So if I don't pay fee and want to go "a la carte", I loose my credits and can't access the bulletin boards?

Margaret you do NOT lose your credits. You just will not be able to respond in the forums in the "A LA Carte" option.

Margaret,

You won't loose your credits. 

you will pay a 49-cent Swap Fee to request a book shipment (BUT if you use Printable Postage you won't pay swap fees 

• you will not be able to post in Discussion Forums (they will be read-only)

Okay, that is good about the credits, sad about the Forums.  Thanks for the quick responses.

I'm now officially confused--I thought someone had said that this forum would remain open to everyone.

Evelyn: Not quite sure about the Questions forum. It's been posted to TPB that it should remain open to everyone. Honestly, that would be in their best interest and cut down the number contact us messages they get.

I'm hoping that they are sitting back and letting people blow off steam then will address some of the concerns in a sticky topic for everyone.

I'm confused now.

If you already accumulated credits & stay at A la carte, you still have to pay the 49 cent fee to use those credits, right?  And if you use PBS postage on your future shipments, then THOSE credits can be spent without the fee.  Am I misinterpreting this?

Disclaimer:  This is 2nd-hand info, not word-of-mouth from Admin... 

I'm told by a 'reliable source' that this ?? About PBS forum will be available for all members including a la carte to post as well as read.

Even with disclaimer, my apologies for posting incorrect information!

If you choose A la carte, any credits spent after 2/15 will also require the $0.49 order surcharge regardless of when the credits were earned.

If you use PBS postage after 2/15, each shipment will earn you a $0.49 surcharge that you can later use to request a book.

The credits aren't going to be separated based on what was earned before 2/15 or after. A credit is a credit.

So, send out a book using paid postage after 2/15, earn the surcharge then use it to order a book. That *should* keep it request fee free for you (there is a fee to use paid postage).

To get the most bang for your buck if you've got more credits than surcharge credits, then visit the WL multiples posts or use the order more from member button as multiple books from the same member will count as just one surcharge.

And you can still order goodies through 2/14 without the charges.

Hope that makes sense, as it's a bit confusing.

*edited to correct "fee free".

This forum will be open to everyone.  Every member is also assigned a Tour Guide who is able to answer questions.

Forums like CMT will be limited to members only.

If you already accumulated credits & stay at A la carte, you still have to pay the 49 cent fee to use those credits, right?  And if you use PBS postage on your future shipments, then THOSE credits can be spent without the fee.  Am I misinterpreting this?

No, you are not misinterpreting this.  If you want to use your credits after 2/15 as an A La Carte member, then you will be assessed the $0.49 fee.  The way to avoid this is to use PBS Printed Postage.  Each time you use printed postage, the swap fee is waived.

Thank you for the clarification, Mary!

every time you use Printed Postage you will earn a free swap fee-- I will go find the exact quote from the email:

"Each time you print a wrapper to send a shipment using PBS Printable Postage, that will earn one Swap Fee (the Swap Fee is added to your account when you mark the shipment mailed"

I assume starts after 2/15

Printed postage will give you a guaranteed credit and then also as of 2/15 a $0.49 credit toward a book transaction. Yes, it costs $0.55 to use. It always has, probably always will until the company PBS uses raises their rates. Given the number of people that are slow to respond, I've always used it to guarantee my credit so I can simply mail it and be done. No babysitting other members to try to get them to mark an item received in a timely manner.

PBS offering the free book transaction fee with paid postage (simply to me) seems like a courtesy to not double dip into someone's pocket. Saying, hey, you already supported the site by using the paid postage, here's a book transaction credit for free so you don't have to spend additional money to use that credit.

They certainly didn't have to offer that. It's something they are choosing to do. Something they *don't* to on SADVD or SACD.

People can certainly still choose to simply mail with stamps or by taking their packages to the PO,but then, they will either need to have one of the membership levels, or will be charged the $0.49 per order.

How do you pay the .49 sent fee under the A la carte membership?  Do I need to use PBS money and is there a fee for that?

Re: How do you pay the .49 sent fee under the A la carte membership? Do I need to use PBS money and is there a fee for that?

There are a couple of methods to put the .49 cents on your account: credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Yes there will be a .50 cent fee for credit or PayPal....not sure about debit cards. Prepaid debit cards are excellent if you want less risk. There is at least one user on the DVD site that sends Swap a check. He covers several transaction fees at once. If you don't want to carry .49 cents in your account all the time, make sure you do not have books on auto request. With a zero balance, auto requests go to the next person in line.

At 2:09 PM ET on 2/2/2015, Melissa B. said: "If you choose A la carte, any credits spent after 2/15 will also require the $0.49 order surcharge regardless of when the credits were earned."

So, those of us who have supported PBS for years can only use the hundreds of credits they have earned by spending (more) money to request books?

Ed, you can see the FAQ regarding the new fee structure here: http://www.paperbackswap.com/help/help_item.php?id=693

Short answer, yes. But depending on your usage (how many books you receive per year), you can decide at what level to participate.

• A la carte: Pay as you go $0.49/order regardless of how many books in that order.
• Limited membership: If you receive 20-30 books/year this would be a better choice and would keep the ability to post in the Forums to participate in games and the bazaar.
• Standard membership: Best deal as it includes unlimited swaps, an expanded WL and some other perks.

It was awesome that they site was able to operate without bringing fees to all members for almost 10 years, but sadly it looks like that's not the case any longer.

This forum will be open to everyone.

I don't believe it will be open for posting to by the people who chose not to purchase a membership. 

From the Help Center:

Beginning 2/15/2015, annual membership will be required to Post in the Discussion Forums - Limited and Standard Members will be able to post. The Forums will be read-only for A la Carte (unenrolled) members.

This forum will be open to everyone.

I don't believe it will be open for posting to by the people who chose not to purchase a membership

-------------------------

Although I have not seen confirmation yet, a couple of the Tour Guides have said that this specific forum, Questions about PaperbackSwap, would stay open to all.

Although I have not seen confirmation yet, a couple of the Tour Guides have said that this specific forum, Questions about PaperbackSwap, would stay open to all.

I am a TGL also. Everything in writing on the site says the forums will be read only to a la carte members.  I did not partake in the conference call yesterday so maybe something different was talked about/decided then. But all documents I find on the site currently say what I have quoted, that this will be Read-Only to people who don't have an annual membership. I would go with what the site documents say until that is changed.