Hi - I think I am getting the hang of the timing of paperback swap, but I couldn't find info on this.  If someone requests a book from me, I have 5 days to mark I can mail - my choices then are I can mail in two days, or I can mail later.  I've never chosen the I can mail later button, but if I did, what happens then? I read you put a date in that you can mail the book by.  But is the requestor then given the option of moving to the next person in line if they think the date is too long to wait?

Pat

You can pick a date anywhere between now and 5 days from now to mail the book if you hit that button.  No, the requestor can't do that and in my experience, that's never been much of an issue.  I always pick the last mailing date just to give me enough time to get to it and no one has ever complained.

I always choose the 5 day mailing option as well.  After a while it gets tiring to get every book mailed in 2days. Especially if use hte post office. 

The requester can cancel as long as the sender has not printed the wrapper.

In this case, it would not be prudent to do so, seeing as PBS works on the FIFO (first in, first out) system. If the requester canceled, then re-requested the book hoping to get the book from someone else, the request would automatically go back to the same person.

I am with Mary - I always use the mail later button unless I can drop it at the PO that day.  I now go to the PO on Friday's or Saturday's and that is the day I do all the mailing.  If for some reason I I go earlier, the books will get mailed earlier, but the pressure is off.

Thanks for the replies - I was feeling the pressure last night as I was packing up 4 books to mail.  Up until now I was checking the 2 day option, but now I think I will do as you suggest and do the 5 day option, and if it goes out before, then good for everyone!

Pat

I always choose the 5 day mailing option as well.  After a while it gets tiring to get every book mailed in 2days. Especially if use hte post office.

I wonder why people even go to the post office.  The only time I go is when I have an order of books in a box too large to drop in one of their drop boxes.  Then I go into the lobby and drop it into their large package drop box.

I print my postage through Paypal (https://www.paypal.com/shipnow), so I can accept a book request, wrap it, print the postage and put the book in my mailbox for my delivery person to pick up.  The added benefit to this system is that I can track the package from my PayPal account.

I almost always accept a book request and mail in the same day.  The only time it's different is if I get the request after the mail has been delivered for the day.

I always use the mail later option, even if I'm going to choose a date 2 days away, because then the date appears on your account page.  If you click the 2 days, it tells you the date you printed the label instead.  Yes, I can add two days to it, but if I have several requests at once I like to see the actual dates I said I'd mail by by each book.

I print my postage through Paypal (https://www.paypal.com/shipnow), so I can accept a book request, wrap it, print the postage and put the book in my mailbox for my delivery person to pick up.

For anything larger than a medium envelope I have to go by a P.O. anyway. I can usually drop them in the blue box outside the P.O., but sometimes have to go inside because the outside boxes runneth over at times. Especially during Christmas, the outside boxes sometimes will have mail piled on top because they're full before it's time to collect from them.

The slots in our nested boxes won't take even the large Christmas cards. A Netflix DVD is the limit on size I can get through the slot. They took out the last blue box in our residential neighborhood two years ago, and almost all the others in malls in in front of business are now gone. They're not being replaced. So anything outgoing but bills and letters you have to make the trip to the P.O. anyway.

I think there are very few places left around here they do door-to-door delivery anymore, let alone pickup.

I go to the post office because the postage amount given by PBS on packages seems to be wrong at least 50% of the time, for me. I have other errands in that area anyway, so it's not a big deal.

I use the printed postage sometimes. But I mail out a lot of books.  I just sent out 5 today between PBS and another website.  No way they would fit into my mail box.  I have 5 more books to mail but since I have a WL book cycling through wishers-I just mailed the 1st ones to come through.  There's a blue box by Target but that's 95% of the way to the post office and the slot isn't big enough to mail an audio book and a bulk order which I send out a lot.  The next blue box is at the post office.  Neither blue box is drive up-both require parking and lugging whatever I have to mail. So I just go to the post office. 

I used pritned postage almost exclusively before I moved because the PO had a drive up blue box. 

I really wish the USPS would creaet a "1 lb Media Mail Rate" stamp.

That would be fantastic!  But I have a feeling that just as with the machines, they really have no incentive to make it easier for people to use the cheap book rate.

I go to the PO because I don't have easy access to a scale. Quite often the weight, which is how postage is calculated) is wrong on PBS (even on Amazon sometimes) and I don't want to risk not adding enough postage or wasting my money and using too much.

