Just wondering how many of you ask for deals when you get offered a book.

Whenever I?m offered a book I always check out the senders bookshelf to see if there?s anything else on offer.  If I see another 2 I?m interested in, I?ll ask for a 3 books for 2 credits deal. Usually, senders are happy to deal, and sometimes not.

 And yes, I always offer a similar deal when my books are requested.

I always check out the offering member's bookshelf and will order extra books if I see something I want, and I always check for free unpostables. But no, I never ask for deals -- figure if they wanted to do deals they would advertise that. Usually I turn down requests for deals unless it is something that has been on my shelf for years. I offer free unpostables. I donate credits to PBS & School Donation program, that's enough for me.

I ask for deals if I see more than say, 2 books on someone's shelf that I would like. I usually order the first one, and then PM to see if they are interested in making a deal for additional ones. If they aren't, I just let the first book order stand, but I don't order the rest from that member.

I PM and offer good deals to people who order books from me, especially if I have a lot of the type of book they are ordering.

When people have asked me for deals, I have always done them so far ... provided they are reasonable. My biggest one was a 24 book for 9 credit deal that someone asked for. The only ones that I don't respond to, are people who see my shelf and then offer to trade books with me (against the rules as I am not a Boxer).

Sometimes if you ask for a deal, you will be met with confusion on the part of the other member ... there are a lot of people who use the site but not the forums and so they don't really seem to be aware of the fact that people can ask for or offer deals if they want to (and as long as they follow the rules, of course).

When someone requests a book from my shelf that I've posted in the BB in a deal, I PM that person telling them of the deal and directing them to the actual thread in the BB. 

I did that 4 times in the last week and each of those 4 members had no idea what I was talking about as far as deals or the forums. 

Three of the members took me up on the deals and then thanked me for cluing them into the Discussion forums, especially the BB, but one just couldn't get it.

I know it took me a while to find the forums myself and I was thrilled to discover the deals that could be made in both directions, so I'm always happy to point another member in the right direction.  But it does surprise me how many others never found the forums on their own.

As far as asking for deals after ordering a book from a member, I've only done it once or twice when I found multiple books on their shelf that I really liked.  And I've only been asked to do a deal from a requestor 3 or 4 times. 

I figure there are more than enough posts in the BB by members that want to deal - so I usually look through the threads every day or so and try and pick my deals from there.

What I really like to do, is see what others are requesting in the BB and see if I can move a wanted book off my shelf that way.

I've only ever given deals in the WL threads, but I don't know if that counts since it's still 1 book=1 credit. Although I do have the unpostables in my signature line and profile that are free with an order. I actually have a couple I need to add now that I think about it. No one has ever sent a PM after ordering a book (or before) asking for a deal. A lot of the books on my shelf are slow movers (at least I think so since I posted them a couple months ago with hundreds already in the system) so I would be willing to consider deals as long as they were reasonable.

I once asked someone for a 2 for 1 deal on a couple books when I first learned about the deals and saw someone say you can PM and ask just to see. The person said she would do it since there were several copies in the system. I think she did it because one was water damaged (there were only 15 copies of each book in the system which doesn't seem like enough copies in the system to make the deal worthwhile), but that doesn't bother me except thinking about how it was posted on her shelf as a postable book. I haven't asked for deals since just because I think I just did it the once to see what would happen. I've gotten other deals from the BB or people seeing my posts here talking about trying a new author or something.

ETA:

I can only imagine the response to an unwanted PM about a deal I am offering : (

I wouldn't mind and I usually check their bookshelves and profiles anyway to see for myself!

I don't do it with wish-list offers.  But, when I order a book that has more than one copy in the system (different ISBN, hardback, etc), I always check out the book shelf before I finalize the order to see if they have other books that I may want.  I never thought to do it with a wish-list offer.  I'm not sure how you would do it.  You have to accept the offer before you can PM the other member.  At that point you are committed, so where's the incentive for them to deal with you?

I think it is OK to PM about a deal after you are offered a WL book ... .but I never ask for a deal on the WL book itself. (IMO, it would be rude to ask for a deal on a WL book)

If I looked at someones shelf after they offered me a WL book, I would ask for a deal ONLY on those extra books .... like maybe a 2 for 1, if I wanted two additional NON-WL books, or 3 for 2 or something like that.  But I would just make it clear that you are only asking for a deal on the extra books, not on the WL book itself.

I'm just heading out to mail my first deal transaction. We handled all the particulars via PM, and it went well, of course the books haven't arrived yet, so hopefully I'm not jinxing it!

-RD

I rarely ask for deals.  I have a huge TBR and usually only order books from here that don't have many copies in the system.  Anything that's heavily posted enought to request a deal on-I just keep an eye out for thrift stores (I'd rather pay .25 for that Nora Roberts that has 600 copies in teh system then 1/2 or even 1/4 of a credit)  or I look in thrift stores.

I do check out other peoples shelves although it's rare that I order something else (again massive TBR).  I just check incase they happen to have something not heavily posted that's part of a series I am reading. 

I mostly only order WL books at this point.  

I never ask for deals, though once I was offered one when I ordered 2 books from someone's Shelf; she offered me two 'free' books from her Shelf and I had a hard time picking a 3rd book and struggled to choose the 4th.

Like Mary I have a huge TBR and the books I request are either a part of a series I'm trying to read through, or else an author that's being discussed in one of the forums and I'm interested in reading her/him. Most of the time the Shelf I'm looking through doesn't have more than one book in a series I'm looking for - just luck of the draw.

I don't advertise doing deals but will probably do if asked.