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Topic: When you receive a book from PBS do you check the ISBN number?

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megt avatar
Subject: When you receive a book from PBS do you check the ISBN number?
Date Posted: 10/13/2011 6:52 PM ET
Member Since: 2/2/2010
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When you receive a book from PBS do you check the ISBN number?  Another post just made me think about this.  If there is no visible problem with the book I do not check the ISBN.  But if you received the wrong # and then reposted it - you could send out the wrong book without realizing it.  I guess I need to start checking.

thameslink avatar
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Date Posted: 10/13/2011 7:16 PM ET
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Margaret, what you describe has happened to me so I do try to check the ISBN # when the book arrives. But because it is so easy to get a book with the wrong ISBN # and not even be aware of it, I always repost the book by entering the ISBN # rather than checking the "post this book" box on my bookshelf.

Generic Profile avatar
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Date Posted: 10/13/2011 7:23 PM ET
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I don't check the ISBN number to make sure it matches what I ordered but I am going to try to get into the habit of doing so.  I recently received a book that matched a title I had ordered but just by looking at it I knew it didn't match what I should have gotten according to the ISBN number.  The sender tried to tell me that he had posted the book by the ISBN number inside the front cover since there was none on the outside.  Problem was  there was no ISBN number on the inside either, just a Library of Congress Catalog number.

AlisaLea avatar
Date Posted: 10/13/2011 7:25 PM ET
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Nope, never have.  Of course I'm not picky about which "version" of a book I get anyway.  I want words on a page that I can read, and a book in repostable condition.  Beyond that, I don't care.

Patouie avatar
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Date Posted: 10/13/2011 7:59 PM ET
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I usually do a quick check (last three digits) but sometimes I forget.

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Date Posted: 10/13/2011 8:29 PM ET
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I check when I repost them. Like Patty, checking the last digits. But I rarely check when receiving unless it is a book with several versions. I now do thumb through the pages, looking for damage and highlighting.
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Date Posted: 10/13/2011 8:32 PM ET
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I usually don't check either,but I guess I should.   But like Sally, I always post a book by inputing the ISBN# so I'm not concerned if I post the wrong book. 

trucker-monkey avatar
Date Posted: 10/13/2011 8:46 PM ET
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I do check (course half of the books I get are short-ISBN number and therefore a mute point).  Which is kind of funny considering I wish they would use a different sorting system than by ISBN.

The reason I check is because ~70% of the RWAP's I've had so far are the wrong binding or completely incorrect title (a stand alone paperback I already owned rather than a 5 book hardback omnibus for example).  I figure if I catch people with the incorrect ISBN when it is simply the wrong version (and won't cause hurt feelings) and not a completely different binding that would be better.

As for my actions when I've found a different ISBN number, mostly I've PM'd them rather than RWAP'ing, but then again it's mostly been members as new or newer than myself.  I haven't had a long term member do this as of yet.

riahekans avatar
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Date Posted: 10/13/2011 9:07 PM ET
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I usually don't check when I get the books but I check when I post them.

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Date Posted: 10/13/2011 9:18 PM ET
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I don't post books from the PBS TBR list--in fact, I uncheck the box so I don't use it.  I post all my books by inputting the ISBN when I'm done with the book.  That way, in case there was a difference, at least it gets posted correctly.

I usually don't check unless the book looks significantly different.  Different cover art prompts me to turn the book over a lot, but if it's what I'm expecting I don't always check when it comes in.

Spuddie avatar
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Date Posted: 10/13/2011 10:35 PM ET
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Books with a different ISBN than what you ordered are technically RWAP as it is one of the four things that you are agreeing match when you post a book--title, author, format and ISBN. I don't particularly care which version I get most of the time unless I had a hardcover wishlisted and got a paperback or something, but I think if we don't call people on these mis-postings, they will think it's okay to keep posting books by title and author instead of ISBN. If you RWAP in this case, you sure don't have to ask for a credit back, just explain that the ISBN is supposed to match and that books should be posted by the number, not the title.

Since I do post directly from my TBR, and since I have made the mistake of not checking carefully in the past, I learned my lesson and now I do check when I'm marking books received, and then again when I post the book.

Cheryl

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Date Posted: 10/13/2011 11:35 PM ET
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Good question Margaret.  Unless the book arrives different than I expected no, I don't usually check ISBN on incoming books (maybe I should change that).  Like others, I always post by ISBN.  Call me challenged, but I can't seem to find the books on my shelf to repost from there and I'm much faster just inputing ISBN.  And I've usually just checked book condition, so it's right there for me to look at.

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Date Posted: 10/14/2011 12:42 AM ET
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I make sure to check it. If it's the correct binding and appears to be the correct book, it's sometimes hard to remember to check. But, I have been burned myself when I re-posted a book after I read it, thinking it had the ISBN I originally ordered, then got a RWAP because it wasn't.

sarap avatar
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Date Posted: 10/14/2011 1:09 AM ET
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I never check the ISBN when I receive a book unless it seems to be the wrong binding.

But, I ALWAYS post books by typing in the ISBN, so it will never cause issues for me.

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Date Posted: 10/14/2011 8:57 AM ET
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I don't check the ISBN when I get them. I don't give 2 figs about edtion, binding, book size or anything-I jsut want to read the book.  I repost all my books by ISBN unless I got them myself outside PBS.  I know the ISBN is good then because I entered it myself when I added the book to my TBR Pile.  But anything I received from PBS gets posted with me having the book in hand and typing in the ISBN. 

