I keep getting these requests with conditions about the book condition.  I have had good luck with PBS so I guess I am wondering why? 

Today it is: I am not willing to accept books that have been in a smoking home. I also do not want books with brown or yellowing pages or musty smells

Brown to yellowing?  old old books?  this book is in great condition but the pages are not crisp white, they are more a tan color like all the books I have been sending and receiving from this series.  There is no smoke or musty smell.

Do you decline so you don't have to worry about someone being picky?  

Do you figure it's not worth the worry?

If I am 100% sure my book meets the condition, I accept.  If there is even the smallest doubt, I politely decline.

I do the same.  If I am positive my book meets the conditions, I send it.  But if I have any question at all, I don't send it.  In your case, just put in the box that the book is an older book with tanning pages.  No muss, no fuss.  Someone else will choose the book soon enough.

I figure I have enough worry and hassle in my life to deal with questions about book conditions.  After reading through the forums for a few months, I adopted the above philosophy regarding RC and I've been much less stressed.  I have enough stress in RL and don't need to add any over a book.

Decline the request if you're not 100% sure, and be happy knowing your book is first in the FIFO line.

If I had received the requested book in trade, I'd decline it in a heartbeat for the smoking condition.  Can't guarantee that it's never been in a smoking home. 

If my book meets the RC and I don't find the RC offensive-I accept. I don't read long drawn out RCS or accept ones that are vague, want a PM or are accusing me of sending them a bad book before I've even accepted the request. I don't accepts ones that have a long list of requirements even if it's short and to the point.  (these are used books and if you have several musts on your RC then I kind of think you should be shopping for new or lower your standards). 

But I accept the basic, polite no-smoking, dust jacket please ones.

To the other part of your question, wondering why you are seeing so many RCs:

My experience is that a more difficult RCs tends to be declined by multiple senders, so itwill stay at the top of the wish list queue and a number of senders will see it and skip it.  If, farther down, there's another tricky RC, it will work it's way up into the #2 position, and then senders will be skipping both the 1st and 2nd wishers.  Gradually, with a long wish list line and a sprinkle of difficult RCs, there could be a pool of RCs at the top of the WL line that every sender has to go through before getting to wishers without RCs, or with simple RCs.  So it can seem as if there are more RCs than there are.

Regarding the first part of the person's Rc:

I am not willing to accept books that have been in a smoking home.

Unless you know for a fact the book has never been exposed to tobacco smoke, you'd be taking a chance to send it.

As to the second part:

 I also do not want books with brown or yellowing pages or musty smells

If the book is a paperback, and is more than a few years old, the pages will have probably started to discolor. And "musty smells" is subjective. If you don't have a super-sensitive sense of smell, it may seem fine to you but not to the receiver.

I personally like the smell of an old book. I see it as a natural part of the aging process of paper. Someone else might think that odor is "musty."

Anyway, you don't have to treat every RC as a major dilemma. People with RCs expect to see some declined requests. If you have any doubt, just decline and let someone else have the book.

If my book meets the requirements of an RC, I will send the book.  I do decline all RCs regarding smell issues of any kind, too subjective. Months ago, I sent books that I nor my family could smell anything, but yet the requestor said they did and rwapped the book, so I don't take anymore chances, it's just not worth it. In my 4 years here, I have only received two book orders that smelled like smoke to me.

If you have any doubt, don't send...not worth the potential problems.

My personal criteria for accepting or declining RC's is very similar to Mary.  Polite, brief, and easy to understand.  My attention span is limited, if the requester hasn't convinced me to mail the book in the first 2 or 3 sentences my mouse quickly begins drifting towards the 'decline' button.

People are free to request any thing. That is what requestor conditions are for, just as you are  free to accept them or not.

thanks ladies, I feel it is fine but will decline.  I hadn't thought about it but yes, an aging book is starting to tan and there is always the store if they need crisp new ones. 

What Patty says makes sense for how they can pile up at the top.  Sort of how like a book with lots and lots of copies is more likely to time out a couple of times before being requested.  You'd think someone who has had a book on their shelf for 2yrs waiting for the 500 copies before it to be requested would be ecstatic when it's finally requested. But lives change, people get busy or just lose interest in PBS altogether. Especially if all their books are heavily posted and never requested.

 Too subjective, I would decline.

Patty, I never thought about RCs piling up at the front of a queue.... Thanks for pointing that out!  Makes absolute sense.  It will make it a little less maddening when the RC train starts a-rollin' and I want to pull my hair out!