** Thanks to everyone for all your comments; they really gave me some much needed info and perspective.  I've never had to do a rwap and so far have received and mailed books in really great condition--so I wasn't entirely sure what qualified as a rwap.  I feel much more informed now.  All things considered I don't think I'll ask for a refund of a credit it just doesn't feel like the right way to go.  I'll send a polite PM mentioning the issue with the book and leave it at that.  Thanks again for all the comments, Amy**

Hello!  I’m still new to PaperBack Swap, although have had several great swaps.  Awhile ago I was able to work out a deal with another member: 8 books from her bookshelf for 3 credits.

 I just received the package (nicely wrapped in a box) and I am having a big problem with one book in particular. I open it and the cover/side cover is coming apart from the book.  Only the top inch is still glued down to the binding.  Is this a rwap and should I ask for a credit back? Or should I just politely explain I’m disappointed with the condition of this one book and leave it at that?  I’m not sure what I should do as this book was part of a deal although it was one of the 3 books I requested from this member. 

This is my first problem with a swap so any comments on what might be the best way to handle this would be most appreciated. 

Thank You, Amy

Was the deal for 8 books from her posted bookshelf for 3 credits, or did the offer include non-postable books too?  Often someone will offer non-postables as the extras when you order from the bookshelf.

If the offer was either, can you repair the book with some glue? Seems like 7 good books for 3 credits is still a good deal.  I've had to reglue some books I've received, but not all may be saved in this way.

If they were all suppose to be postable, let the person know. I've had this experience and the other person offered another book from the bookshelf and shipped it to me. 

If they don't offer to do so, then you might not want to order from this person again.  I had another experience where a book was obviously water-damaged, and my PM to the sender was never answered. We have all kinds of people here. Fortunately, most are very nice about settling problems.

Yes, all 8 books were posted on her bookshelf.  Very nice member to deal with.  I do feel torn between if I should ask for a credit back or not because it was a pretty good deal.  I guess thats why I posted my question here to see what other members have experienced; since I want to be fair about the whole situation. 

I will probably try contacting her about the book and see what happens.  The book is still readable it's just not postable.  I guess I'm disapointed the book was on her shelf as a postable book in the first place when it clearly has some damage. 

Thank You for your comments and advice!!

Honestly, if 7 of the books were postable, I might send her a note about the issue, but I would not RWAP it. Especially if re-glueing it might fix it.

Did you request all 8 books and she refunded your credits? Or did you just request 3 and she sent you the rest?

If you only requested 3, then you can only mark RWAP if any of those 3 had an issue. The others were freebies, so you can't do anything about them other than send the member a PM just to say "btw, this one was falling appart and thus wasn't postable. I'm not complaining. Thank you so much for the deal. I'm just saying it's something you might want to watch out for next time."

Just some more info.........

Of the 8 books I received; I would only consider posting 3, maybe 4.  The other books have some issues that I would not consider sending to someone else.  One has a stain on the first couple pages. It's pretty minor and the book is in otherwise good condition, but I wouldn't try to pass it on.  The others have varying degrees of creasing on the back and front covers.  Again very readable, it just crosses into the grey area as far as posting--in my opinion.

Hi Heidi, I requested 3 books and the others were sent as freebies.  I did double check and the book with the issue is one I requested.  It's one I really wanted to complete a series I'm reading. Thank You for pointing this out though, much appreciated!

I believe that, considering you only spent 3 credits on 8 books, it would be unfair to demand refund of a credit. True, the member should not have had an unpostable listed on their shelf, and I agree there's some unfairness in the fact that it is a book you really wanted. I believe at least a polite message informing them of the book's condition would be in order. If the damaged book is one of the 3 requested as part of the deal, the OP should mark that item as Received With a Problem, but I still don't believe a refund would be in order. I vaguely recall a response from the Team on such a matter as having been, basically, that even if you had to throw away that one damaged book, 7 for 3 is still one heck of a deal.

edited to add: I think it's great that you came to the Questions forum to ask about this, Amy. It's a tremendous resource, and making use of it helps to not only make your own swaps better, but to make the Swap a better place in general. Kudos for that, and Welcome to the Swap! :)

also edited to amend incorrect information and advice

This is personally why I don't participate in deals. The few times I did, it seemed that people thought it was fine to unload a few unpostable books in the mix because I was getting them 'free.' Sorry, but I don't want your crappy unpostable books, even if they ARE free!

I would mark it RWAP if the problem book is one of those you spent a credit on. Also, the book with a stain is not a postable book either...the creased covers and stuff are perfectly fine, but staining of any kind is not allowed.

These books were on her shelf, they should have been in postable condition. Somoene could have ordered them for a credit. Would she have sent the book or cancelled the order? Who knows? Whether she's nice or not, she's sending books that aren't postable, and IMO the only way to help people realize they can't do that is for people to call them on it. SHE AGREED TO THE DEAL, so the whole 'well, you got some free' is bogus, in my book anyway.

Cheryl

since the book you have the problem with was one you specificly requested, then it's perfectly "fair" for you to mark it RAWP. I understand, though, considering you got a deal that you may feel uncomfortable doing this. I believe I would be too.

It is perfectly reasonable to send a PM to the sender and point out that certain books were unpostable. Some people are very nice about this and will insist on refunding your credits. Other people don't appreciate it all. I had a book where the spine was coming apart. I didn't mark it RAWP because I was able to tape it up and it was fine. But I did send the sender a friendly PM just to point out that the book was unpostable and to just watch out in the future. I did not get a nice reply back.

However, it's important to mark books as RWAP if you really feels there is a problem. If a sender's account shows a pattern of problems, the sender's membership will be jeopardized. If members who send problem books are able to fly under the radar by not getting RWAP's, they can continue sending problem books. 

Not that I can really live by those words because my first two RWAP's I didn't mark. :p

So, really, it's up to you what route you want to go.

Yes, any books posted to a member bookshelf should be postable.  That said, cover creases do not make a book unpostable.  But the seperated spine is unpostable, as are stained books.

RWAP on a 'deal' . . . that's a toughie.

Marking it RWAP puts you back at the top of the wish list for the book, even if you don't ask for your credit back.