Welcome to the Book Bazaar!

This is the forum for "advertising" your account Bookshelf and offering and making deals. We created this forum so that members can "shop" all in one place, and be sure not to miss anything. The Help item "How do I direct my request for a book to a specific member?" is a really useful item that everyone using this Forum should review.

This is also the forum for swapping "unpostable" books - those items that can't be posted to a Bookshelf.  If your book does not meet the minimum condition criteria here or it is not among items that can be posted for swapping here, then you must not post the book to your account Bookshelf.  (It's not OK to post and then ask the requestor if she or he "minds" the problems with the book.)  Unpostable = don't post.   Instead, bring your tired, your poor, your unpostable books here to the Book Bazaar, to find new homes for them! :)

Contents of this post:

• What's in this forum
• General Rules
• How to make a deal
• Additional tips

What's in this Forum:
(1) Established threads.

• "Sticky" (red title) topics stay at the top of the forum list. LIke this one! and the Damaged book thread. That thread is for books that are not postable for credit at PBS (books that don't meet PBS condition requirements as described in the Help item "Book Condition" in the Help Center).  These books are offered for free (no credit or accompanying order from the poster's bookshelf), and sent out as a random act of kindness, with the sender paying the postage.  Members who post in the "Damaged Book" thread should edit each post (replace the text with the word "TAKEN") when the item has been requested by another member, to avoid getting multiple PMs for an item that is no longer available. The topic will be "cleaned up" of old "TAKEN" posts periodically.
  • Please note: as of Sept 1, 2017, ARCs may no longer be swapped in the Bazaar. They are not postable to Bookshelves and they may not be swapped "unofficially" either. This policy is intended to protect and support authors.
• Recurring threads (ie, "Official Wish List Multiple Thread") are not sticky; like all regular topics, they will "archive off" the site if they are not posted in regularly. A topic that is not posted in for 45 days will be removed from the Forum. The "Official Wish List Multiple Thread" topic is an example of a "moderated and collected" topic. This thread is specifically for members to solicit multiple-book requests for Wish Listed books: it saves postage for the sender, and the requestor can get some great books this way!  All similar offers must be posted within that topic -- "standalone" threads create chaos and are prohibited. The topic is moderated and updated monthly. Monthly topics will have titles beginning with the month.
• Please check the first post in any topic, for the rules that govern that topic. You need to follow them.

(2) Individual members' threads.

• "Deals" threads. Members often will offer "deals" (ie, "2 for 1" = 2 books for 1 credit) on their account Bookshelves. Sometimes the deals are limited to a genre (for example, "2 for 1 on all children's pop-up books"), and sometimes not. The individual thread titles and original posts will make the terms of the deal clear. See instructions below on "How to Make a Deal" for sender and requestor. The Help item "How do I direct my request for a book to a specific member?" is also available by clicking "Need Help?" on the upper right of any page in the Forums.
   
• Deals may also include "incentive" deals--items offered as freebies/incentives to request a book from the poster's bookshelf using a credit. Incentives may include unpostable items such as damaged books (books that do not meet Book Condition guidelines as described in the Help Center).. Each post in this thread should describe the item(s) being offered as a freebie or incentive. See below for instructions on How to Make a Deal (how to request a "freebie" as an accompaniment to a regular book request). Remember, if you plan to offer freebies/incentives that are not eligible for Media Mail rate (such as magazines) they need to be sent First-Class Mail, which is more expensive than Media Mail postal rate.
  • Note: as of Sept 1, 2017, ARCs may not be included as "freebies" or incentives, since their general circulation could be considered as undermining authors, which is not the intent of PaperBackSwap.

• Bookshelf advertisement/"Order From Me" threads. Because of the FIFO rule that governs swapping at PBS, the earliest-posted copy of a book is the first to be requested. However, any member can easily request a specific book directly from another member, "bypassing" FIFO. That is why advertising your bookshelf is useful to get your books moving. Posting topics with vague titles like "Look at my bookshelf" or "I posted new books today" isn't as helpful to requestors as if your topic title is specific and enticing. Good topic titles are "I have just posted 20 new cozy mysteries!" or "Horror books--come and get 'em!" Including a "teaser" (sample passage from book(s), synopsis of book(s)) in the first post in your topic is a good tactic to get members interested. See the instructions on "How to Make a Deal" below if a deal is involved. The Help item "How do I direct my request for a book to a specific member?" for requestors is also available if you click "Need Help?" on the upper right of any page in the Forums.

