I meant to ask about this earlier, but just now got around to it. I requested a book a few weeks ago and when I received it, the printed postage stamp from the PO was over $15!! Now, if they sent it two day or something wouldn't it have been marked as such? These are the details for the book from the transaction archive:

Request Date: 8/23/2007 12:32 AM ET
Date Accepted: 8/24/2007 1:16 PM ET
Wrapper Printed: 8/24/2007 1:17 PM ET
Date Mailed: 8/27/2007 10:55 PM ET
Date Received: 8/31/2007 7:59 PM ET

So it wouldn't seem they used any special mailing services. So what in the world would have caused postage to be that high?? When I filled out the optional survey when I marked the book received I put in the postage that was marked on the book. I think this was the first book this member had ever mailed, but I don't think overnight would even have cost this much! Any ideas?

wow, that is a LOT Of postage.  what it a hardback or really big heavy book?  no clue otherwise

Why not PM the sender and ask?

Well, books are heavy, so I guess if it's a really big book and they're sending it priority or something.  I had someone send me a Laurell K. Hamilton book priority(I felt awful that they spent $7 mailing me a free book).

Leslie, no it was just a paperback book.

When Christ and His Saints Slept
Author: Sharon Kay Penman

Shouldn't have cost but $2.47 I would say. Maybe I will PM the sender. Maybe the PO made an error and if she kept her receipt maybe she can get her money back...?

Overnight is expensive. I had 2 members send me books priority. I have no idea why you would spend this amount of money for shipping on this site. One member shipped a BOB with this method. It was nice receiving them so quickly but I have no idea why you would do this.

was postage purchased online (pre-printed on the label)?  My first experience with online postage here at PBS had me pay almost $5 for a book which I didn't notice until after it was printed.  IF that happened to the sender could be they just felt they had no recourse to recoup the moeny and just sent it?

That definitely seems like an error, if it was sent two day, priority or even over night it would say so on the package.

Did she mail it on a company account perhaps? Sometimes when I mail a book or an item to a friend hubby can slip it into his departments UPS outgoing with no problems. Maybe she works in an office that was mailing out some stuff and she put in in the batch and that's why it was mailed the way it was?

If you pm'd her about I wonder what her response will be?

Did she mail it from overseas? I received a book once with high postage (I think it was around $15) because the sender mailed it from Peru.

ETA: Looking back at the dates mailed and received, it probably didn't come from overseas but you never know with the PO.

Overnight on most packages actually does cost around $15, but obviously it wasn't overnighted since it took almost a week to get there.

I can't imagine what would make it cost that much otherwise.

Someone posted here a week or so ago that they didn't notice when they went to print out postage that the PBS system showed their book weighing about 6 lbs. more than it actually weighed.  They didn't notice it until after the postage was charged and the label was printed.  Maybe it was something like that.

It could have been the postal scale too and if they were mailing a bunch of other books they might not have noticed.  I took a package w/2paperbacks in it today-1 trade + 1 mass market the 2 together were about 14oz.  The postal clerk tells me $1.15 to mail it 1st class from WA to FLA.  I said that can't be right.  She had to fiddle w/the scale and the correct media mail postage was $2.47 and 1st class was $4 something. 

That's a whole lotta dough for one book!  I recently got a book mailed parcel post for $6, when it should have been media mail for $2.13.  I tried to PM the sender to find out why, but she never answered.  It definitely pays to watch your postage!

I sent a book order of three books priority once. Didn't have time to go to get a box and all that so I just grabbed the box at the PO and sent it out. But $15, no way. Wow.