Would it take the USPS over two weeks to deliver a book to a town 26 miles away? 

I sent a WL book on 2/22 and it still has not been marked recieved by the requestor and I'm starting to get concerned.  Most of my other books were received within two weeks, so this just seems a little odd to me.  I know PBS typically gives a book 4 weeks before its considered lost, so I haven't PM'd the requestor yet to make sure she just didn't forget to mark it.  Should I PM her now or wait until the time has passed?  Has anyone experienced this kind of delay? 

I would NEVER PM a requestor until the book actually went lost.         You can't predict what the PO is going to do. 

I agree with Cozi - don't PM until it goes lost!  When I first joined PBS it seemed like it took forever for my books to get anywhere, even destinations close by.  The postal service is odd in that regard.

Since I've started using DC, it's been fun (in a tortured sort of way) to see the route that some of my books take.

Ok, I won't PM until it goes lost.  Its frustrating though, because I could have driven the book to her myself in less than an hour!  LOL!  Thanks for the input! 

It may also be sent to a regional processing center first, and who knows where that is.

I watch my DC scans sometimes and I've noticed that all of my packages go (from San Antonio) to Bell, CA, and then they are sent out from there. 

When I lived in DE I had a book from MD go lost.  And yeah, my thought was "I can get a book from the other side of the country no problem, but 50 miles away and it goes lost."

I'll take the contrary view and sugest PMing the recipient.  I sent a book a distance of not more than 15 miles and it was not received after 3 weeks. I sent a PM asking if the book had been received. It hadn't, but the recipient went to their post office. The book was being held for inspection. No explanation as to why it would take so long to inspect a book.

I seem to have problems on the other end.  I'm now on my third book requested & sent that has never arrived in my mailbox!  I seem to receive all other mail just fine, but I'm worred PBS is going to kick me out because I keep NOT receiving books!  I don't know what else to do.  After looking at the last post here, maybe I need to go to the post office and check whether they're holding my books hostage!  It's been over three weeks since I was supposed to receive the last one...

I sent a book from my town in NY to another town in NY 6 miles away. The book decided to take a vacation to Georgia first, so the PO wasted gas to send a book going 6 miles on a trip of over 1500 miles. Sometimes you never know what route a book will take.

I mailed my book from my local post on the saturday after good friday. 3/22. It took almost 3 weeks to go from NY to NJ. When the book was received and checked in, it was indicated that I mailed it late and the post mark was 4/4... which I did not, and I find it odd because I had the postmaster put a stamp WHICH WAS DATED 3/22. So how was it post marked 4/4?  I have never mailed a book late in the whole year and some month that I've been here.

Joanne its possible that somewhere on its journey your book was later postmarked with a stamp - this isn't necessary on books that have printed postage but some clerks will do it anyway. And then the receiver may have read and entered that date on the PBS survey rather than the date on the printed postage...

thanks Bren. It was driving me nuts because I always mail my books from the post office with the date stamp clearly on it, and I've never said I mailed a book when I didn't.

I mailed a book across town, under 15 miles, mentaly thinking I probably could have delivered it for less gas than the postage cost.  But the book still wasn't received weeks later.  My advisor advised a PM.  The receivee answered my PM that she had been really busy lately, yada, yada, but yes had received the book...but still didn't enter it into PBS as received.  So I wait another week, PM her again, and she finally enters the book as received.  I returned the book credit to her and now DC the books I send.

Frustrating, because I always try to mail promptly, and also log in recieved books immediately so the member has their credit.

Remember too, that sometimes a book is not marked received in a timely manner because the receiving member is out of town.

I would say that what happened with that book that was postmarked again is this.

It was missent to another office and they postmarked it and sent it back out.  We are suppose to postmark missent mail to help show that is was misdirected and delayed.  On letters we postmark the back.  Parcels a lot of time seem to get postmarked on the top (should not be on the stamps). 

I have PM people about books that I felt should be there (usually when I know I sent them first class).  Most times the person "forgot" to mark them received.  That bugs me that is part of the commitment here at PBS marking books mailed and received.  However, many people just print and mark them mailed regardless of when they actually mail it.