I've had this happen to me several times recently where a sender will mark a book mailed and I'm waiting excitedly for the book to come in. Three weeks later, the book arrives with a mail date two weeks after the sender had marked the transaction.

What is up with that? It's increadibily annoying. 

I just realized you can mark RWAP - late mailed, so I'm probably going to start doing that.

yep, there's no way they will change their bad swapping patterns unless they are finally consequenced so that means marking it RWAP--late mailing......for now it's just a wrist slap, but eventually when they get enough of these, TPTB will come down on them.

That is so frustrating - I have had that happen to me on several occassions. I did not realize you could RWAP for that reason, however, so thank you Heidi for that piece of info. In this day and age, media mail travels pretty quickly and I have most books within a week from most parts of the country. When it goes on 2 weeks, I start to think it's potentially lost and beyond 2 weeks, I PM the other member and ask if they really mailed it when they said they did. Most often, they admist to not getting to the post office as intended OR finding the package still on their counter or in their car, etc. I'm just glad they are honest about it and I know the book is on it's way and not lost.

Yes, RWAP those Heidi.

To be fair Marilyn, some of the delays are USPS.  IME most are sender error, but we do see packages legitimately in the mail take weeks (or even a year) then arrive with counter postage dated the exact day sender said they were mailed...it does happen.  Do check counter postage dates, or postmarks (a bit less accurate as they can be applied anywere enroute) before RWAPing for late mailing.

I think I've had one book come in that was ligitamately lost in the mail. All the others were late mailed by the sender. I never marked them RWAP because I didn't realize you could do so for late mailing.

I've also taken to PMing the sender if it's two weeks out asking if they mailed the book or if there's any chance they forgot about it.

 I did not realize you could RWAP for that reason, however, so thank you Heidi for that piece of info.

ditto.

Are you going off the printed out postage stamp date OR the one stamped on the package?  Since one can only be done the day it is mail and the other occurs any time during the trip to your house.