Hi...I just received a book that had been on my wish list for awhile (I was the only one on the wishlist and there's no wishlist now) and when I received the book, it had highlighting in it.  The book could be considered a textbook, though I wasn't considering it as such.  It also wasn't quite what I was hoping it would be and would re-post it if it didn't have highlighting.  I guess it could be used as a textbook, and if so, I can repost it and just PM a requestor to let them know it has highlighting, so it's not completely unpostable.  My question is:  Would you mark received with a problem if this was one of the sender's first swaps (joined in August 2008).  Thanks!

The "could be considered a text book" is a sticky point, I think. According to the guidelines, if it is a text/work book, the sender is required to PM you with the condition and you must agree to it. I just don't know the best way to determine if it actually is a text book or not. Could you post a link to the book in question?

My sons are in college right now - and they are given the oddest books sometimes for textbooks.  My one son majors in Economics and there are a lot of currently popular books that they're using in his classes.   So you might want to ask around.  But the sender is supposed to PM you about the condition.

Ruth

I just had a RWAP on what I can only assume was one of the member's first swaps (joined in late August).  I felt a little bad, but there were three pages with obvious brown liquid-type stains on them (looked like coffee or soda).  The new member emailed me back and said she was sorry and refunded my credit.  I think it's better that new members know from the "get-go" what the expectaions are at PBS rather than being allowed to swap an unpostable book just because they are new. 

If it was a first trade, I would consider it a "training moment" and share tips and information about why that was not acceptable, but done in the spirit of helping them and would not mark it as a problem. I know I was PBS newbie once and I remember some kind people helping me learn how to use the Book Bazaar.  I remember how horrified I was at cluttering up the Bazaar with multiple posts about different books right at first :  ).

Hopefully the newbie will take the instruction and become a valid contributor to the greater good of PBS, but there is always a chance of a backfire.  But... such is life, huh?

My thought is either it is RWAP, or it isn't. I am not sure what "first swap" has to do with it. If it is RWAP, mark it that way. Even if it IS a new member, one RWAP isn't going to remove them from the site, but it could help train/educate them.

I would send a nice email to the new member letting explaining that I was disappointed to find highlighting in the book and would have liked to be notified about that while the transaction could still be cancelled --but that I saw they're a new member so I am not asking for my credit back

I would send them a PM asking them to read the help section about postable books and probably send them the part about highlighting and contacting the member before mailing. Then I would wait to see what type of response I get before marking it at all. I'm not saying I wouldn't mark it received but if I did get my credit back, I would give them the benefit of the doubt and not mark RWAP if they were new. JMO

I would mark it as RWAP, however I would not ask for my credit back if it was a new member and as Lita said, would use it as a 'teaching moment.' In fact, I have done this a couple of times in the past. Copy and paste the relevant info from the help docs and then encourage them to read all the basic information about PBS and what's postable and what's not.

One time when I did this, the member sent me a credit back a couple of months later when she had some to spare and thanked me for being so nice when she was new. That was unexpected and totally unnecessary, but I tend to look at it as 'book karma.' :)

Cheryl

Marking an unpostable book isn't really optional -- it is your civic PBS duty.  Asking for your credit back is optional, and up to you.  Mark it RWP (you don't know if this is their first swap) and, as others have said, take the opportunity to politely point out the rules.  If they're sending out a whole bunch of problem books on their early swaps, those RWPs will flag them so the PBS folks can investigate.

Cheers,
Catt