Just curious.  :)  I've only sent thanks if it was really fast, or packed really well, or I was really excited about receiving it LOL... but I try not to send them too often because I actually find it a teeny bit annoying when my (regular) email is filled up with "you have a personal message at PBS" emails only to find a note saying nothing more than "thank you."  I've received several of these, but also did NOT receive thanks for books I really thought I would, like a couple of vintage books that were in extraordinarily good "museum" quality condition, shipped in a box with multiple layers of packing.  Got it marked received, and I guess that's all that really matters, but after all the thanks for run-of-the-mill paperbacks I was a bit surprised at no thanks for that one!!

Anyway, just curious how often you thank, if you like getting thanks, that kind of thing.  :)  I've only been here a month or so and still feel like a newbie in some ways. 

I always send a thank you.  I just feel like it's the polite thing to do.

nope

I only send thanks if I've received a deal, or someone has gone above and beyond normal PBS requirements, like mailing a book priority, or tossing in a freebie, or something.  Otherwise, no.

Always.  It's just the polite thing to do, IMO.

I always do.   I don't think it's necessary but just feels right to me.

Oh boy, this is a can of worms on PBS.  Every time someone innocently asks about 200 people chime in. XD

I don't usually send a post-swap PM unless the wrapping/book was especially nice or I had some communication with the member beforehand.  Reason is, like yourself, I appreciate the automatic nature of most swaps--saves time, and there is plenty of social interaction at our fingertips here in the forums etc.  I have logged in many times just to see a new PM that says "thx dude! I wanted this".  I prefer to pass along the good book karma by packing & shipping carefully myself.  I may be in the minority; it seems most responders to these topics are in favor of sending a thanks pm, bless your hearts. :)

i always sned a thank you to the person. It makes the reciever and the sender feel good.

Courtesy seems to be a dying art in our world. I think it is the right polite gesture to do.

I also write on a plaer or sticky note. thank you and enjoy. It is nice to brighten up someones day

with a simple gesture 

There was a big thread/discussion on this subject not too long ago.  Some people stated that they got irritated to receive PMs that only said "thanks".  <eye roll>   I personally think it's just good manners and always send a "thanks".  Sometimes I'll add comments but not every time.  If my sending it makes someone mad, that's their problem, not mine.  I recently sent out 4 packages for a RAOK and only one of the people PM'd me to let me know it arrived and to say thanks.  That has pissed me off.  It's not because of the "thank you" but because I have no way of knowing if the other pacakges arrived, since they were not part of a credit deal. \

ETA: Courtesy seems to be a dying art in our world. <---This is sadly too true.  I'm beginning to think that some people are physically incapable of saying "excuse me", "thank you" or "you're welcome". 

I always say thanks.

You can turn off all those "you have a new PM" emails too.  Under My Account, settings you can check off that you do NOT want those emails.  I turned them off, I'm on PBS all the time anyway so I don't need an email telling me I have a new PM.

I wish the body of the PM was included in the notification. I don't want to turn them off because I don't want to miss something, I will forget to check, I know that. If it was included in the body I'd at least know if it was just someone saying thank you or something important.

I don't get why people think it's polite. I got a credit. You got your book. It's a transaction. NOW... if I include something extra or go above and beyond to meet your RC or whatever, then yeah, otherwise....

... and don't ask if you don't wanna know *laugh* - it's just an opinion. We all have one.

I'll say again what I've said elsewhere on this: I don't send a followup e-mail unless the person has gone out of their way to upgrade the package to First Class, etc. I don't expect a response either. I see this as a business transaction, not the same as sending a note for a gift, which I always do right away.

Frankly, if you're going to send a thank you note, then it's better personalize it with a few extra words such as "been on my WL a long time!", "Wow - I only listed it recently and there it was!" or even "I'm looking forward to reading it". I respond to those with at least a "You're Welcome" if not something about the book/author itself.

It depends on what sort of day I am having. Because, like all else in my world, it is all about me and what I want...lol

So, if you get a thanks from me, it is because I either had time to send it , had nothing else to do, couldn't find anything in the forums I wanted to post to, I was bored, possibly waiting for the intermission to be over in Word Whomp, wasn't too winded from the walk to the mail box, the phone didn't ring... 

Just depends.

I don't get why people think it's polite. I got a credit. You got your book. It's a transaction. NOW... if I include something extra or go above and beyond to meet your RC or whatever, then yeah, otherwise....

Yeah, this is kind of the way I think of it too.  I don't write to Amazon to thank them for every package they send either, LOL.  Good idea turning off the message notifications, but like Candy also said--I'm afraid I'll miss something important, someone asking me about a deal or the condition of a book on my shelf of ??  It's not that I don't appreciate people taking the time to say thank you, but really the system notification of book received and credit gained is thanks enough, unless you have something more to add...  :)

Dartha, you crack me up!!  :)

Well, of the one book I have received, I did send them a thank you note.  Ive also had one person receive my book and he sent me a thank you which was nice.  I would prefer to err on the side of being polite than not.  Also, I know these can be seen as transactions but for me, there is a person on the other end who made my transaction possible and sent me one of my favorite things to get, a book!  LOL

I don't get why people think it's polite. I got a credit. You got your book. It's a transaction.

