In the book bazaar there are always deals , like 3/2 or 5/2, etc.I usually see where you order the books and then pm and post for the additional ones. What happens if those additional ones aren't sent? For me, I wouldn't have ordered the books if the deal wasn't in place. However, if the ordered books are sent and not the additional there is nothing you can do right?  I have noticed with one offer that even a couple of days after the pm and post of the additional books, that they aren't removed from the bookshelf so someone else can order them. It seems to me like that would nullify the deal? Could you receive your credits back if this happens?

Thanks!

Michele I've made many, many deals over the years and I think I only had one problem where books were not sent. Then when I let them know I was expecting them, they said they never bothered checking their deal thread and went ahead and sent them in a separate package. (I may have forgot to send a PM to them.) There was also one time where the freebies came stained. HOWEVER that's only 1 bad deal in a lot of trades.

No, there really isn't a way to punish someone for not sending freebies. It's just highly unlikely that that will happen. To protect yourself, I would just stay away from "Too good to be true" deals involving very large quantities or anything that might go outside the PBS rules. When in doubt, just ask the Book Bazaar forum leaders.

Many of the old, less popular books just are not worth a credit these days. 3/1 or 5/2 are ways to trade books that have a lesser value. It's also a way for members to trade more and save on shipping costs. It's a Win/Win.

 As for books not being removed immediately from a shelf. Well I've done that. I'm really not worried about books that have been sitting on my shelf for a year or more-they won't get ordered. I'll get around to removing them after I've taken care of getting all my books in the mail. And there were a few times where I just forgot and a few times where my computer went wonky during the removal and they show up later un-removed. No problem. You just cancel the order or remove the book at that time.
 

It's also possible that the person offering the deal is still in the PMing process with the requester who posted in the thread and doesn't want to remove those heavily posted books and lose their place in line. 

I ran a deal offer a few times when I first joined and quickly decided it was not worth the effort.  So many times people would make an unclear post or PM and then disappear. Or post in the thread but then not order the ones from my shelf they said they would. Or 2 people post right around the same time asking for the same books and then disappear. 

Hi Michele, I've never run into a problem, but it sounds like you had one of those "rare instances".

One way to safeguard yourself is to PM about the deal before ordering the books from the shelf.  When you get the response, order the others.  That way you at least know the person has confirmed the deal.

"What happens if those additional ones aren't sent? For me, I wouldn't have ordered the books if the deal wasn't in place."  Are you sure your ordered the original book (and deal)  from the right person and not the FIFO line? 

Deals are really outside the rules of PBS. The site allows them, but they don't oversee them beyond the normal punishments of "the exact books that you order must be postable". Other arrangements that are made regarding free books, etc, are outside the rules. There is not much recourse if the sender won't work with you.

Having said that, I've both ordered deals from other members, and offered multiple deals myself, and most have gone perfectly fine. There was one deal where I got very questionably postable books, but that was a long while ago.

If you do have a deal gone bad, one thing you can do is use the Contact Link below and at least make a complaint about the other member. PBS doesn't get involved in "he said, she said" disputes but they can at least check and see if the member has had other members complain about bad deals, etc. And, if they find that to be the case, I am sure they would do something about it, even if it's just to make a formal warning to the other member ... but it still might not result in the complaining member getting all their credits back.

You have to decide how much risk you are willing to take when you make a deal. Most go just fine, but in the rare event where something goes bad, you may lose out. For myself, I've decided that the benefits are worth the risk, so I generally will take a deal if someone's books intrigue me enough to order more than 1.

There also maybe times when you don't see deal books removed from the shelf because the person may have multiple copies of that book (which is probably one of the reasons they offered them on a deal).  e.g. I have a lot of friends, coworkers and family who give me books to swap so I have ended up with a number of multiple copies of the same book.

Also if I get a deal I don't expect all the books to be in like new or very good condition.  I don't look it as someone giving me additional books to post so I can get more credits, I look at them as a deal on books I want to read.  Deals are often made, as mentioned above, on older books that haven't moved individually.

I have had excellent experiences both with the deals I've offered and the ones I've received.

Make sure you ordered from the person who actually offered the deal.  In the Bazaar, it is quite easy to accidentally from the FIFO system rather than a person's bookshelf.  For example, you click on the person's Bookshelf button and see a book you want.  If you then  click on the book link to read the book description and press the "Order" button from there, you are no longer in the person's bookshelf; instead, you are ordering from another member through FIFO. 

To check this, go to your account (or transaction) page and press the PM button on the book you ordered.  See if the name is the same one that offered the deal in the Bazaar.  If it is, then send a PM asking what happened to the freebies.  If it is not, then chalk it up to experience that you didn't order from the person who offered the deal.
 

To add to what Debbie said above, another thing that can happen: you order from the member's shelf, but s/he cancels, and your order is then sent out to the general membership.  You can click on the PM button to check the name right after you order, and then watch to see if your request date changes.  If it does, click the PM button again -- your order has been forwarded to a new sender.