• Requests for buying or offers to sell credits.  This can be done but the MINIMUM price per credit must be no less than $3.  . Please read this.

• Requests to "lend a credit". Members sometimes ask for credits to be lent to them. This is okay as long as members follow these rules:

• The topic needs to be in the Book Bazaar Discussion Forum and no other forum
• The original post in the topic should specify clearly (1) how many credits are needed (maximum six) and (2) a timeframe to repay them.
• Any members who lend credits in response to these threads must post in the topic that they have given credits, and how many.
• When the member who asked for a loan has gotten the credits she needs, she must edit the topic title and the original post to say "Thank you--no more replies needed!" .
• No member should post a topic asking to borrow credits more than once per month, and can do this a maximum of 2 months in a row. So it is okay to ask in January and again in February, but that same member cannot ask again after that until April.
• Anyone giving credits to a member in response to this kind of topic who expects repayment should send a PM saying "I have lent you [x number of] credits - pay me back when you can".
• Anyone giving credits to a member in response to this kind of topic who does NOT expect repayment should include in her PM "I have sent you [x number of credits] - no need to repay".
• These credit loan topics may not appear anywhere but Book Bazaar. The original poster may bump the topic if she needs to only once.

• NOTE: asking for credit GIFTS is strictly prohibited.  Asking for LOANS must be confined to Book Bazaar and follow the rules in (7) below:

General Rules in the Book Bazaar:

(1) Members may create a maximum of two new topics per day.  For efficiency, you can "spotlight" multiple books from your account Bookshelf in one topic.  Read more about this rule in this Help doc.

(2) Members may "bump" in this forum a maximum of twice a day (bumping = posting a new post in a topic for the purpose of keeping the topic on the "front page" of the forum topic list). Adding a new post with new information is not considered bumping. If you edit your original post to update information there, this will not "bump" the topic. Note that topics asking for credit loans may be bumped once only and never again after that. Adding a new post that is not really necessary may, under some circumstances, be considered 'bumping'.  Read more about this in this Help doc.

(3) No selling books for anything but credits, and no offering anything but credits for books.  Offering or asking $ for books is not OK.

(4) No asking (or offering) more than "PBS price" for a book. For example, "I will pay 3 credits for this Wish List book" is a violation of this rule, as is "I will send you this book for 3 credits" if the book is worth only one credit on PBS. All bound books "cost" 1 credit each at PBS, and audiobooks "cost" 2 credits each. We don't want a "bidding war" for books, and it is not fair to cut in front of members who may have been waiting for a Wish List book for a long time. That is why offering/asking extra credits is not permitted.

(5) No swapping books-for-books unless the swap is between two "Boxers" (Boxers = subscribers to Box-O-Books). For example, posting "I will send you this book if you will send me that book" or "I will send any three books from my bookshelf for this one book I want" is not permitted unless both members are Boxers. If you are a Boxer, why not peek into other Boxers' bookshelves from the Box-O-Books area to see if books you want are available? You can save a lot of postage and credits this way!

(6) No trying to jump the Wish List "line" by offering or asking for postable Wish Listed books.  Postable Wish Listed books should be posted and swapped "officially".  This of course does not apply to posts advertising an alternate ISBN  (or non-ISBN version) of a Wish Listed title; it is fine to advertise that you have those posted to your account Bookshelf.

(7) Rules regarding posts asking for "credit loans"

NOTE: asking for credit GIFTS is strictly prohibited.  Asking for LOANS must be confined to Book Bazaar and follow the rules below:

• The original post in the topic should specify clearly (1) how many credits are needed (maximum 6) and (2) a timeframe to repay them.
• Any members who lend credits in response to these threads must post in the topic that they have given credits, and how many. 
• When the member who asked for a loan has gotten the credits she needs, she must edit the topic title and the original post to say "Thank you--no more replies needed!" .
• No member should post a topic asking to borrow credits more than once per month, and can do this a maximum of 2 months in a row. So it is okay to ask in January and again in February, but that same member cannot ask again until April.
• No member may ask for credit loans before having paid back all previous loans. 
• Anyone giving credits to a member in response to this kind of topic who expects repayment should send a PM saying "I have lent you [x number of] credits - pay me back when you can" (or state a timeframe in your message).
• Anyone giving credits to a member in response to this kind of topic who does NOT expect repayment should include in her PM "I have sent you [x number of credits] - no need to repay".
• These credit loan topics may not appear anywhere but Book Bazaar. The original poster may bump the topic if she needs to only once - not once per day, but once ever.

