I received a requested book yesterday, when I opened it and checked it, I saw that the rear cover had been ripped and separated along the spine approx 2-3 inches, which had than been taped back together. I felt it was clear that the book was in unpostable condition. Also, while It was an older sci-fi paperback, and, I did expect it to "show it's age" this edition was, IMO (and this a subjective decision) bordering on excessively worn.

So, as I marked the book received, I marked it RWAP. (just for the separated spine). I wasn't going to agonize over it, whatever response I received, I was just going to mark it appropriately, and move on. But, the pessimist in me was expecting a snarky response.

Well, was I pleasantly surprised. This morning I received a very apologetic & pleasant response, and my returned credit.

My point in this post is to show that RWAp can be resolved civily, even politely - it's probably even the norm. It is just on this forum people only seem to post their problems.

So, if you receive a book that is not in postable condition, please don't be intimidated into not marking it as such. The only way to maintain the quality of books on this site is to mark them RWAP, if they are not up to PBS standards.

On an different note - I received three other books yesterday all of approximately the same age (30 years or so). And they were, although obviously a little yellowed, in  good shape overall. This site really is a wonderful resource for those books that are no longer in libraries, not very common in 2nd-hand book stores, and overall, difficult to find.

mistie--

Thanks for posting about a positive experience!  Its nice to read!!

In over two years here, I've received a few (four or five) books that I've had to RWAP.  In each experience, the problems were dealt with civilly.  But I still anticipate the worst whenever I have to RWAP a book.  I guess that way, I'm pleasantly surprised when I everything works out okay.

In my experience--both sending and receiving books and posting in the forums, PBSers are overall a nice, fun loving, polite bunch.  Although a few posts over in the CMT forum can get a little heated at times!

I have to second your contribution! I too always dread RWAPing a book and it has almost always been respectfully, civilly, amically settled. On the other hand, the very few times I have had a book I sent RWAPed, the receiver usually comes on like gangbusters, full of accusations of scamming them -- when in actuality, they were problems that I had not noticed even though I do check over all the books I send out, and if I had noticed I never would have sent and I gladly returned the credit with an apology, so I guess my point here is civility works well both ways -- be respectful whether you are doing the RWAPing or being RWAPed.

What does RWAP mean? I got a hard cover book today and the spine is separated from the book. It's a book I've wanted for a long time and it doesn't affect my reading it. But I don't see how I can relist it. I gave the  sender credit and did mark it good condition because when I chose Problem none of the options seemed appropriate. I did let the seller know. What else do I need to do? Can I relist the book if I mention the condition?

RWAP just means "Received With a Problem." The book you got isn't postable if the spine is separated from the book, and you can't repost it, even if you describe the damage. PBS works on FIFO (first in, first out) so anything you attach to the book description goes with the ISBN of all the copies of that book, not just yours. When you post a book you are basically saying that your copy meets the posting guidelines.

Obviously the person who sent your book didn't bother to check the book over, didn't read the posting guidelines or else just didn't care. You should have marked it as RWAP and described the damage that made it unpostable, and also asked for your credit back since you can't recoup it by reposting. Even though it doesn't affect your reading of the book, if it's not in postable condition, it is RWAP.

Cheryl

Elizabeth - you could post it in the Book Bazaar and still get a credit.  However, Cheryl is right, you cannot post it to your bookshelf.

Thanks Cheryl and Bill, wish I'd posted here first. I will let her know and remind her of the policy. And will post it in the Book Bazaar.

As already mentioned Elizabeth, your book should have been marked RWAP, Damaged by Sender.  At which time you would have been prompted to note the book condition and choose whether or not you wished to request a credit return.  In addition the book would have been returned to your wishlist/reminder list.

Thanks for the positive reminder Mistie.  I also tend to hold my breath when RWAPing, although to date I've been lucky...either I'm totally ignored, or credit returned with apologies (or at least minimal snarking).  Dispite a few horror stories, the majority of PBS members really are very nice.