I requested a book on the 1st.  I thought it was 4 days to mail?  This is what I see when I look at the transaction:

If I remember right - they have 5 days to accept it; 5 days to mail it and then there's a 2 day grace period, so it's really a total of 12 days from the day the book is requested until it has to be mailed. I'm sure if this is wrong someone will correct it. Pat

Nothing changed.  It has always been 5 days to a accept and another five days to mail.

The fact that some members actually take that long to mail a book ruins my enjoyment of the club. I hate it.

The fact that some members actually take that long to mail a book ruins my enjoyment of the club. I hate it.

Unless you are pacing the floor waiting for that book to arrive, so you can read it, I don't see it as a problem. There are many reasons for this allowable delay. Some being:

Not everyone has door-to-door delivery and pickup from the PO.  This gives people a chance to remain active members without having to rush out to mail a book. In fact, some members have differing degrees of physical handicaps which limit their ability to make immediate mailings.

Giving people five days before mailing books, both before and after they accept the request, gives the requestor time to view the member's Bookshelf to see if there are other titles they might want. If they do request additional books, this means the "shipping cost" of each book the members sends out is lowered, immediately by 50%, even if it is just one additional book. Plus, some exceptional members allow a requestor to order another book for free! What a deal. All this takes time for PMs to go back and forth. Such could not occur if members needed to ship within a day or two.

I'm sure there are other reasons too.

But, if someone can think of good reasons why some members intend to ship the book, but wait five days before acknowledging they will do so, then wait another five days before shipping, I'd like to know. I can wait, but I'd like to know my request is accepted, especially since I have a RC.

One reason I believe this happens is because, unlike some of us, and that definitely includes me, a number of members do not log into the site every day to acknowledge the request, even though they receive an e-mail telling them a book was requested.

I just thought of another reason for this delay.... Sometimes I get a request for a book and it actually takes me two or three days to find it. And there have been times I finally remember I donated it to a thrift store and forgot to take it off my Bookshelf.

Fortunately, for me, I have over 1,430 other books on my TBR list awaiting their turn. So I'm not jumping up and down wondering what's happening to the main character in a series when another member doesn't ship the same day I request a book.

Sometimes it is best to remember a quote from the movie High Road to China...... "The ox is slow, but the Earth is patient."

God, but I love that quote!

Sometimes the weather plays a factor also.

I don't mind the wait..personally none of that bothers me except waiting for a long time for a credit. I think the PBS email reminders before a book goes lost is what triggers them to mark received.

Thank you, Pat and Deborah.  I guess I've never paid attention to the way it shows up.  Now I'll know.  :) 

But, if someone can think of good reasons why some members intend to ship the book, but wait five days before acknowledging they will do so, then wait another five days before shipping, I'd like to know. I can wait, but I'd like to know my request is accepted, especially since I have a RC.

I travel for work during the week frequently. So, sometimes I wait to accept a book request until I know I will be home to mail it.

Also, I mail once per week, tops. So, I also wait to accept a book request until I can mail it out while I am mailing out other books and combining post office trips with my other errands.

For example, It is not uncommon for me to be planning a week in advance, what day I will go to the post office.

I can't mail from my house, in my neighborhood we have those neighborhood delivery boxes and there is no outgoing package box.

If I know that I can't mail for some reason I will reject the request right away, but waiting to accept it gives me more time, which I use when I need to.

I don't know ... I am always thrilled when I get a WL offer for example, I might have been waiting 1 or 2 YEARS for the book, it's hardly gonna kill me if they take 12 days to mail it out.

Other than that, if I really need a book by a certain day that is coming up fast, then I just order it from the bookstore, as I know perfectly well that people here may mail it out fast but on the other hand ... maybe not.