(8) Swapping of "unpostables" in this forum

• It is OK to offer unpostable media (such as magazines) for credits in "unofficial" swaps in this forum, or as freebies/incentives to order from a Bookshelf . 
• Remember that non-Media-Mail-eligible items CANNOT be sent using Media Mail postal rate. For example, DVDs and VHS tapes and magazines and pamphlets/booklets without ISBNs are all NOT permitted to be posted at PBS; they can all be offered as freebies/incentives, or for credit in "unofficial" swaps in this forum. Any items that contain advertising (ie, magazines or booklets bought at a supermarket checkout stand), or are not Media items (anything but books, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes) can't be sent Media Mail, so the whole package will have to go First Class or Priority Mail. DVDs/VHS tapes/CDs may be sent using Media Mail postal rate. Non-media items can't be swapped on the site - the Book Bazaar is not a Flea Market!
  • Note: As of Sept 1, 2017, ARCs may no longer be traded in any way in the Book Bazaar. Using the site to circulate ARCs is strictly prohibited.

How to Make a Deal:

For the Sender:

• Start a topic with the "Terms of the Deal" in the title. For example, "2-for-1 on all books on my shelf". The end date of the "deal" should be in the first post in the topic, or in the title (for example, "2-for-1 on all books on my shelf until April 30th").
• A member who wants to take advantage of your deal (the requestor) will post in the topic the book she wants for credit, and the freebie(s) she is asking for. Then the requestor will send a PM to you, with this same information, and will request the for-credit book from your shelf.
• You need to remove the "freebie" book(s) (if it/they are still available--if not, send this info in a PM to the requestor).
• If you get two PMs asking for the same book, you can handle this as you wish--but the requestor who requests the book first should get the "deal" if the
  freebie(s) she or he wants is/are still available. Remember that you will NOT get the request for a book until an hour after it is submitted, unless the requestor PMs you FROM THE ACTIVE REQUEST--doing this will send the request through immediately.
• If you cannot meet the requestor's request (if a book she wants is already taken by another requestor and you hadn't gotten to taking it off your shelf yet), don't print the address or mark the book mailed until you have arranged an alternate deal with the requestor. If no alternate deal is satisfactory, the requestor should cancel, so that your book that was requested does not get removed from your bookshelf. The sender should not cancel--doing this passes the request along to another sender (who is not part of the deal) and this creates confusion.
• If you are confused about whether a book has been requested from you, look through your bookshelf. The notation "pending request, 1-hr max." means the request has been submitted into the system, but it has not been submitted to
  YOU yet.
• When you get the request for the for-credit book, you can accept it and package the book up with the requested "freebie(s)" you have removed from your PBS bookshelf, and send them all together (this saves postage over sending out books individually!).
• If a book that is part of a deal can't be sent for any reason - it can't be found, for example, or is not in good condition, or does not meet the requestor's conditions - the sender should NOT cancel and should NOT click to decline for Requestor Conditions .
  • Instead, the sender should send a PM to the requestor who has approached you about the deal, and if he or she does not want the book, he or she can cancel the request. (If the book can't be found or is not in good condition, the sender can then remove the book from his or her account Bookshelf.)  A sender should not be the one to cancel a 'deal' request.
  • The reason for this is that If the sender cancels, this will pass the request along to a new sender who is not part of the deal. This causes confusion and disappointment.
• The requestor should always be the one to cancel a "deal" request if the deal can't be made.
• When the requestor gets the package, she will mark the "for-credit" book(s) received, and you will get your credit(s).
• Remember to keep your topic up-to-date: you can edit your original post as needed (this will NOT bump your topic). For example, if the original post offers 6 different damaged books you are willing to offer as freebies with orders from your shelf, please remove the items from the list in the original topic, as they are taken.

