Hi,

I ordered a book that I need for a college class this Fall. I said in my RC that because of this, I don't mind highlighting or writing, but I do want the book to be postable otherwise. I got the book today and noticed these tears on the back cover.

http://i55.tinypic.com/15ebsid.jpg

 http://i51.tinypic.com/wspl5s.jpg

I read the Help Doc's and read that a book cannot be chewed up, but I'm not sure if this is that kind of damage. What do you think?

Looks both chewed and a tear of more than 1 inch to me.  So, if I were holding the book and it looks the way I think it does in the picture, I'd RWAP.

But . . even with pictures it's hard to make that decision for you.  The person holding the book is the one who needs to evaluate it and that's you. 

Doesn't looked chewed to me, looked cut out as I don't see teethmarks but smooth edges. (Could be that they cut out chews to make them clean lines, but can't tell from the pics if there are chew marks on the book).

 It does look like they may be more than 1" long and no cover tears can be more than 1" inch long. Measure the marks and if any are over 1, then mark it as RWAP.

It could fall into the overall "not in good condition" when you figure the sum total of the damage, but that is a hard one to argue. You will need to make that decision. Usually if I can't point to a rule and say - that one was broken, then I just lump it and retire the book myself.

Looks like a little mousy had lunch to me.... at least the one in the middle of the page and the second picture.  If I was using it as a a textbook, I might not RWAP it, but if it was a regular book, I probably would.

Definite RWAP

http://www.paperbackswap.com/help/help_item.php?id=205

Cover not torn or chewed/gnawed

• some used book stores cut out a small part of the cover; if the amount missing is less than 1 square inch, this is OKAY
• a small rip (less than 1 inch) in the cover is OKAY
• yes, that does say "chewed/gnawed" above.  That means no pet-chewed (or human-chewed) books.

It looks like mice or rats chewed on it.  RWaP.

 I agree, looks chewed and even if it is not it looks larger than an inch so I would RWAP and site both posting requirments.

I did mark it RWAP, as the damage is from being chewed/gnawed. However, the sender is being very adamant that she did nothing wrong.

First, she says that I should send her the book back. I tell her that I will if she compensates for postage. Her reply: " I would do this if I believed there were a problem with the book I sent. I know that there was wear to the covers, but nothing that interfered with readability as you claim. Therefore, I do not want to refund the credit until I receive the book. As the sender, it is up to me to determine whether or not I feel the credit should be refunded. At this point, I don't. If you would like your credit refunded, please return my book at *your* expense so that I may send it out to another."  

So I message her back, referencing the help doc's again as to WHY the book is unpostable--the gnawed/chewed damage.  Her response: "You are correct that I knew there was wear to the outside cover of this book. I did, however, follow the rules of the club and made sure that there was not "excessive" wear (as the rules state). This site is for used books. Members are not to expect pristine books when using this site. As I've stated before, the book I sent met the rules of this site. If you feel the damage is "excessive," please send me photos of the pages that you think are "excessively" damaged.

It seems that the "damage" you have reported is minimal and does not interfere with your ability to read the book. So, yes, I do think that "readable" and "postable" go together. After reading through all of the rules (again) for posting a book, I stand by my claim that there is not anything about the book I sent that would make it unpostable. The wear to the cover was normal wear and tear. There was nothing wrong with binding. There was no water damage. All print on each page is clearly readable. It is a used book, but it is a used book in good condition (which is what the site calls for).

I have followed the rules on this site and am continuing to follow the rules. I would appreciate it if you would do the same."

At this point, I understand that I'm fighting a losing battle. No matter how many times I tell her that the book has been chewed, she is going to say that the book is postable as long as it is readable. However, I'm confused as to what step I should take next--do I mark it as resolved, unresolved, or do I need to use the Contact Us page?

Unresolved. The book is chewed. Not postable. If she wants to talk circles around you, maybe just point out the "no chewed pages" clause one more time, add that you will mark the transaction as "unresolved" if a credit is not returned in XXX amount of time, and please do not PM you about it again.

Sometimes it's better to just give up in the communication department with certain people. She is not going to admit fault and that's her perogative. Yours is the ability to slap a big red flag on her account in the event that she makes this a habit.

It seems that the "damage" you have reported is minimal and does not interfere with your ability to read the book.

Remind him/her that the rules have nothing to do with readability -- they go above and beyond it.  Shame on this user for using that tired excuse.