I've found requester conditions can be very annoying, but after receiving several books that had severly munched corners, I decided to post the following condition:

Would you mind please wrapping the book in some type of cushioning, bubble wrap, or cardboard to help protect the corners & edges? (it doesn't need to be a lot, just a sheet on each side of the book will work) THANK YOU!

There are only a few books that I really care about being protected, but the conditions are either all or nothing.

Do you think I should take the condition off OR is there a better way that I could do this? 

Thanks

By the way - I do believe that PBS, like SAD, should recommend using at least light cardboard to protect the books, because after going through USPS a couple of times, some of these books will not be useable to anybody!

EDIT - I want to thank the people that answered my question & tried to help me.  If you have an idea to help me out than please respond.   Otherwise, I am not taking a poll as to who would or would not accept the condition and  I wasn't trying to find out if others did or didn't have the same problem. This is the problem that I have had, is there a better way of handling it?

The problem I see in adding this as a condition is that it sets up the scenario wherein if the book is damaged by the PO you will may for your credit back.  So some may deny you because of that.

It wouldn't bother me personally.

What about adding the titles you care about?  And adding that you are okay without the reinforcement for titles you haven't listed.

If you are sending (title1), (title2), or (title3), would you please wrapping the book in some type of cushioning, bubble wrap, or cardboard to help protect the corners & edges? (it doesn't need to be a lot, just a sheet on each side of the book will work).  For other titles, (do blah, blah blah).  THANK YOU!

I would likely decline that request simply because I don't cater to individual packaging requests if it involves having to make an extra purchase of packing materials--which this request would, in my case, as I don't have bubble wrap, cardboard, bubble mailers, etc. around.

I send a lot of books, both paperback and HC, and wrap them well using my own methods (which don't involve any "padding") and haven't received a complaint so far so I'm not going to change the way I do things. I also haven't to the best of my recollection ever received a book with mushed corners, and I've gotten lots of gorgeous, like-new hardcovers for my keeper shelves here!

Cheryl

I have to agree with Cheryl.  With the increase in postage costs, I can't really afford to go get special packaging for individual requests.  I do use bubble envelopes, but even then, the corners can be damaged based upon USPS handling.  I would recommend mentioning what books or authors this is for, for instance, I have a condition that is just for Hardcovers since those are for my keeper shelf. 

I would decline your request, too, for the reasons stated above.  Used books can have crumpled corners. I'm not sure how that violates PBS rules, and it is something I'd rather not deal with/worry about.

if I didn't have anything on hand to fill your condition I too would deny it.  bubble mailers I might have on hand but if not, well it would depend on the book and how large it was.

I would deny the request as well (I agree with Cheryl).  If a package is wrapped tightly, the edges should be well protected during shipping.

That condition wouldn't bother me and I wouldn't just cancel off hand.  That being said......If I had stuff laying around the house that would meet your conditions, I would accept, but if not, I would decline.  Like the above posters, I'm not going to purchase something additional or do anything different than what I've always done when I've always had just fine results.  Now there was one gal on here who said she had a very difficult time opening packages because of her arthritis.  If that was in a condition I would certainly do all I could to comply without compromising the safety of the enclosed book, but beyond a real physical limitation that is out of your control, I would guess you will get turned down a lot. 

I don't cater to individual packing requests either - paraphrasing another poster. It becomes too cumbersome to have various packing materials on hand.

I usually wrap in plastic and put in a bubble envelope and if they want more than that I would probably cancel the request.

Although I had one the other day ask for the book wrapped in a plastic grocery bag. Since I have plenty of those on hand I was happy to oblige. But I won't go out and purchase materials to mail a book, which I would have to do in your case because I don't have cardboard laying around.

I just recieved a book in the most horrid conditions, such a strong smoke smell that my home office stunk in a matter of minutes, not to mention what my eyes and nose did. Plus it had obvious water damage and not a little oops but rather a crunching background noise while reading it book. If I can tolerate the smoke smell enough to read it. Of course this is my luck that I have another book on its way from her. I just dont understand how someone can blatently (I suck at spelling obviously) ignore the few guidlines paperbackswap establishes while posting a book.  So, now I have joined the ranks of requestor conditions for while I didnt not say no smoking household books I certainly did not expect somone to send a book in such obvious poor condition. (and I mean wouldnt take this book if it was free condition).

As polite and pleasant as your condition is, I would also decline due to the reasons listed by other posters.

I have been wrapping books that have arrived at ttheir distination wrinkle free and dry as a desert!  I suppose I can find something to  pad your book I am sending, if it would make you happy!  But like the others, if I had to go buy something I would probably turn you down.

If you area a member of SwapaCD, you would know the only packaging material required is cardboard from a cereal box.  This should be sufficient to protect the corners enough to resist damage.   And how can you not have some sort or packing material???  Everyone has something they can wrap it, one ingenious person wrapped in paper towels.  With media mail, the only way it would cost you more is if it would take your package to the next pound, which in most cases it wouldn't, so it wouldn't cost you any more to ship.  However, if it were me, I would spend the extra few cents to make my customer happy, but that's just me, I also always ship in boxes or with bubble wrap, because I care about customer service.

