before I read them works for me-because my shelf is on vacation a lot. I auto request WL books and just take my shelf off hold when I have some postage money or go below my credit comfort level.  I would not recommend posting a whole bunch of them to work their way up FIFO if you know you can't read a book in a day or two if it's ordered unexpectedly.  I also don't post like a whole series-usually just the one I need to read next. 

Box of Books can be a great way to get rid of heavily posted books and exchange them for ones you haven't read yet. 

I usually keep mine no more than a year.  Before I post I put them on my reminder list so I can see how many are already posted.  One book had almost 1100 books in the system.  I decided not to post that book.  I very seldom post a book that has over 75 or so already in the system and try to limit posting books with over 25 or so already in the system.  Pat

"I joined in 1995 and still have book from the original posting still listed..patiently waiting for a new home!!!"

I didn't realize that PBS had been around that long!  Is the club really 15 years old?  The internet was still kind of a novelty for home use back in 1995 IIRC.

As for my books, I keep them on the shelf until either someone requests them, or my DD has a garage sale.