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Topic: Wish list items -- I posted a wanted title but the ISBN is different

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my3sonsinmn avatar
Subject: Wish list items -- I posted a wanted title but the ISBN is different
Date Posted: 4/22/2011 4:46 PM ET
Member Since: 4/20/2011
Posts: 2
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Sorry, I bet this has been asked a thousand times but I have dug around and couldn't find an answer. At least 3 of the books I listed yesterday are wanted by people. I know it is the same book, just a different ISBN. (I was cleaning off my shelves and my copies are older but still in good shape.) How do I let the people who are looking for those titles that I have the book? I understand if they are wanting a particular edition but if they just want to read the book I would love to send them off so they're not just sitting on a shelf in my house.

Any suggestions you can offer would be appreciated.



Last Edited on: 4/22/11 4:46 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
melanied avatar
Standard Member medalMember of the Month medalBook Cover Image Group medalBook Data Correction Group medalTour Guide Leader medalBook Bazaar Coordinator medal
Date Posted: 4/22/2011 5:27 PM ET
Member Since: 8/16/2007
Posts: 15,234
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Welcome to PBS Jennifer! You are correct that this does happen frequenlty, enough that the site has a section in the Help Center to cover it. I've highlighted a couple parts that might be of help for you:

My book's on the Club Wish List! Why hasn't it been requested?

Does the ISBN on your book match the ISBN on the Club Wish List?  If not, then your version of the book is not currently being wished for.

  • If you have a book whose title (but not ISBN) matches a Wished-for item, it is not at all certain that the Wishing member(s) would want your version of the book, even if your book seems to match the rest of the information on the listing. 
  • You cannot Post your book with the wrong ISBN. 
  • Post your book from the Post Books area, using the ISBN on your book, and checking to be sure that the book information (title, author, booktype) match your book.  See below for instructions and more information.

If your book's ISBN does match the ISBN on the Wished-for item, then

  • The book may have been set to auto-request.  If so, there will be a 1-hr delay before you get the request.  Look at your Bookshelf: if the book has an exclamation point next to it, that means the request is pending and you will be notified of it soon.
  • The wishing member's account may be on Vacation Hold and this item was NOT set to auto-request.  If that is the case, and she or he is the only WishIng member, then your book won't be offered to him or her until the Hold is removed.

When you post your book properly using its ISBN:

  • All members who are Wishing for other ISBN versions of the book will be sent an alert email by PBS.
    • The email will be titled "An item similar to your Wished-for book has been Posted.."
    • This email will contain a link that the Wishers can click to request your book.
    • If no one requests your alternate ISBN, that means that no one currently wishes for this version of the book.

If your book does not have an ISBN but its title/author is the same as one on the Club Wish List:

  • These "similar-item" email alerts are NOT sent out for non-ISBN items
  • You can advertise your book in the Book Bazaar Discussion Forum if you like
    • There is a topic in that Forum just for different versions of Wish Listed books
    • These "advertised" items often get quick requests.
    • To get to the Book Bazaar:
      • Place your cursor over Community in the toolbar at the top of the site
      • Click Discussion Forums in the menu that drops down
      • Scroll down the Discussion Forums main page to see the Book Bazaar in the list
      • Click Book Bazaar to enter that forum.

If your book has an ISBN, but it is not on the Club WIsh List, and the only items that match the title of your book on the Club Wish List are items without ISBNs (non-ISBN items are listed with  5 or -digit numbers in place of the ISBN):

  • This usually means that at some point in the past, members wishing for any version of that title clicked all UnPosted listings in the PBS database, including the listings without an ISBN.
    • They may not have realized that non-ISBN items are unique and represent ONLY that specific copy of the book posted by one member.
    • Since non-ISBN items are not linked to any other items in the PBS Database, they are not automatically removed from your Wish List when another version of that title is marked received.
    • Those Wishers have probably gotten a version of this book that has an ISBN long ago, and neglected to remove the non-ISBN version(s) from their Wish Lists manually.
    • non-ISBN items are periodically removed from the Club Wish List by the system.
  • Again, you should post your book properly, and if you want to "advertise" its availability to the membership, you can do so in the Book Bazaar, as described above.
my3sonsinmn avatar
Date Posted: 4/22/2011 6:31 PM ET
Member Since: 4/20/2011
Posts: 2
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Thanks Melanie! I guess I need to brush up on my search skills. Have a great weekend.

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Date Posted: 4/22/2011 7:25 PM ET
Member Since: 8/23/2007
Posts: 26,510
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I would see how many copies of yours are in the system already before I did anything.  If there's a lot of copies of your edition in the system already then those people really want the WL version.  If there's just yours or just a couple then it might be worth doing some advertising.  I've tagged WL books before with "x number posted ISBN XXX".  You can see how many are in the system by putting the books on your reminder list.

melanied avatar
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Date Posted: 4/22/2011 9:59 PM ET
Member Since: 8/16/2007
Posts: 15,234
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It looks like a lot of the books you have are wanted in the audio or hard cover version. Usually audio isn't something people willt take a paperback in place of, and I know that the VCAndrews books have a lot of copies posted here, so my guess is the people who want the hard cover aren't looking for just any old copy to read, but are looking for the hard covers to put on their keeper shelves.