I have a question on it....if someone sends a book with it can they tell where the book is??? I keep getting letters from the club asking if I got my books..I have NO DOUBT the person mailed them shes really cool....but I haven't gotten them and we are VERY close to the gone lost date....with DC can she just click some numbers to see if its stuck in some post office midway????????????

Thanks ahead

On your "en route to me" tab, if the book was sent with PBS DC it will have a green check and you can click the "details" button to see where it was scanned last, but not an exact location.

Theoretically, yes, but, as I understand it, the scanning of the DC is manual, and there has been alot of discussions on the discussion boards of items never being scanned or being scanned as received on the day it is delivered, never being scanned when it is delivered, etc. The DC we use is nowhere near the exactness as the certified mail confirmation is and seems to be a colassal waste of time except you get your credit instantly. The DC we use seems to be as reliable as media mail is.

I agee with the above.   There isn't any way of really telling.  My PO clerk told me that first class isn't scanned until it is at it's final destination where media mail generally has to go to a way station and should be scanned at that point.  I haven't really tracked that information.  Maybe on my next couple of books I generally send a mixture of FC and Media Mail. 

The only other positive thing about DC is that the PO should be able to track a lost package easier than if it didn't have tracking....you would think.

Thanks...I know I got a letter from PBS saying I could try DC free but I don't have a printer..nor paypal....and reading what I had I think if I mailed something REALLY good I would use the postal tracking....just for tracking purposes....I did it once when I sent a box of like 8 books all new like bestsellers....it moved fast that way too :) Thanks all  :-)

Also, those letters you are getting questioning about your book arriving are automatically sent on specific number of days from when the book was marked mailed. No one is actually looking at the email, it is sent entirely automatically by the system. PMs are sent by the sender, but the emails you get in to your email address outside of PBS are sent by the system.

DC is Delivery Confirmation, and not intended as a tracking system....athough it frequently works well for that also.  The only guaranteed entry is the Delivery itself.  If you purchase postage at the USPS counter, they will scan the DC barcode as part of the transaction.  Otherwise it's hit or miss if or when your parcel is actually scanned...although this usually happens at the large sorting centers.  Watching the DC scans can be reassuring, informative, or an indicator of problems if the book isn't moving for weeks.  Just remember tho, multiple scans are not a sure thing and occassionally you will only see scans upon delivery.

USPS downloads around midnight, and PBS picks up the information and transfers credits afterwards.  I've hear rumors that the information available on USPS website is sometimes more informative.

Beware the little truck!  He's rarely accurate and best used for entertainment value.