If you have received hard cover books friom PBS, the majority of your books probably have corners that are bent in, some worse than others, but 90% of the ones I have received have some sort of damage.  Wrapping a package tightly does not protect the corners, in fact, it makes matters worse as it provides less protection from shipping.  Maybe I'm being picky, and I do understand that these are used books, but when it's obvious that these are being damaged by the shipping process, why is that a problem to ask for a little extra protection? 

By the way, upon further research, nobody has declined this request, as I thought, they just never responded to the request.  So, apparently it really hasn't been a problem. 

I hear what you are saying Judy, but I disagree.   I've NEVER gotten a book with a piece of cardboard in it and I've NEVER gotten a munched corner.    I just don't think it happens that often.   I've mailed over 200 books and gotten about the same number.   Am I the ONLY one who never gets munched corners??  I doubt it.            However - IF that was a conditon from someone for one of my books - I'd do it since like you I WANT my costumers to be happy.  But no way am I going to wrap every book in plastic (NOT requried but I do it) AND put a piece of cardboard in (again NOT reguired) and Tape it to suit some (NOT too much tape and NOT too little).    I am teasing a bit but what I'm trying to say is - I can't please everyone - I do my best to wrap books the way PBS recommends and I've had NO complaints.    

No, and I am not required to send my books out right away either, but I do!  If we all stick to only what is required of us, then this service wouldn't be nearly as good as it is! 

No, you can't please everyone, but don't you want to please your customer??

Just because you haven't received complaints doesn't mean there wasn't a problem.  I wish the people who say they haven't received any damaged corners could look at the books in my bookcase right now.  On several of these book covers, the inside corners bow so much over the pages that the cover corners touch.  That is damage that could have easily been prevented.  By the way, I didn't complain to the sender either, because the books are acceptable, but with the use of a little protection, they wouldn't be damaged at all!  That's all I'm asking.

Am I the only one that get's munched corners?  I doubt that!

You may not be the only one getting munched corners, but perhaps the only one who cares.  If you are looking for pristine books, they should be bought where you can inspect them and pay the $20 something that most hardbacks go for.  The postal system is too harsh of a system to expect packages to not have some kind of flaw occassionally, despite packaging efforts.

I believe the only reason swap a cd has the cardboard noted is because people started out sending the cd only through the mail (no case).  Cds are considerably more fragile than a book.  Crack a CD and it is worthless, bend a corner of a book and you can still read it.

One thing I find very interesting is why do member treat this so differently than they would if money were being exchanged?  If money were being exchanged rather than credits, there would be no question as to complying to a customer's request.  Yet, credits are being used as a form of exchange, which is not that much different than the exchange of money or shells or gold dust or whatever is the current monetary exchange. 

I want to thank the people that answered my question & tried to help me.  If you go back and read the original post, you will see that I was asking if there was a a better way of handling the situation.  I wasn't taking a poll as to who would or would not accept the condition, I wasn't trying to find out if others did or didn't have the same problem.  

If you have a positive answer to my question, I very much want to hear from you. 

"Do you think I should take the condition off OR is there a better way that I could do this?"  IF it's that important to you then I think you should leave the condition ON - realizing of course that you will be turned down now and then.

By the way - I do believe that PBS, like SAD, should recommend using at least light cardboard to protect the books,  You gave your opinion then got upset when others gave theirs.   That's the way it is on a thread - people give their opinons based on what you wrote and then it takes a life of it's own after that! I have seen few thread that stick to EXACTLY what the orginial poster asked.  I am sorry if anything I wrote caused you some kind of distress.    When replying I not only expect you to read the replies but others who might be informed by my and others answers. 

.

Excellent answer, Allie - Thank you very much!!!  and Jan thank you, I feel your frustration!  We live in Oregon, a few years ago, I sent out a book that I sold on eBay for $50, it was returned to me destroyed by water damage (we had a terrible storm & it didn't make it past my city), so leason learned, now I make sure to wrap in plastic.  That is just a reality where I live and apparently so is getting abused packages!  Thank you for your positive remarks!  And thank you to the people who have PM'ed me with their support and similiar frustrations.

Cozette, I didn't mean to single you out, but my reply prior to yours addressed the previous remarks that others had made, then you replied and I addressed your reply.   Did I get upset because people gave their opinion?  No, I became frustrated, because people were not being helpful and trying to answer the question.  When people start saying that has never happened to me and I automatically deny condition requests, that doesn't address my question or my situation. If they want to start their own poll of who denies condition requests, then they can start their own thread!!   I am thrilled that this has not happened to you, but it's happened to me, which is why I started the post to begin with.

I just really want to stay positive here. 

Gotcha Judy - I guess I was reading something into it that just wasn't there.   I apologize for that.   Hope you got some information that gave you some insight.   Sorry too if I sounded snotty - just ignore me.   LOL

Personally, I think you're being awfully picky.  I just want my books not to be falling apart.  I've received a few that way.