I used to know when I requested a book from PBS, it would arrive in good condition but recently I've received 2 books that should never have been posted due to condition. I never got a point back from one person and got no help from PBS. Now here I am sending photos of the damaged book - split at spine all the way down - to another person.
I think the posting of books that shouldn't be posted has increased dramatically in the past 2 years or so. Have you had the same experience?

I haven't noticed this myself.  Maybe it's just a string of bad luck.

I have had more problems in the past than recently.  It's probably just a run of bad luck.

I haven't had any problems and no one else has complained. I get my books used and except them to be in well read condition. I'm a librarian and treat my books well. Older books which were mass produced are more likely to deteriorate quickly. I took some books off my PBS shelf because the poor paper quality is causing the books to disintegrate.

My luck is random on here.  I received a book a couple of weeks ago that had a lot of writing/highlighting in it. The sender was polite & offered me my credit back, but I have received a lot that have had water damage or writing.  Then other times (like yesterday) I've received books that are in like new condition.  So it has completely varied for me.

I hope that you still PM the person and call them on an unpostable  book. Even if you either don't ask for the credit back or you don't get it back, there is still a record of unpostabilty.

I'm getting many more water damaged books in the last year or two.  Almost every unpostable book I've ever received has been water damaged.

Also, I wanted to mention that a split spine is damage that can easily happen en route, especially if the book is loose in an envelope.

Diane

Nope, the books I get are mostly perfectly postable!

I have not noticed a change in recent years in the quality of the books I receive, and the large majority are in good to good+ condition. I would estimate that not more than 1 or 2 books out of 20 that I receive have condition issues that make them either unpostable or put them in a grey area.

However, I do have an RC to remind members of the posting rules regarding book condition, and up to as many as 3 requests out of 10 are canceled either by the sender with a note that a book does not meet my RC, or are canceled by PBS because the sender did not accept the request or did not mail it within the deadline.

I've not noticed anything, myself.

I've gotten quite  a few books lately with edges of pages ripped, probably from trying to open an envelope, and food marks throughout the book. I'd say the number of messy books received has certainly increased.

I have also gotten some books in bad condition. The very first book I ever requested had been very wet so that the pages were actually hard to turn. I got a hardcover book that was broken at the spine so the book was in two pieces. I just yesterday got a paperback that was broken in two places in the spine and the front cover was torn about half way across and the book was so soiled it had some fine loose dirt between some of the pages. It's very disappointing.

Of all the books I have requested I would say about half have some sort of defect. Most are minor enough that it doesn't matter too much. like a hardcover with the front and back boards separated from the pages or a book with several pages punctured and chewed on corners. Pbs seems to be a convenient place to dump old books that can't be gotten rid of any other place.

I haven't noticed any particular problems.  I think overall I have only had to report a couple as Received With A Problem.  And both of those, the sender made it right with me (sent the right book or refunded a credit).

I agree that in past 2 years I have been getting more questionable or unpostable books......my issues have been highlighting/underlining (with no PM to let me know), wavy pages that appear water damaged, and smelly books (against my RC).

I haven't reported a book RWP in at least 3 years and not because I'm just accepting bad books. I just haven't received one. So I personally don't think they're getting worse.  But I also don't request that many so that might be partially why.  I think in my entire PBS time, I've only had a few that I had to mark RWP.

Recently I've had a string of book mailed to me that looked brand new -- like they'd never been read.

Seems to come and go randomly, sometimes is waves like your recent experience.  I haven't received an unpostable in awhile.  Also seems to vary by genre...books with several reprints, I might receive an older copy in borderline condition.  The majority of my RWAPs have been classics, whereby some senders assume the requestor is using them for class and anything deemed 'readable' is acceptable (regardless of underlining, highlighting, liquid damage, excessive wear, etc).

All the books I've received in the past 6 months or so have been lovely. It just sounds like you've had a run of bad luck. I've had (maybe) two RWAP books in the past couple of years.

In the last 6 months, I have received many unpostables with food or liquid staining.  

Almost all the books I have received were in excellent condition. In some cases, I've even sent a thank you stating that it wasn't necessary to go out and buy a new book to send to me. However, I have RWAPed more than I can remember though. Every time I received my credit back.

Recently, I RWAPed a hardback in terrible condition. The spine was split and held together by tape, and all four corners of the hardback (non-spine side) were so worn that the corners had split into the individual layers of the binding and the coloring was gone. I couldn't believe anyone would send out a book like that. When I pointed out the problems and requested my credit back, the sender let me know it was a 'collectible.' No, it was just a junk book that wouldn't sell at a garage sale for five cents.

Water damage is the biggest reason I've had to RWAP books (the second is the IBSN not matching, which somehow only happens when I really want that one edition of the book).

Water damage and staining are why I need to mark some of my books RWAP. I got cigarette ashes in a book at one point like someone dumped an ashtray inside the book.

I've noticed it with the Amazon books I order too that more and more of those books I am receiving should never have been sold in their condition. I recently ordered 11 books from Amazon Sellers and 4 were nasty.

The past two years have been horrible for me.  I've also stopped marking received as a problem as I'm afraid PBS will start thinking that iIm not being honest, that's how bad it's been.  More than 50% of my books received are def unpostable.  :(