Hi, I'm new and I've been reading the discussion boards to try to get a better understaning of this "club" but I'm still a little lost. If someone could give me a brief run-down I would appreciate it! What is FIFO and RC?? I keep seeing those accronyms used and don't know what they mean. Any other rules, advice or tips you can give would be appreciated! I'm an avid reader and just joined so I could keep my bookshelves stocked with different books but now I'm starting to think this place might be more serious then I thought....thanks!!

Welcome to Paperback Swap, Michelle!  I'm pretty new here myself, but I love it!

FIFO stands for "First in, first out," and basically means that the first book posted will be the first to be requested.  For instance, if I post a copy of Pride and Prejudice and there are 43 copies already in the system, my book will only be requested once those 43 copies have been requested.  The exception to this is if a member makes a request for your book by visiting your bookshelf (in this case she or he is requesting your copy, not any copy).

RC is "Requestor's Conditions," which are special conditions that a member may have for the books they receive.  For example, some people have allergies to cats, and their RC may say "I will only accept books that have not been around cats."

You might want to check out this thread on tips for new members: http://www.paperbackswap.com/forum/topic.php?t=8394

Hi and welcome, Michelle!

FIFO = first in, first out- how the PBS posting system works.  When you post a book it goes to the end of the line.  When you are #1 in line, you send your book.

RC= requestor conditions- conditions put on books by requestors like "no books from smoking homes".

Basically, you post books and send them out when they are ordered.  All sending info is on your account page.  Please go ahead and click on everything on your account page and get familiar with it. 

When you have credits you can order books that are available.  If a book you search for does not have an Order button, put it on your Wishlist to get in line for it.  When you get to #1 in line, you get first dibs at the next posted ISBN of the book.

thanks! How do I know what "number" my book is when I post it?

Welcome, to your new addiction, Michelle!
You can't tell exactly where you are in FIFO (though, allegedly, you may be able to in the future).  You can add books to your reminder list before you post them to your bookshelf, and the RL will tell you how many copies are in the system at the time that you post your book.  The information that you won't have, though, is how quickly those books are being requested.  For example, I have several books on my shelf that are one of less than 10 in the system, and they have yet to be requested.  However, I've had others that were one of 100s, and some were requested within days.  Don't forget that people can also choose to order off of your shelf directly.

Welcome Michelle!  You will be an old pro in no time at all!

If you want to know how many copies of a book are in the system, add the book to your Reminder List.  The Reminder List shows the number of copies available, but after you've posted a book, there's no way of knowing how fast you are moving up the list. 

Be sure to check out  the Help docs -- there is a lot of information there!

Michelle,

Welcome! You will enjoy PBS and learn a lot from the forums.

A few acronyms:

PBS - PaperBackSwap
RWAP - Received With a Problem
TBTB - The Powers That Be
TG - Tour Guide
RC - Requestor Conditions
TBR - To Be Read
WL - Wish List
FIFO - First In First Out
ARC - Advanced Reader Copy
BOB - Box of Books
BCE - Book Club Edition
UBS - Used Book Store

Link to a more detailed copy of acronyms: http://www.paperbackswap.com/help/search.php?terms=glossary

Blessings,
Christina

Welcome Michelle, looks like they've got your questions covered!!

Hey, Michelle!

Another thing you'll want to do if you haven't yet is to make yourself familiar with the Guidelines for book swaps. The main document is here.

http://www.paperbackswap.com/help/search.php?terms=guidelines

It describes the condition the books must meet before you can swap them. To avoid problems later, you want to make sure your books aren't too torn up, marked up, stained or liquid damage in any way or it will cause a problem. Books must meet a certain standard before you can list then on your shelf. If you have any questions, you should get a lot of help on the forums.

It also helps to know when you need to mark a book you get RWAP. (Received with a Problem) and whether it should be marked "Damaged by Sender" (where the sender did something wrong, and sent you a book they shouldn't have) or "Damaged by Post Office". In the first instance you can then ask for your credit back when filling out the form. It's up to the sender to decide to give it back or not. Either way, you can then mark the transaction "Resolved" or "UnResolved". People accumlate bad marks if they send out too many RWAP books, or don't resolve complaints.  If the book was damaged by the P.O. it's good to let the site know the details so they can keep track of what may be problem routes. But since it wasn't damaged caused by the sender, the receiver isn't due a credit back on those.

There's more info on RWAP here...

http://www.paperbackswap.com/help/search.php?terms=Received+with+a+problem

It's good to have the book condition info in mind when sending or receiving. That way the site can help keep down the number of bad books that get sent out, disapointing people on the other end.

Christina, I've been here for a while & never realized there is a glossary of terms.  Thanks for the info!

I've only been a member of this sight since September but I am loving it and you will too!  I'm like Sheena I didn't know there was a glossary of terms.  I learned something new!

And I want to add, HATS OFF to all new members who take the time to cruise the forums to learn. So many people don't take the time, and then wonder why they are having/causing problem transactions! I've been here for 2-1/2 years and I am still learning new things, compliments of the postings on the Forums.