This is great!  My daughter and are just love being able to get rid of some of our old books and getting new (to us) books just for the cost of shipping.  This is great!

And yet . . . while is was great fun at first, I'm getting worn out with trips to the p.o.  How do you organize your trips/time/et c.

My first step was to stop clicking on that darn "I can mail in 2 days" button!  Unless, of course, I already planned a trip to the post office; I will click then.

So, how do you manage your time?  I need some practical time saving tips!

God Bless, you guys!  You havent' let me down yet!

rebecca

I really can only get to the post office on Saturday mornings.  So if I get a request early in the week, I wait to accept until Saturday is in the mail time before I accept the request. 

Another option you might want to consider is buying postage from PBS and just mailing the books from your own mail box.  I haven't done this myself, but lots of people do and appear to like it. 

Yes, I also only make one trip a week to the PO. Unless I am mailing other things besides books.

When I get a book order after a trip to the PO, I pick the following Sunday as the mail date. (Might have to wait a day or 2 to accept, so that Sunday is one of the choices.) Any orders that come in after that but before Sunday, also get Sunday as the mailing date. I print the wrappers and wrap the books on Saturday night, mark them mailed, and then take them to the PO on Sunday. I mail using the APC machine, so no wait in line!

This works out well for me, so I only have to deal with wrapping and mailing once a week.

I went out and bought stamps.  Postcard (28 cents), dime and dollar.  

I have also located a post office with a 24 hour APC.  Right next to the grocery store.  Going in the early evening when it is empty?  Ahh.  I have a printed cheat sheet of the media mail rates in my car.  The APC boxes don't tell you the media rates in hope that you will buy the first class.

I live in an urban area, so there are many blue collection boxes around me.

I usually click on the "I can mail later" button and pick the latest day, even though I have never mailed on the last day. It's a good practice to give yourself some cushion room.

I wrap the book and use Paypal to buy postage. It's 19cents extra because all online postage must be purchased with eDC. However, I would consider using the PBS postage as well. I think it costs 27 extra on top of the 19 cents for eDC. (so 46 cents above going to PO to mail.).  If you use PBS DC you get credit assurance and the credit once you have marked it mailed.  If something has electronic postage on it, it can go in the blue USPS collection boxes even if it's over 13 oz (assuming it fits).

Good luck and welcome to PBS!

Most weeks I only go to the PO once.  (I will go twice sometimes if I have game books I wasn't finished with for the 1st trip).  So if an order comes in and I've just gone to the PO-I let it sit for a day or 2-to see if other orders come in or if I have a WL books I can post and get an order for and mail at the same time. 

And always, always choose the 5 day mailing option. 

And if time is an issue for you-there's printable postage.  you pay a small fee which really adds up if you use it all the time.  But it's really handy if you are just too busy to go to the post office.  I'm more inclined to use it on a bulk or audiobook order where more credits are at stake.  But if I have a 13oz book to mail and don't feel like going ot the PO for that one book-I'll use the printed postage. 

I also keep some varied denomination stamps on hand.  If I have an order for a smaller book come in and no other books to mail-I just put stamps on and stick it in my mail box.

I have also at times put my bookshelf on hold for awhile.  I had a lot of credits built up and just auto requested my WL and put my shelf on hold.   

I almost never go to the PO.  I use Paypal to print postage and drop stuff in a blue collection box.

I've become an expert at configuring packages so they'll fit thru the drop slot.  If I am offering good deals which will require boxes for the books, I make sure to let people know what day I'll be able to mail (usually Saturdays) and I make sure to accept the orders with that mail-by date.  My work schedule simply doesn't allow me to get to the PO the days I'm working.

Yes, as others have said, using online postage (PBS, PayPal, etc.) gives you many more options so you do not have to go to the post office. Once the package has postage you can put it in your mailbox or drop it off in a blue box.

You will need to get some form of scales to weigh the book(s). Either postal scales or simple kitchen scales will do, as long as they measure in 1 oz. increments. They can be ordered online or bought at many different stores (WM, Target, etc.). Anything that can weigh up to 5 lbs will work for most books unless you have to ship multiple heavy books.

Online postage is the key to simplifying your PBS life!

I go to the APC when it's convenient and buy the stamps ahead of time.  Then you can drop any weight book in the blue box (provided it fits through the slot) and not have to pay any extra fees.  Of course, your credit isn't guaranteed, but I've had so few books go lost it's not been a problem.

I LOVE the APC!