Enclosed within a letter sized envelope was the cut out and torn section of the address of the book I had sent along with the torn and cut piece of my address portion also the postage sticker of $2.38.  Post marked Jan 04 2010.  There is a form letter for a parcel search request or the option off bringing the letter to the post office and be reimbursed.  Thank Goodness Gracious this book was not intended for a member but rather left Florida and was on it's way to Mass,  to my daughter.  I have only done 11 completed swaps but I was sent a PM (from a member receiving one of my books) complementing me on the packaging and she herself had sent out over a hundred.  I am bumming because the value of the book is 10 times that of the refund.  Looking at these torn pieces of packaging makes me want to insure all the books I send - so now with CD and insurance I'm left to wonder how much is all this going to cost me? 

How much do you think a book is worth?

Is an extra $1.60 (which I believe is the cost for insurance up to $50) worth it in the long run?

I've mailed 166 books on PBS (and others on other sites and in non-PBS transactions) and I've yet to have one not arrive.  Some don't survive the postal system, true, but the chance that one might not doesn't make the extra cost of DC or insurance worth it to me.

Do fill out the search request -- maybe they'll find it.  You never know.

It's a shame about the book!  Those sorting machines can be nasty and hungry.

In the long run what you spend on insurance/DC would cost way more than the occassional lost book.  I've sent probably 1,000 books between 2 book trading sites, games, freebies and Box of Books.  Even I had used PBS DC on them all it would have been close to $500.  I can buy a lot of books and credits for that.