Has anybody had any trouble with books coming from Hawaii?? Had a book go missing from there yesterday but the sender used DC and it shows that it was scanned 7/2. I'm in WA state so I can't imagine it taking over a month but it's still hasn't made it. It's not like Hawaii is some foreign country.

It was a WL book so I'm back in the front of the line, but if it gets offered again, I don't want to accept it in case this other books shows up. 

I've received books from military bases oversees and it's been pretty fast. But this is the first one I've gotten sent from Hawaii. Anyone else have this similar problem???

Thanks, Karen

They do tend to take longer from Hawaii than from any other state.  Media mail is space available, so it only goes on the boat/plane when they have room for it.  I've seen it take 4 weeks and arrive soon after going lost.  If the person mailed with DC and you see it got scanned, I'd try to give the person the benefit of the doubt for a while.  You can put that individual book on WL hold and wait a while while maintaining your position in line.  Hopefully that way you won't end up with 2 books.

However, if you are in a real hurry for it, you can always get another copy through the system, then if you end up with 2 you could repost your extra one.  It will cost you a little in shipping to repost and ship out the extra, but may be worth it to you to go ahead and have the book.

Alaska and Hawaii ARE like overseas, that's why they're called OCONUS (outside the continental US).  I actually get mail and books to and from HI quicker than to and from California, but AK is sometimes reasonable and sometimes a month.

They actually send books to and from Hawaii by ship so it can take up to 6 weeks to receive a book going either way.  I've had them take as little as a week and as long as 6 weeks, which is why I always use PBS DC when shipping to either AK or HI.  Good luck.  Pat

Ahhh, I see. I didn't realize they sent mail by ship. Seems a little old-fashioned to me, but what do I know? I will just put the WL books on hold and wait it out. Thanks for the imput! 

Karen

Yes Karen, I'm also a Washington resident and Media Mail from Hawaii can legitimately take that long.  I had one last fall that was received a few days after going 'lost' and the counter postage was dated exactly on the day the sender marked it mailed.  I've also had them arrive in 2 or 3 weeks...like all MM, it can vary.

First Class and other rates, they arrive much quicker (my sister lives on Maui so we are familiar with mail services).  So for Alaska and Hawaii, if your incoming book gets marked lost...check your wishlist.  And YES, if the book appears on your wishlist, you will want to put it on hold for at least a week (PBS guidelines may recommend 10-14 days).  IIRC - If the system orders another copy (within that 2 week window), and both arrive you are obligated to mark both received and transfer credits.  Unless you want to request an additional copy JIC.

from the Help Center:

If you are sending or requesting a book from/to outside the continental/contiguous US...

If you are at an APO/DPO/FPO address, you should also read Information for members at APO/FPO/DPO addresses

If you are sending or requesting a book from outside the contiguous US please note...

Your book may be declared "lost in the mail" at PBS before it arrives.

• that doesn't mean it is actually lost, of course
• it just means it may be delayed in transit
• this is certainly not true for all "distance mailings"; it varies widely

PBS allows 35 days for a package to get from the sending member to the receiving member if one of the members is outside the contiguous US (for packages traveling within the contiguous US, 26 days are allotted).

• After 35 days*, the shipment will be declared Lost in the Mail if it has not been marked received by the requestor

• If this happens, both sender and requestor will  receive an email notification with more information and instructions.

• There is no need to contact us to tell us that the book you sent has not arrived, or that the book you requested has not arrived; we don't know where it might be any more than you do. If it does not arrive on time, it will be declared lost in the mail automatically.
• If you are very anxious and wish to know more about what could have happened to your book, please contact the other member involved in the transaction, using the PM (Personal Message) button on the transaction.
• If the book was sent using PBS Delivery Confirmation, you can also 'track' the book on its journey, by clicking on the en route transaction for the book.

*26 days if both sender and requestor are within the contiguous US

If you are the sender:

It is a good idea to notify each requestor after you mark a book mailed that the book may be delayed in transit

• This is helpful to the requestor because it prevents him/her from thinking your book is really lost, and re-ordering another copy.
  • You can send a Personal Message using the PM button on the active transaction on your Books I've Mailed tab.
• You should also ensure that the requestor knows how to mark a "lost" book received from the Transaction Archive
  • You can include this information in a Personal Message if a book you have sent is declared Lost in the Mail
  • You can send a Personal Message using the PM button on the Lost transaction in your Transaction Archive.

If the book is declared Lost, you should contact the requestor again, assuring him or her that it was mailed, so that he or she does not re-order the book.

• If you used PBS-DC or PBS Printed Postage and the book is scanned as delivered, you shoud contact the requestor to remind him or her to mark the book received from the Transaction Archive.
  • It's important to keep your account record updated in this way - even if you got Quick Credit or Instant Credit. Accounts whose books ARE delivered but don't get marked received (= they stay "lost") risk losing Instant Credit privileges, and could even be  terminated (it messes up the "credit economy" to have delivered books listed as lost).

