Earlier this month, I started tracking my spot in the WL queue line by using the tags.  There are many books where I've moved back in the queue - at least 5 of them - and one book I moved back 2 spots.  How can this happen?

I understand it could happen if someone in spot 1 ordered a book, then either the sender, or receiver, cancelled the transaction.  But how, on July 1, could I be 6 of 12 or whatever, and now be 8 of 15?  What is the length of time for cancellations to become effective?

Could it be that someone received a book that was damaged, so when they report it with a problem, they get their spot back in the queue?  This has *never* happened to me.  If the sender or I cancel a request, or I mark it as a problem, I go to the back of the line - even if I write in to say I really didn't get the book (water damaged, lost in the mail, etc.)

HELP! and TIA!

During the summer this can happen because a lot of people go on vacation and put their PBS account on Hold. When a person (let's say it is a woman) puts  their account on a Vacation Hold (and a book is not set to Auto- Request ) while she is removed from being offered a book, she keeps her spot on the wish list. she is just skipped over and the book is sent to the next person in line. When she comes back from a vacation hold then she is put back onto the list in the spot she was before. This means that you would be moved back on the list.

Now, If she had the book on an Auto Request then she would stay in the line and the book would automatically be shipped to her unless she is out of credits in which case you retain your spot but are passed over to the next peson with a credit.

To get placed back at #1 after a problem transaction, you need to contact the site owners using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page. It is not automatic, because many people are OK with reading the book they received or may have received the book from another source in the meantime (for example, if the book is PPB not HB but the recipient just wants to read the book or the person received another version of the book in between).

Another thing, this time of year many people put their accounts on hold when they're gone on vacation. When the account goes back off hold, the person "returns" to his place in line.

Hope this helps!

ETA: In a WL transaction you've ordered, if YOU cancel, you'll lose your place in line. You should always ask that the sender cancel so that you'll be returned to your spot in line.

Margaret - but why?  Just because someone is on vacation?  And why would I move back three weeks after I first recorded my place in the queue?

Sorry- only the first sentence of my answer posted the first time. My entire answer is up there now.

<<Another thing, this time of year many people put their accounts on hold when they're gone on vacation. When the account goes back off hold, the person "returns" to his place in line.>>

I thought if you put your account on vacation, that any auto-order, WL book will still be ordered, as long as you have enough credits.  I've put mine on vacation at least 4 times and I've still had books auto-sent to me.  I thought that was the whole reason for the auto-request/order - so that if an account was on vacation, you wouldn't lose your place in line. 

Some people do not want to auto request books while they are on vacation in case they decide to break down and purchase a book on vacation. Others just don't use auto request for one reason or another.

Also, if you want to send the book to a different address, the only way to do that with a WL book is to manually order it. Auto-request is not an option.

There are many people who do not use auto-request. In fact, the bulk of the members do not, judging by all the red W's on my TBR pile and the one lonely green Wa.

I agree Jane! It is very rare for me to receive an auto-request and  I personally don't use them very often.

Wow, I never realized that about no auto-requests.  The majority of mine are on auto.  The few that aren't are ones that I either don't want as much, or ones I may be able to find from a different venue.  But my WL is always at 200, and the majority are auto-request.  It's the same for me on SwapaCD and SwapaDVD.

The only time auto-request trips me up is when the sender gets to the request before I have a chance to "order more from member".  Sometimes I miss the opportunity for them to save credits by mailing me more than one book at a time.  Thankfully most members aren't so speedy.

JC

J.C.  Don't have any words for you, but love the K-State cat.  Pat

Thanks for the explanation - I noticed yesterday that I was #5 in line for one of my WL books, when I was at #2 when I first added it, and I was confused.

I had thought that people who had their account on vacation hold showed up on the WL page but not the book page, since so many books have more people on the WL than it shows on the book page (I can add a book that says it has 6 members wishing, and then find that I'm #11 in line). Now I'm guessing that those extra people are the ones on vacation hold who have the books on auto-request, while the ones who appear and push people further back on line are the ones who didn't have their books on auto-request while on vacation. Wow, this is complicated...

You're not the first one to wonder about this.  There's even a help doc about it!

Why did I move *backward* on my Wish List?