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Topic: Members posting PDF books?

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Subject: Members posting PDF books?
Date Posted: 1/20/2015 1:29 AM ET
Member Since: 9/2/2012
Posts: 151
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Last Edited on: 7/8/23 6:54 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
sarap avatar
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Date Posted: 1/20/2015 1:57 AM ET
Member Since: 1/17/2009
Posts: 12,214
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It is against the rules.

Any type of e-book is not traded here. (or printouts of PDF books, either).

It's got a short ISBN, which means the member posted their unique copy.

Go ahead and report them. Use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page.

fangrrl avatar
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Date Posted: 1/20/2015 2:21 AM ET
Member Since: 12/28/2006
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Does not meet PBS criteria for postability.

If it's a print copy of an e-book, it's also probably considered a pirated copy (illegal) as the ownership laws are different for e-books.  Basically the original purchaser can use the book and they may not be legally traded, swapped, sold or given away.
 

BookLynx avatar
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Date Posted: 1/20/2015 2:27 AM ET
Member Since: 8/20/2007
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I just checked the PBS listing for ISBN 455274. The book type is listed as "Paperback"  and the listing currently has no description for the book. Just below the author's name on the book details page, however, it says "pdf". I don't recall that I've seen that before on other listings.



Last Edited on: 1/20/15 2:35 AM ET - Total times edited: 2
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Date Posted: 1/20/2015 6:50 AM ET
Member Since: 4/6/2007
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Last Edited on: 7/26/15 9:15 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
Patouie avatar
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Date Posted: 1/21/2015 5:19 PM ET
Member Since: 8/26/2006
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To report it, go down to the bottom right corner of any page.  Under "company" click on "contact us" and use the Feedback option there.

daisymau avatar
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Date Posted: 1/21/2015 6:06 PM ET
Member Since: 10/24/2008
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I ordered the "book" and the member sent me a message telling me that it was PDF format and they would send it to me for a credit. I told them they weren't allowed to be traded here. I then sent a message through the contact us. I went to the member's profile and it states that the account is currently suspended or closed.

IlliniAlum83 avatar
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Date Posted: 1/21/2015 8:21 PM ET
Member Since: 4/28/2009
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Thanks, Amber for your due diligence to weed out these 'bad' members!

ainaedainme avatar
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Date Posted: 2/10/2015 6:47 PM ET
Member Since: 9/28/2010
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Now that this is resolved and the member has been suspended, what will it take to have the listing removed from the database? Someone else has already clicked to wishlist it, probably not realizing that it is a bunk listing. Seems like it would serve best to delete it. Personally, I think PBS should delete all member created items after they are requested and sent. It is unlikely that someone else will have use for it, as the users all make new postings, and you end up with 15 individual member listings for a certain non-ISBN book title that all have no book to request just clogging up the system..

classicana avatar
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Date Posted: 2/10/2015 7:25 PM ET
Member Since: 2/12/2006
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All non-ISBN listings used to be frozen after the initial item posted was gone (removed or swapped), but it seems that subsequent system changes, etc., allowed them to be re-used, although they are NOT supposed to be.  PBS usually does remove these when we bring them to their attention.  I can only figure that they are so busy right now it either was added to someone's 'to-do' list or it slipped through the cracks.  I've tagged it for a month from now when (hopefully) the Team will be back to routine.  If it's still there, I'll send a request to remove...



Last Edited on: 2/10/15 7:25 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
fangrrl avatar
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Date Posted: 2/11/2015 4:41 AM ET
Member Since: 12/28/2006
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Actually Josephine, TPTB rarely delete a listing.  Maybe if there's an actual problem, such as calendars or other such items with ISBN that migrated into the data base.  At one time I knew of a number of invalid short ISBN's that were allowed to remain in the system, like somebody created them before the book was even released as a reminder to wishlist when it became available (?)  A strange thing that happened for awhile and created a number of invalid short ISBN's with long wishlists.

Short ISBN's are not deleted because the receiving member may use the listing again to post the book back into the system when they are finished...technically, this is the only time members should re-use a short ISBN.

Generic Profile avatar
Date Posted: 2/11/2015 9:46 AM ET
Member Since: 11/14/2010
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But of course people who don't know better sometimes wishlist short ISBNs, because they look just like regular book listings.

Perhaps if people were blocked from adding short ISBNs to their wishlists, it would make sense to keep them.

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Date Posted: 2/11/2015 9:56 AM ET
Member Since: 2/13/2009
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On the other hand, I read a lot of books by Guideposts, which do not have ISBNs.  I add them to my wishlist to let people know that these books are wanted.

ainaedainme avatar
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Date Posted: 2/11/2015 3:31 PM ET
Member Since: 9/28/2010
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The point I was making is that there are, in some cases, SEVERAL listings of short ISBNs for the same book, probably with all of the same details, because PBS does not have an actual ISBN on file. So you can search a book and find 1 listing for an updated copy with an actual ISBN and 15 listings made by people who have the same edition published before 1965 with no ISBN. I'm not going to wishlist all 15 in hopes that someone reposts theirs. There needs to be a way to consolidate the empty short ISBN listings if they are not removed.