For the Requestor:

• If you see a deal you like, simply add a reply to the "deal" topic, with a post containing the title of the book you plan to request for credit, and the freebie(s) you are asking for.
• Then send a PM to the sender, telling her the same information (you can use the "Send Personal Message" button on her forum post to do this).
• If you have Requestor Conditions on your account and you want to apply them to the "deal" books, you should mention them to the sender in your PMs before requesting the book officially, to be sure that her books meet those conditions before you submit the request.
• If you have Requestor Conditions on your account and you DON'T want to apply those to the "deal" books, you should go into your Account Settings and set your Requestor Conditions to "No", click Update, and then request the "deal" book.  Then you can turn your RCs on again.

• If the sender declines your request for Requestor Conditions or for any other reason, your request will be passed to a new sender, who is not part of this "Deal". This leads to confusion and disappointment.  The requestor should always be the one to cancel a "deal" request.

• Then request your for-credit book directly from her bookshelf (see below), and await a reply PM from the sender telling you that she has accepted your deal (that the freebie(s) you want are still available). See the instructions below on how to direct your request to a specific member. This information is also in the Help item "How do I direct my request for a book to a specific member?" by clicking "Need Help?" on the upper right of any page in the Forums, and choosing that item from the list that drops down there.
• If the items you want aren't all available, you and the sender can of course arrange an alternate "deal". If no deal is satisfactory to both parties, YOU (the requestor) should cancel the request you made for the book from her shelf (if the sender cancels, the book will be removed from her bookshelf and she will have to repost it and go to the back of the "FIFO" line.  More important, the request will be passed to a new sender who is not part of the deal, and this will cause confusion and disappointment).

To request a book from a specific member:

• Click the Books button on the post by the member, and browse her bookshelf. If you decide to request a book for credit, be sure to click the "Order This Book" **ONLY** when you are on the bookshelf of the other member. If you click the book title or cover to see more information about the book, this will take you to the general database, and the Order This Book button there will NOT send your request to this specific member.
• If you want to read more about the book, just be sure to click the "back" button on your browser to take you back to the specific member's bookshelf BEFORE clicking "Order This Book".
• You will know you are on the member's bookshelf because the member's name will be at the top of the page. Click the Order This Book button there.
• You can check to make sure that your request has gone through to the intended member by going to your account page and clicking the PM button on the request for the book there, and seeing whose name pops up in the "To" field.
• If it is NOT the intended member's name, you can click "Cancel" on the request on your account page and try again. You can cancel ONLY up until the sender prints the address to send the book, so be sure that you check your "directed
  requests" right away!
• Then send a PM to the member from whom you requested the book, telling him or her what incentives/freebies you have chosen from the deal she has offered.
• When you receive the book(s) and freebie(s)/incentives in the mail, mark the for-credit book(s) received from your account page as usual, and the sender will get her credit(s) for the deal.

Additional Tips:

(1) Amanda S (ABCatHome) and Melanie D (melanied) are the Book Bazaar Czars; they know the ins and outs of the Book Bazaar and if you have any questions, they're your go-to girls!  For the most part, this topic should answer your questions about how to use this forum. If a Book Bazaar Czar contacts you about a rules violation, please cooperate. Rules can be annoying but they keep things running smoothly!

(2) How to see another member's account Bookshelf: click the Books button on his or her forum post to be taken there.

(3) How to send another member a PM: click "Personal Message" on the forum post to open a new PM.

Please note: A la Carte level membership does not include the ability to write or reply to PMs outside of an active or recent swap, so:

• Please do not PM A la Carte members "out of the blue." It's very frustrating for them not to be able to answer! If you want to PM an A la Carte member, you can request a book from him/her and send a PM from the active book transaction.
• If you are an A la Carte member, you will not be able to send or reply to PMs from members with whom you do not have an active or recent transaction.
• Membership level shows on a member's forum posts and profile.

(4) Make your topic titles/original posts snazzy! And make your posts concise but informative (short snippets of the book(s) you are showcasing are always fun) to attract members to request from you.

(5) If a member asks you for a deal and you haven't offered one, this is not considered rude; it is also not considered rude to refuse. This kind of thing should be handled politely, without hard feelings on either side.

Most of all, have fun! and Happy reading!

Common Book Baazar Mistakes and tips for smoother deals

Im listing the tips and trick from the tips thread so that we wont have to keep bumping it up. If you have any to add post them in the thread here and I will add them to this post so that this thread doesnt get congested. I have added the name of whoever posted a tip if I missed one let me know and I'll fix it.