If you are the requestor:

• If a book is declared Lost in the mail, it may not actually be lost.
  • "Lost" books often are only delayed in transit, and often arrive.
  • We generally recommend that the requestor wait 2 weeks before re-ordering a book, to minimize the risk of ending up with (and having to pay for) 2 copies.
  • The "lost" book will also go onto your Wish List if there is no other copy in the system when it is declared Lost.  If it was on auto-request on your Wish List originally, it will go back on your Wish List set to auto-request again!  This can mean you will end up with 2 copies of the book.
    • If your incoming packages have long transit times, you should not use the auto-request feature on the Wish List for this reason
    • If a book is declared Lost en route to you, you should be sure to check your Wish List and disable the auto-request from the item (or remove it from your Wish List entirely if you like) so you don't end up with 2 copies.
    • When the "lost" book arrives, you should mark it received from your Transaction Archive as described in I received a book that was 'lost in the mail'.
• If a book you ordered arrives after it has been declared "lost", you must mark it received from your Transaction Archive
  • You can do this by going to My Account and clicking the Transaction Archive link
  • Sort the list by "Requested by Me" - "lost in mail" - Date requested" - "Descending"
  • Locate this book in the list (check the sender name on the right side of the request to be sure it is the correct sender)
  • Click on the transaction.
    • The usual "book received" screens will come up.
    • Proceed through them until you see the "thank you for telling us that [this book] was received..." message
  • This MUST be done to keep your account in good standing--and so that the sender gets credit for sending the book!
• We recommend that members requesting books to be sent outside of the continental/contiguous U.S. NOT use the auto-request feature on the WIsh List, to avoid getting extra copies of a book.

The part I referred to is included in Patty's post:

If you are the requestor:

If a book is declared Lost in the mail, it may not actually be lost.

• "Lost" books often are only delayed in transit, and often arrive.
• We generally recommend that the requestor wait 2 weeks before re-ordering a book, to minimize the risk of ending up with (and having to pay for) 2 copies.

I once was the sender on a book going to Hawaii.  It took 6 weeks to get there!

MaryF

When I lived in WA state, the few transactions I had with Alaska went really quickly. but Hawaii ones took a long time. 

From Washington State, I currently have a PBS package enroute to Alaska...we'll see how it goes!

I use PBS-DC, but like Emily, if I notice an outgoing book is going outside the lower 48 I upgrade the postage to First Class...when it's within reason anyway.  The package mentioned above is a box of four books (two hardcovers and 2 TSP)....it's traveling Media Mail.

I've had one come from Alaska and one come from Hawaii.  The one from Hawaii took a long time, over a month.

Yep. Unfortunately, I deal with this a lot.

I always use DC. It takes for-e-ver to get a book to you guys. If there's room, it might get on a plane. Usually, it takes the full six weeks to get to you. It's so frustrating!

So sorry... It's not our fault! 

Good News!!!  I finally got the book delivered from Hawaii yesterday, Sept 20. It was mailed on July 2. Yay! FINALLY! It took 2 1/2 months to get here!

But the bad news is I had to mark it RWAP. Booooo! It's completely water damaged and I can tell it's not USPS's fault. She sent me a water logged book. UGH! So irratating!!! So I P.M.'d her but haven't heard back yet. It looks like she is a new member. 

I love PBS and have gotten so many books without any problems. I guess they all can't be gems. Oh well. At least I'm FIL for the book again and hopefully I'll be offered it soon.

Anyway, I just thought I would give you all an update of that book from Hawaii. Thanks for listening to my rant......

Bummer Karen.  Was there a posmark or counter postage...indication of mailing date?  That seems about a month too long, but MM can be unpredicatable.

Yes, she used a DC and printed postage from PBS and it showed that it was scanned July 2 at the PO. And she hasn't responded to my P.M. asking for my credit back. Oh well, what can you do? At least I've had more trades that have been awesome than not. 

Give her five days to respond, Karen.  If you don't hear back from her, you can then contact the Admin Team and ask them to step in.  Normally they don't get involved in member disagreements about the condition of a book, but they are happy to help you if a member isn't communicating.

Sigh...I've had this prob (now that I'm in Hawaii).  We were stationed in England before here and I was so excited to be back in the states and have the books not take as long...but alas, I was wrong.  It takes about the same time as it did back then.  If I'm doing swaps I will try to ship the books at a quicker rate (but that tends to cost more).  Give the books a bit more time...they will prob go lost but you will get them eventually.

I sent one to Hawaii from New Mexico and it was shipped 8/25 and arrived 9/9.    Not too shabby!