I know a lot of newbies, like me, are still learning the ins and outs of the mailing system, the 48 hours, the five days to do this the however many days to that.  Add to that the impatience of wanting that book you have been seeking for months.

I was reading the discussion about a book being mailed updated, and it reminded me of a individual on another forum, who had the same problem; item ordered was late.  Her problem was the slowness of the order being filled, her call to the company got their butts moving.  And that could have been a reason for a problem in someon mailing out a book. 

But there  can be another reason.  I was watching the weather channel and there is LOTS of snow all over the states, some having not inches, but feets of snow.  Highways are slow due to traffic or even closed due to weather.  Idiots who have never driven in snow still think that 55 or 80 miles speeds listed is safe to drive in.  My daughter and her husband,  military, was in a warm climate state and they received snow for the first time.  ONE-HALF an inch.  The closed schools and there were wrecks everywhere, because they had no idea of how to drive in snow. 

And tit for tat, I am sure that people in Alaska or other states that get feets of snow are laughing their heads off at those of us who live in climates that have 3-7 inches feel that 10 inches or more is a lot of snow and gripe about how we can't get out.  That would be me, by the way. 

The problem where I live is we get is what is happening right now, we had 3 inches, half of it melted, then our temps of high 30s dropped overnight to single digits and another three inches of snow, two days of warm temps and then dropping with more snow after that. 

That creates what is called  black ice, ice that is dark like the road so you can't see it; with snow over top of it.  Out in the country, and I mean country, think like hillbilly country, mail won't run for a few days.  You're not going to drive a road that has black ice, has kiss your butt curves and no railing with 100 feet or more drop offs and hillsides that goes at least 100 feet  above you, and may decide to drop some of the rocks off.  Most of the people here in my home area die due to rock falls, black ice and deer.  I think it has been a year or more since a killing (murder, manslaughter) that wasn't an accident.

I live in Ohio, the lower foothills of the Appalachian mountains. 

So, patience is a virtue and many of us are going to have to learn that for the next few days, maybe even a week, or two, or three or . . .  .  That person may not be able to get to the mail box or post office, their electric is out so they can't email you or receive your email asking if you mailed the book. 

If the location says Ohio, honey, draw a line from Cincinnati all the way across the rest of the state and look down, we are part of Ohio and most of that is hill country. There is more of the state past that city heading east and then south. 

So, the tip?  It's patience, understanding and empathy.

Janette

Where in the world did all those A's come from?  I deleted them, hope they stay gone.

It's not just weather - certain times of year (i.e. the month of December) have higher mail volumes, and mail (especially media mail, because it's the lowest priority) moves slower than usual.

I don't assume that it's the sender's fault unless the postmark is much later than it should be.  I've had books that were mailed on time show up three months later!  I received a book mailed in July in November!

That is another situation I hadn't considered, but yes, holidays, no matter what beliefs, can cause delays.

My main thought is for newbies like me who are trying to absorb a lot of information and not think about such things as weather, especially if they come from a warm climate.

I ordered a book from someone who didn't think about snow and muddy water in front of the mail box due to melting; lived in a warm climate. 

I know that some of us from colder climates also need to think of those who live in tornado alley, or in tropical areas, there are so many reasons for why a person doesn't get a book sent out or received that I am always going to first consider weather, time of year, possible family situations, and others causes that I read here before I feel the sender didn't send the book, isn't responding to PMs and so think negatively about them.

Reading a lot of the discussion threads in several forums has helped me a lot in understanding the various aspects of PBS.

Janette

I had a member request a book from me, I sent it within 24 hours from request. About 3-1/2 weeks later, I started to get emails from the receiver saying "did you REALLY mail this book when you said you did? Are you sure!?!?!?". A few days later, the book went lost. He kept checking with his post office (it now was revealed that he was having delivery problems with his post office) and they said they did not have it. About a week later, he was at the post office about something else, and the clerk asked him if he wanted the package they had been holding for him for several weeks? You got it! The book I sent him! All's well that ends well, but please don't assume that a book was not sent because you don't get it within 2 weeks. As other posters have said, I have had books traveling 250 miles take 3 months to reach me and you know it has been sitting at the bottom of a mailbag somewhere along the line.

Where in the world did all those A's come from?  I deleted them, hope they stay gone.

It's not just your post ... I'm seeing them all over the place on PBS. Something's wonky.

The "A" problem has been pointed out to the PBS Team.  Hopefully whatever it is will be fixed soon. 

maybe it's their way of saying that eveyone is doing a great job of swapping books.

Janette

Weather is the one thing that affects absolutely everything no matter what it is or where it is.   I always check to see where my book is going or coming from.  It doesn't change the way I package the book, but it gives me an idea of what is going on in that area.

Ruth