If I have requested the books before the 15th and the request is accepted, do I still pay the 49c fee if they are shipped after the 15th?

no, this qt was answered in another thread and the answer from TG was that transactions started by today will fall under old rules.

I'm wondering if the books that I asked for that are still waiting to be accepted, if they time out after tomorrow and pass on to the next person will that still be a transaction that started before the 15th and therefore not be charged the fee? If I buy a membership would it be charged against my 30 free trades? I'm still trying to decide if I should buy a membership or go a la carte.

Kathy, the understanding I have is that it goes by the initial request date - as long as you don't cancel and re-order, and as long as *some* member with the book accepts the request (it doesn't go through everyone without being accepted/declined due to RCs), then you will not be charged a swap fee.