I would turn it down because of the "no smoke smell". My sense of smell might not be as accute as yours and you might notice a scent that I don't. I do accept RCs with "not currently in a smoking home" but I would turn yours down because it is too subjective. I'm sure the member who turned your RC down was just trying to say that it was not a new book and she has no idea of its history.

I use a "currently in smoking house" as well.  Folks generally take the "no smoke smell" as the strictest meaning, of never being around smoke.  Which folks may not know if they got the book used.

Yes, I have received books there were smokey.   I know it is a risk with the looser version of the RC.   But it has been such a small percent that I will risk it.

Smoke and smell RCs are some of the most difficult to word.

I take responses like to be a short way of saying "My book probably meets your RCs, but I don't accept any RCs at all." I don't even bother reading turn down messages half the time, doesn't really matter why, they aren't sending the book is all I need o know.

When you turn down a request ( for R'C or whatever) does the person thats ordering see the message you write or is it for PBS team ?

I also , turn down anything to do with smoking RC's , reguardless of how its worded.

Yes, the person with the RC gets the message that you have written in the box describing why you are turning it down.

I think they were trying not to get specific and confrontational about the RC turn-down, and just said something nice, safe and generic.  When you have to give a reason it really puts you on the spot.

The other member sees the message you write only if your book is a WL book or if it's the last FIFO copy available. If the request is passed along to a new sender, then the other member does not get an email saying you turned them down. The only way they know in that case is that the request date / time on their My Account page changes.

Thanks Cathy for that info! I did not know that because people are always complaining about the reasons their RCs were turned down and the messages why...I guess I assumed that info was always sent when an RC was turned down. One more reason to make turndowns short and sweet, if the other member may not ever see it!

New information to me also Cathy, thank you!

"Sorry but this book is not a new one and has been well read."  I thought it was a mildly snide way to state the old standby, 'this is a used book site'.

Can I ask what genres people with the smokey books ask for? I've gotten over 500 books on this site and over 250 on another one and have gotten all of one book that was obviously from a smoker...is it really that common and I'm just lucky? (I don't have an RC at all)

I've wondered how common they are also. I have yet to receive a smelly book and I've probably received 2,000 by now between games, box of books and 2 trading sites. 

I think people should be able to decline RCs if they want w/o giving any sort of reason if they don't want to explain.  You have the right to an RC they have the right to decline for whatever reason and really shouldn't have to explain themselves. 

Some people, like me, just do not have a sensitive nose. I lived for two years with my father and step mom, who both smoke, my dad 4 packs a day, step mom about half that. Now, after living away for 4 years, I can smell things that come from their house, until they are aired out, are smokey. But I'm unlikely to notice a smokeyness someone else might notice.

In my experience, it's older books that are more likely to be smoky, regardless of genre. The majority of the books on my WL are popular fiction that hasn't yet been released. These lines usually move pretty fast, so for most of the books I get here I'll be one of the first 5 people to read that particular copy and it won't have sat around in any smoker's home for very long. As a result, I rarely get really smoky books from my WL. If I do, it's a really transient thing where the smell wafts out once or twice while reading.

The books I've gotten that were really smoky were ones where I had found a new-to-me author and glommed the entire back list, so I was requesting books that had been sitting around for some time. Or where I had an old but rarely posted book on my WL and a new smoking member joined and posted it.

I've only received one book, out of about 700, that I just could not continue reading due to the extremely heavy smoke smell.

"Can I ask what genres people with the smokey books ask for?"

I've received four or five books that smelled heavily of smoke (out of about 225 total).  The books were mystery books--don't know if more mystery lovers smoke than other genre lovers, though. LOL!  I don't have an RC for smoky books--when I receive them, I just separate them from the rest of my books for a while (usually two or three months) and the smoke smell dissipates to the point where I no longer notice it.  Sometimes when I happen to walk by the books I'll fan through the pages a couple of times to help the process along.  I have a huge TBR pile, so really don't mind waiting to read the books.

I have received two other books (from the same order) that had a horrible (to me) smell.  They weren't smoky or musty--can't really describe the smell it just was a horrible odor.  Have no idea where the books had been stored--hopefully the sender's house didn't smell like those books smelled though!!  Anyway, I received those books over a year ago.  Honestly thought I'd have to throw them out because the smell didn't seem to be dissipating at all.  But finally they seem to be losing the nasty smell.  Hopefully if I wait another couple months they'll be readable.  I'm still not in a hurry for them as they are later books in a series where I still have earlier books to read.