Hmmm...I guess I just think about it differently.  Ever thank your waiter for bringing your food?  Ever thank a clerk at the end of the transaction at a store?  If you do, it's because it's polite to do so.  It's not necessary, but it's polite.  But if you are the sort of person that doesn't do either of those things...well, I guess I see why you don't thank a person for taking the time to send a book.  Yeah, I don't thank Amazon either.  But I do thank the UPS guy who brings me my Amazon books.  And I do thank the lady at Barnes and Noble who rings up my in person transactions.  So, the only reason I'm not thanking Amazon is because I don't interact with anyone in that situation. 

Store clerk - generally if they've gone beyond the basic job description (as in "I don't see it on the shelf but I think there's a good chance there may copies in the back - lemme check" or "Our system isn't reading gift certs today because of a glitch - let me extend your coupon another week."). 

Food/bev servers (inc flight attendants): yes. Psychologically, I don't see it as the same thing as the UPS person (or B&N clerk).

I can't refrain from expressing my feeling that the atmosphere on this topic seems a tad judgmental. Guess that happens ...

I do, but I don't get offended if others don't thank me. 

Katrina

I think it is kind of amusing, actually. I stood in the door of a grocery store while it was raining one day with an older gentleman. (Well, older than me, anyway. Because I am old.) I was already wet, he wasn't. I wanted to help put his groceries in his car, he wanted to wait till the rain let up. Texas summer storms normally don't just let up....lol

Yea, I was trying to be nice. But the truth was, I was probably just annoying.

I can't refrain from expressing my feeling that the atmosphere on this topic seems a tad judgmental.

Until PBS demands that we acknowledge each transaction with an extraneous thank you, I just don't think I would spend much time worrying about it, John.

Patricia, thanks! That is the highest compliment you could give me. As noted above, I do realize I can be very annoying.

Actually, what's more annoying is people assuming that I, and others, are impolite people because we don't type thank you for a book, on a web site.

I find that assumption equally rude!

So, for those of you who order books from amazon, do you send them a thank you?  Or anywhere else online?  This is a business transaction.  I order a book, you send it and get a credit.  As with any other online site.  I order something, pay for it, they send it.

Now, because there's message forums here, people have gotten to know one another, but that doesn't negate the fact that this is a business transaction.  Something is ordered and "payment" is made.  Both the sender and receiver have obligations, they live up to them, as any other online business transaction.

Sticking your nose in the air and saying You send a thanks because it's the only right thing to do, and following it with a comment that courtesy is a dying art simply makes you look arrogant, not polite.

I can't refrain from expressing my feeling that the atmosphere on this topic seems a tad judgmental.

You got that right, actually.  I'll make it even clearer if I can.  My judgement is: I think it is plain rude not to thank people when they do something, even for the smallest of tasks. 

People who oppose what I just said are judgeing (judging?) me and my above statement.  I'm okay with that.  To have an opinion is to be judgemental.  It's just the way it goes.

My feelings are similar to Julie W.  It's an anonymous business transaction, not a personal interaction.

If someone does something special or I have something relevant to communicate, then I'll send a message. Otherwise, I'm not going to fill up people's message boxes with one word emails saying "thanks". 

I always say please and thank you in person. To me, this is different.  I'm fine that others have a different take on it. But like Julie, I get a bit annoyed with those who seem to set themselves up as the paragons of what's proper.

Like some of the others have mentioned in similar threads, if they truly believe that sending a "thank you" "right thing to do" (as in being universal standard of behaviour rather than personal choice), then I think you also have to send the "You are welcome." email also for each of those one-word "thanks" that you receive. That's the next logical step in that line of thinking.

Again - this is such a small deal. Nothing to lose sleep over.

I make a point of sending a personal thanks for each book plus I like getting the thanks too.

I'm a homeschooling mom of 3 and pretty busy as it is. Plus I have health issues that keep me home a lot so I enjoy reading. ALSO (lol) as a stay at home mom money is tight and it is wonderful to get books for myself, the kids and our homeschool.

If someone sends me a book and I get it I'll take the time to sit down and write them a thank you. I'll also add a personal note like "My little boy was thrilled to get the book." or "My daughter is reading it now! Thank you."

I like getting the thank you also. As I said I'm a busy homeschooling mom and some mornings it is a rush to try to get the book in the mail before the mailman comes. Some mornings I'll spend up 30mins to an hour getting the books ready before the mailman comes.  This takes time away from chores, homeschooling and such. But it is worth it go get the books, DVD's or what ever. So it is nice to see the time I took rushing it out to the mailbox was worth it. Know what I mean?

Also my grandmother really pushed writing "Thank you" notes. To this day if I forget even at age 32 I feel shamed when hear her say "It would have been nice to get  a thank you note." (She's 90 now). ; )

Ashley

So it is nice to see the time I took rushing it out to the mailbox was worth it.

It is so not that we don't understand what you guys are saying are even where you coming from!  My personal perspective is that when I joined PBS and AGREED TO THE TERMS OF USE, that included those days that I may have to rush to the mailbox, or even *gasp* go to the post office to mail my outgoing packages. I do not expect a 'thank you' for doing my job and holding up my end of the agreement.

A raise, on the other hand, is always appreciated for meritorious behaviour.....

***That second "are"? Well, it shoulda been 'or'

... like I said, the whole conversation, in my mind, would be moot if they would just include the body (or the first hand full of words) of the PM in the email notification... LOL...

And I like getting a thank you if it's appropriate or they have something to actually say. Like one lady that I sent an expensive highly-sought after book nearly went crazy when she got it and ripped it open at the post office and flipped through it at stop lights, etc (it was a really funny thank you PM). But the point is, she had something to SAY beyond "thanks"