I print my postage through Paypal (https://www.paypal.com/shipnow), so I can accept a book request, wrap it, print the postage and put the book in my mailbox for my delivery person to pick up.  The added benefit to this system is that I can track the package from my PayPal account.

I didn't think you could mail media mail this way, unless you also had at least one priority going with it.

Pat

if you are using paypal you *can* ship media mail that way

and i always will set my mailing for the next day (even if early today worst case it will be mailed early but i wont worry about

not getting to a mailbox on the same day

I always pick the five day ship date, but usually have everything mailed within two or three days. I just want to know I have the leeway if something unforeseen comes up and I need more time.

I take everything to the post office substation in a local drug store. Plenty of parking and no long lines. Actually, it's rare when anyone else is there mailing things at the same time as I am. A mail carrier picks everything up at 4pm. The only time I go to the main post office is when I have an APO package.

I didn't think you could mail media mail this way, unless you also had at least one priority going with it.

Pat - You can put media mail packages with electronic postage in your mailbox for your normal pickup.  You can't request a special pickup without having a Priority Package along with it. 

I'm with the group that has to to go the PO because we have those blasted nested boxes, too.  Can't fit a thick letter through the slot, let alone a book!

ETA - back to the OPs question - I always pick the 5 day option as well.  That gives me time in case I get delayed (which happens occasionally with a 1 year old!).  I can always mark the book mailed early if I get it out early!

The post card stamps are 28 cents.  I use a post card stamp, a dime stamp and two dollar stamps.   As long as it is under 13 oz. 

But my mail carrier will not pick up books from my mail box.  Bills, yes.  But not books.  Of course I would not want to carry all the books I sent either.

My carrier is wonderful, and will pick up everything...and often drives back  to get bulk orders because she walks. Of course, she often has packages for me as well. Sometimes I fill up my box and the neighbor's with outgoing. If the weather is putrid, I'll take them to the PO so she doesn't have to do it.  I usually use APC postage - I buy $1 and $2.38, APC postage with stamps to get the proper amount, or paypal postage. Sometimes just stamps for first class. I have an assortment from .01 to $1, so I can get the correct amount. I have always picked the 2 day option and am glad you asked the question, because I had often wondered what you got when you chose "I can mail later."  

The nearest blue box to me is already at least halfway to the post office, anyway. I can't mail books from my home because we have one of those mail cluster boxes and the outgoing slot doesn't fit anything larger than a letter.

So, I take all my books to the PO, but I use the APC machine so I can go 24 hours a day and don't stand in line. If I mailed from home I would have to buy a scale to double-check the PBS weights plus pay the fee for postage on each book. I can mail a lot more books out to other members if I pay the minimum needed for shipping rather than adding in fees that are not necessary.

I chose to support PBS by donating back credits rather than paying the postage fees.

I wonder why people even go to the post office.  The only time I go is when I have an order of books in a box too large to drop in one of their drop boxes.  Then I go into the lobby and drop it into their large package drop box.

Why not go to the post office?  There's one right across the street from work (or another close to an area I visit at least once a week) and if I go to the post office I don't have to pay for delivery confirmation (with printable postage) and I know that I'm not over- or under-spending on postage because they'll weigh it for me.

I drive by the post office everyday to and from work.  We don't have home delivery in our small town, so we have to use the post office boxes.  I'm there everyday to pick up my mail.  But, I can't always get there when the window is open, so I always select the Mail Later button.

I loathe going to the PO, so I use the PBS printable postage. Yeah, it costs a little more than Paypal, but I don't subscribe to any of the other 'for-fee' services that PBS offers (like BOB or Journal) so I look at the extra fee as my contribution to keeping PBS a 'free at point of use' site. Also it guarantees the credit. (If you use Paypal or any other type of Delviery Confirmation or online postage you are NOT guaranteed your credit and must rely on the sender to mark it received.)

The mailing date I choose varies. If I know I'm going to be really busy, I'll click a few days out. Usually they get mailed before then, but sometimes I need the extra time especially if I've got a dozen book orders to get ready. Other times, I might logon as I'm about to leave with a tote bag full of books for the blue box and find another order. In that case I almost always accept, print and mail within 5 minutes.

Why go to the post office at all? Well, some people don't want to or can't afford to pay the extra cost of online shipping. Others maybe don't have a printer or perhaps their printer has run out of ink and have to hand-write their mailing labels. Everyone's situation is different, so it's good that PBS gives us so many choices as to how to send books, the time frame we have to respond, etc.

Cheryl