I believe a person wrongfully complained about a book I sent. It was purchased new and read only by me. The person said the spine was broken and pages were falling out. It was in pristine condition when mailed in a padded mailer. Has anyone else had this happen? I have never received books in bad condition, once got a fabric softener smelly one, but, no problems. Seems odd to me.

You can ask for photos if you're questioning the validity of the claim.  Doesn't mean they're obligated to provide them.  But if you know that the book was in good condition when you mailed it, you're not obligated to return the credit. 

Books are more likely to be damaged if they are loose in an envelope. A too large padded envelope could be the cause. The sorting machines love eating the extra corner space.  In addition, cold weather can damage the glue of the spine, making it more brittle. 

That said, any refund is up to you. Books that are considered damaged by the post office are not expected to have a refund. 

Also, the bitter temperatures that several areas of the country are experiencing play havoc on the glue used in binding.  Just a short period in very low temperatures will make the glue very brittle.  Add one grumpy sorting machine and you end up with a broken spine and loose pages.

Yup what Mary describes happened to me once.  The book looked great when I opened the package, and the binding literally *Snapped* when I opened the book.  I heard it and felt it snap.  (I didn't RWAP the book.)  Ever since then, I've waited to open cold books until they've been inside for at least several hours.

There is an additional scenario that could happen.

Perhaps the receiver ordered the book, and someone before you mailed it without marking the book mailed. The request gets automatically passed on to the next sender, you, and you mail the book as well. The receiver received copy #1, but when they log into PBS, they only see your transaction with them, as the first one was cancelled. They believe that the book they received is from you. (This has happened before).

So, one thing to check is that the book they received is actually the one that you mailed to them (packaging the same, or check return address, or receiver checks to see if they have a cancelled transaction in their Transaction Archive, etc).

This is not likely on a Wish Listed book, of course, but on a book ordered FIFO with multiple copies in the system ... it's been known to happen.

I just received one where the member pm'd me first, asking if a "dog ear" on the cover was ok. Which it is, but when I received the book, not only is it dog eared, the book is yellowed with age. I marked the item as in good condition before I realized it was yellowed. So I might remove off my list to swap, unless another member doesn't mind it's condition.

not only is it dog eared, the book is yellowed with age.

Both of the items you listed above (dog ears & yellowing) are permissible according to the swapping guidelines.  If you don't want dog ears or yellowing then it is up to you to set up Requestor Conditions to keep from receiving these books.

All of the information below apply both to swapping for credits and Box-O-Books swapping.

General remarks:

• This is a used-book swapping site; books are not expected to be in like-new condition.
  • Older books may have some page yellowing or spine-creasing or dogeared pages; these are all OKAY.
  • Decirculated library books may have various markings and/or stamps inside or outside or on the page edges of the book; this is OKAY.  These may not obscure text.
  • BookCrossing books may have stickers or stamps or markings on the outside or inside covers or page edges of the book; this is OKAY. These may not obscure text.
  • Hardbacks do NOT have to include their dustjackets.
  • Audiobooks MUST be the original cassettes/CDs, but do NOT have to include the outer "box" that held the set.
  • Audiobooks must be playable and have all the CDs/cassettes.
  • Books that require batteries to work do NOT have to have working batteries.
  • "Playaway" books must include working headphones.
  • Since this is a used-book swap, members should not expect to receive non-Media items with the books.
  • There is an exception to general condition guidelines for textbooks; see below.
  • There is an exception to general condition guidelines for cookbooks; see below.
  • There is an exception to general condition guidelines for travel guides; see below.

• We do NOT have a place for members to describe the condition of a particular copy of a book.
  • ALL books on PBS are expected to be in "good, not excessively worn" condition
    • note the specific cases for textbooks and cookbooks  and travel guides.
  • Books are requested in FIFO (first-in, first-out) order
• If you would like your books to be in "better-than-PBS" condition :
  • You are responsible for setting Requestor Conditions on your account.