I've only caught 1 so far where they sent me the wrong binding. But I think it might have been changed in PBS.  It was just a paperback and first and then it was changed to mass market paperback.   It was actually a tradesized so I reposted it w/o the ISBN and it was ordered within a day.

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Date Posted: 10/14/2011 9:01 AM ET
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Just wanted to say: If I was expecting a hardcover and received a paperback-I would RWP it to have it on record and just not ask for a credit back because I don't care. 

megt avatar
Date Posted: 10/14/2011 9:32 AM ET
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I do post to my bookshelf from my TBR, so I guess I need to start double checking - at least before I repost.

pioneervalleygirl avatar
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Date Posted: 10/14/2011 9:34 AM ET
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That happened to me once, Mary. RWAP'd it but didn't ask for the credit.

I don't check the ISBN when I receive a book unless something isn't right, such as I received an abridged copy.  I don't care about binding or edition if the book is in postable condition.  Postable as in following the PBS guidelines, not whether I can post the book later on.

When I post book, it's a different story - I double check the ISBN at that time as the receiver might not be as liberal as I am.

Gail

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Date Posted: 10/14/2011 4:26 PM ET
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I don't check it when it arrives because I don't really care as long as the book is the one I wanted.  When I post books though I only post from typing in the ISBN from the book, not clicking from my account.

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Date Posted: 10/14/2011 4:30 PM ET
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Like several others, I never check the ISBN of books I receive, unless it isn't the edition/binding type I was expecting.  But I always check ISBN info when I post and repost books, so any differences would be caught at that stage...

Spuddie avatar
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Date Posted: 10/14/2011 4:53 PM ET
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But really, for all of you who say "you don't care" about the right version or if the ISBN is the correct one as long as the binding is correct...it's not just about you caring or not. Even if you re-post it by typing in the ISBN from the book so that YOU post it correctly, you are still doing a disservice to the PBS community by not verifying the ISBN and marking RWAP when the ISBN doesn't match when you receive the book. Not checking (and thus not saying anything if it's a wrong ISBN) means you are, by lack of action, condoning posting books by title and author instead of ISBN. The person who sent the book may or may not know they've done something wrong. At the least you pass up an opportunity to educate people on how to properly post books. At the worst, your RWAP may finally be the one that causes the PBS team to suspend someone with ongoing blatant disregard for posting rules. If nothing is said, chances are they will just go on doing it, since no one seems to care.

About half the RWAPs I've recorded (which have been very few) have been people sending the right book, wrong ISBN. Most of the time it's wrong format too (I've WL a hardcover for my keeper shelf and got the mass mkt paperback which I've already read, for example) but I've caught a couple that were old books with no ISBN at all on them posted as the recent reprint that has an ISBN, or sending a mass mkt paperback when the trade size was wished for. IMO, checking ISBN is just as important as checking for water damage, writing etc. when receiving a book, and just as easy to do since you are already (hopefully) checking the book's condition anyway.

Cheryl

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Date Posted: 10/14/2011 6:45 PM ET
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Count me in as one who never checks the ISBN on a book I receive.  I really don't give a diddlysquat what the ISBN is as long as title and author, and binding are correct.  I always post by ISBN though.

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Date Posted: 10/14/2011 7:41 PM ET
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I checked one last week that was incorrect. 99.9% of the time, I don't check. I always list by ISBN.

tiffanyak avatar
Date Posted: 10/14/2011 9:00 PM ET
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I almost always check (I will admit I've probably forgotten on occasion), and definitely always do if I was knowingly requesting a specific edition or version for some reason. Once, someone actually sent me a book that I had requested from a trade listing with hundreds of copies posted. But, the edition they sent me was actually a newer wish listed trade version. If they had posted it correctly, it wouldn't have sat on their shelf for months waiting to be requested. I didn't RWAP it, but did send them a PM to let them know. That time, I just needed any copy of the book, and I figured missing out on a request for months and being informed they could have had a RWAP on their record should be enough of a wake-up call for them in the future. If it were me, I know I'd be more careful after that.

I also always carefully check the listing on hold on my bookshelf before making the book active on my shelf. I figure that way it's always checked at least once, and most often twice. That way, there won't be any potential issues with a book I send not matching the title, author, ISBN, and binding. It occurred to me once early on how easy that would be, so I made it part of my posting routine to double-check everything.

ETA: I DO care very much about the binding format. I have an eye condition, so am always careful about the format I request a book in. Hardcovers and trades have slightly bigger and easier to read print than mass market editions, and so I usually request those, except in certain specific cases. So, a book that is obviously different than what I know I was requesting WILL get RWAPed immediately, and I will ask for my credit back. When it's the same format, but a different ISBN, I may at times decide to be more lenient, as in the case I described above (plus, I admit, a book several years newer than expected was a nice surprise), but since I'm always careful to order the exact binding format I need the book to be in, I'm quite strict on that aspect of things.



Last Edited on: 10/14/11 9:12 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
vampsita avatar
Date Posted: 10/14/2011 10:20 PM ET
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Most of the time, yes. 

I don't always care about which binding I receive, but if it's clearly supposed to be a hardcover and I get a paperback, then I do say something and mark it appropriately.

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