So I had this little Penguin paperback, all of 60-some-odd pages long - the ISBN and page count were in the system, so I posted it. Who knows, maybe someone is collecting them (there are a bunch) and would want it. They are inexpensive little books - this one retails for just under a dollar.

Anyway, someone claimed it, I mailed it, and now they're complaining because the book isn't "worth the credit". The book is in perfect condition; in no way did I misrepresent the book (I didn't create the listing in PBS - it was already there), they just want their credit back because the book is too "cheap".

I've already offered to refund the credit when I get the book back (in this case I feel I'm justified in expecting the book back, because there is absolutely nothing wrong with it), but I'm just wondering - is there a "minimum value" on the books that can be posted? Or is it the responsibility of the person requesting the book to make sure that it's something they feel is worth spending a credit on?

There is no "minimum value" on books here -- everything is worth 1 credit (audiobooks are worth 2). Plain and simple. It's the requestor's responsibility to know what they're requesting.

I certainly wouldn't give the credit back.  If you want the book back you have to pay them to send it back.

If there were a minimum value on a book then some of the HB's or trade paperbacks are worth more.  If we use the mmpb as the "standard" at roughly $8 for a new book.  A HB can be between $18 and $24 and I'm talking the "normal" pricing.  I know there are bargins and there are some that are more costly.  I'm talking average here.

As far as I'm concerned if someone requests a book from me they better know what they're requesting.  The number of pages in a book isn't a secret.  Check out the book you're ordering if you're not familiar with the author or the series.  Whoops, caught me in a small rant there.  I had a bad experience with someone ordering the wrong book and accusing me of sending the wrong book.

I checked the Help Docs and couldn't find anything on the value.  I guess you can say a book is worth a credit and an audio book two credits.  That's the value of the book here on PBS. 

The PBS cutoff for a "booklet" is 50 pages or less. These can be posted only if they have an ISBN and only if the listing specifies how many pages there actually are. If your book had more than 50 pages then it can be posted in the manner of any other title.

Since you sent a postable book with the correct ISBN then you should not return the credit. The sender should look more closely at what he or she is ordering.

If one were to say that a book is 'not worth the credit' due to the number of pages it has/doesn't have, what about children's books?  Many certainly don't contain many pages, and yet we'll pay a credit for those? 

I'd say you don't owe her anything, and like others have said, if you want the book back it's going to cost you another credit.  Good luck.  Pat

Well, they've offered to return the book to me, and I've offered to restore the credit when I get the book so we're okay on that account. I was just curious about the whole "value" thing. Thanks for the input!

You're nicer about it than I am.  I would have told the other person that they need to repost the book to recoup their credit if they don't like it.  As long as you posted the right ISBN and met the other book posting guidelines, you didn't do anything wrong.

I've ordered a few books I didn't realize were so short before.  I didn't complain, the information was right there for me to see if I had looked.  I reposted the books after I read them without any note at all to the person that sent the book to me.  It wasn't their responsibility to make sure I knew what I was requesting, it's mine.

I had someone RWP me because they thought they had ordered an audiobook when they had in fact ordered a hardcover.  I did not refund their credit and eventually convinced them to correct the RWP.  The listing clearly said Hardcover and I was only given 1 credit.

I would send them a PM with the book pages rule copy/pasted into it.  If they don't correct the RWP-don't worry.  It won't go against you because PBS can see that the book was posted properly.

Personally in this case if she wants the book back to return the credit since the OP did nothing wrong I do not feel she would have to pay for the return postage.  She doesn't have to return the credit since it is NOT a RWAP, it was requestor error so, they are the one that should bear the burden of the cost.

I would not accept the book back nor return the credit...she ordered it and ought to know what she ordered...jeeze

Wow, this isn't Walmart and PBS has a 'buyers remorse' period already built into the system...tacky request from a uninformed member.

The whole point of PBS is to trade one credit for one book.  It doesn't matter how much it's "worth".  That's up to the person who wants it.  PBS has defined what is permissable to post.  I've ordered a "booklet" before, and it was ordered from me later.  I put in the review what the booklet was.

Ruth

You are being very nice and know the circumstances better than we do...I might do the same if the member was new.   I would let them know "kindly"  that  in the future they can see how many pages a book has before requesting so they do not find themselves in the same circumstance.  The book met  PBS guidelines for posting it was no fault of yours that they requested a book that was a short story and you are under no obligation to return the credit.  However in the good spirit you are working them to resolve their unhappiness. 

Wendy, I like others, commend your attitude concerning this. I would have flat refused to make any exchanges. You are still out the cost of mailing the book in the first place, so it's really not even up, even if she pays to return them book to get her credit back, and she's out the expense of mailing it back, just to get her credit back. Leaving it alone would have been a better wash in my opinion, but as long as you are both happy, that's all that matters.

The other thing to make sure is that if she marked this "Received with a Problem" (RWAP) then you need to ask her as final compensation to click that and check "Marked RWAP by Mistake" Otherwise you are still left with a mark on your account for doing nothing wrong. I'm sure I would also tell her that in the future, she needs to read and research the information if it's not on PBS before she blindly orders a book by its title. In the end of most transactions in the real world, it is up to the buyer to beware, and make sure they know what they are getting. For her to complain that the book isn't worth it after she gets it is nonsense when she had ample ability on the Internet (even if it wasn't listed on PBS) to find out the number of pages and size of the book. I do it all the time for the database, so I know :)

Blessings to you for turning your first bad experience into a good one. You will make a great trader here on PBS and a great asset for us to have.

Yeah, that's pretty lame.  People should know what they're ordering--I've ordered kids' books that aren't worth a whole lot, and I've also ordered fancy hardcovers that are.  It all evens out in the wash.

I think the cheapest book I posted was a childrens' book I got at Target on the $1 rack.  It was a cute book on how to convince a toddler to give up a pacifier, and it got swooped up pretty fast.  : )  Sometimes value goes beyond the price tag, ya know?

IIRC, someone posted a question a while back asking if books that were clearly marked as "free gifts" were postable, and it was determined that so long as they were not ARCs, they are indeed postable.  I have one on my shelf, where on the cover it says "free", but it's a regular size MMPB.  If swapability (is that a word?) was based on value, then these MMPBs wouldn't be postable, but they are.