Edited for spelling

sorry, wrong topic

I just turned down an RC for a book that required it to " be new or like new or very good condtion", and felt that while I knew what " like new" meant, I was not sure what the subjective definition of "very good condition" was, esp since PBS has its own defintion of what is swappable.

So, since there was a teeny tear in the cover, I put that  in the RC rejection comment box.

Actually, I realized I have no way of telling if that book was a WL book to the requestor.

I would have turned down your RC too.  While I'm a non-smoker and my home is smoke free, an RC of "no smoke smell" is too subjective IMHO.  Many of my books come to me used and while I don't notice any particular smell, I can't say that someone else might.

foggy if the book had been sitting on your bookshelf here then it wasn't WL. 

I would turn down an RC like that. No one in the house I'm living in smokes, but I can't speak for the previous owners. And I get my books either through here, Bookmooch, or Amazon sellers/half.com sellers. None of them smell bad, but I have no way of being 100% sure that someone else won't think they smell bad.

I just turned down an RC for a book that required it to " be new or like new or very good condtion",

froggylady, I sent a book to this person or someone with the exact same RC. I felt the book was in very good condition but the transaction did not end well. The receiver sent a PM complaining that the book was in horrible condition, she'd never been so insulted, and that I should read and respect the RC that she went to so much trouble writing. The books I send out are always in very good condition but that is a subjective criteria. What was very good to me was trash to her. I refunded her credit just to put an end to the transaction and keep my record spotless but never again have I or will I accept another subjective RC.

I have a RC myself. All hardbacks must include the dust jacket. I had someone turn down a request because the book, a YA book, wasn't published with a dust jacket- the artwork was on the cover itself. Initially, I was a little irritated that he didn't use some common sense. I wouldn't have RWAP that book - but he didn't know that. He was just protecting himself and following my RC. So I made a little adjustment to my RC to accept book that have the artwork on the cover and were never intended to have a dust jacket.

Regarding "smoky" books:

I recently sent 2 books to someone that had a "no smoking/smoke odor" RC. Since I do not smoke, nobody else in my home smokes, and the books smelled perfectly normal to me I went ahead and sent them without a second thought. 

Well, the receiver had a different take on how the books smelled. To her, the entire package reeked of smoke. I had no idea what could have happened, other than me not noticing that one of the books smelled like cigarettes. The fact that one person will smell a strong odor, and another person will smell nothing unusual is strange, but I know it can and does happen. I have a co-worker that smokes and they smell smoky to me for a few minutes after their cigarette break. Other people complain that he stinks all the time. I don't smell a thing most of the time.

Sensitivity to odor can vary just like sensitivity to flavor. I can and do regularly eat spicy foods that would make strong men cry like babies. It's nothing to do with me trying to look tough, or pretending to ignore the heat. I simply do not taste spicy foods as strongly as other people. What tastes fine and lovely to me makes other people scream in agony.

My lack of sensitivity to smells could cause me trouble again in the future. I could probably bury my face right in a book that's been exposed to cigarette smoke, take a huge prolonged whiff, and smell nothing amiss.

I'm fine with an RC that asks for "no books currently in a smoking home." That's iron-clad and I know I can send exactly that. An RC that asks for "no smoky smells" is subjective and I probably won't be accepting them any more. 

We also have a non smoking home, but I'm very careful not to accept smoke RC's that are subjective. 

Bruce, awhile back I posted a book and the request came back with an RC for dust jackets.  I had purchased the book new and knew it was not published with one, the cover was full color HC instead.  I rarely pm ahead, but I did for this one and received the requester's approval to mail.  She was very happy with the book when it arrived.

Excellent or like new RC's are almost always a 'decline' for me (even tho I purchase alot of my books new).  It seems to me that the requester is giving fair notice they have set a high standard and are going to be very picky, so I usually move on to the next wisher...less potential for problems that way.

Years ago, when I sold some books at Amazon, one of the recipients rated my book low because it smelled of smoke.

I told her I wasn't sure how that happened, since mine is a non-smoking home.  I've always wondered if the delivery person was a heavy smoker!

MaryF

To her, the entire package reeked of smoke

Non-smoking home here, but for bulk orders I use boxes that I find in stores' backrooms.  I'm not going to BUY cardboard boxes to ship books.

 So, maybe the employees lounge is located near where they throw empty boxes.  That would automatically be a problem for one of the "smell" RCs right?

Just too many possibilities.