1. First up a lot of times a person doing a deal will get a pm to tell them what free book/s the person ordering wants but they dont get the actual order. The problem is that the requestor has clicked on the book info and is no longer on the persons shelf when they click the order button. This is the explanation from the Help Center:
   If you are trying to order the book from a specific member's bookshelf, you will need to click the button ON THE BOOKSHELF (and nowhere else) in order to be sure the request goes to that member. If you have clicked the book cover on the bookshelf to read more about the book, GO BACK to the member's bookshelf to click the button there.
2. Second if you are ordering more than one book you can use the order more from this member feature. For instance someone is running a 2 for 1 and you want to order 2 books and get two free. Instead of ordering the 2 books seperately you can order more from this member. This will give the sender the ability to print just one label. Here is the Help Center info:
   If you would like to see what other books this sender has, so that he or she can mail multiple books at once, click "Order More Books From This Member" on this page (you won't be required to order more books if you choose this option; this button lets you browse the member's bookshelf and combine requested books into a bulk request if you find others you want); when you are done choosing books from the member's bookshelf, click "Preview Request"
3. And third when you order from a deal you can bypass the 1 hr pending request for buyers remorse. The way I understand it (thanks for the explanation Jessie) is that when you order the book go to your account and find the transaction for it. Click send pm and give them your extra books from that pm screen. This will bypass the waiting period and the sender can get the order immediately when you pm them with your extra selection. Here is the info:
   There is approximately 1 hour's delay between the time a book is first ordered and the time that the request is submitted to the sender. This allows for "buyer's remorse," so that the requestor can easily cancel if she changes her mind, without the sender ever knowing about the request. If the requestor sends a PM to the sender from the request, however, that 1-hr delay will be eliminated, and the book request will be submitted immediately at the time the PM is sent.
4. When you order from a deal post the freebies in the thread so that others who are looking at the deal can see that you have requested them. That way even if the person running the deal is not at their comp to update their shelf the next person in line wont ask for the same books as freebies or as their order.
   You should also post what books you were ordering as well.(Veronika)
5. Another point to think about is some members don't check their thread and rely only on pm's so if you forget to send your pm they don't know you were responding to their deal even if you posted to their thread - hopefully I've learned this lesson and won't forget my pm's!
6. And I'm always harping on this, but if you offer a deal please, please don't cancel a request. PM the member and they can cancel it from their end. If you cancel it, it just gets bumped to the next member offering the book, but not a deal. (Sheila)
7. I just thought of another one. If you live in a smoking environment or you have pets or anything else that is against common conditions say it in your thread that way you wont HAVE to decline a deal because a person with conditions will know not to order from you.
8. Make a list of all the free books you are pulling out of your boxes, then make sure to delete every title from your PBS bookshelf. This will ensure that no one requests a book that you've already sent off.(Melody)
9. When I offer a deal I use a set of small cards - write the titles requested on the cards and the person's first name on the back. I then delete the titles from my shelf and when the order comes through, just finish the name and address on the back of the card. I then pull the books and stick that card in the top book. I use that card as the maililing label (LG)
10. I'm not sure where to fit this in, but I wanted to also let people know that many of the books that are posted have no description in the details section. I'm slowly editing my books so that they have descriptions, using the edit book data feature. I know when I'm browsing, I'm not going to choose a book just by its title. Do others? It's something to think about if you're puzzled about why your books aren't being chosen. (Judith)
11. If you have book that is WLed on another ISBN and you are going to make a thread of your own for it put the title of the book in the title of the thread.

I have a request for deal posters:

If your bookshelf is entirely one or two genres, PLEASE indicate that in your post so people who don't read those genres don't waste their time sorting through your shelf.  For instance, if you only have romances, let us know....there's no point in non-romance readers going through your list.

Thanks!

deleted

I have just posted 20 Baseball Almanacs ("Baseball America"), "Sporting News" Guides, and "Sporting News" official Baseball Registers. I have many more not yet posted so if want a year not listed yet, please let me know. My husband is thinning out a collection of many years. All are in  perfect or near perfect condition.

Pat

I recently posted a set of four Jan Karon books and when I checked the listing, was surprised to see it was only valued at one credit.  I have read several posts which mention varying numbers of credits for book sets and am wondering about the difference.  Could someone explain about credits for book sets.

If you provide a list of titles and authors, single spaced (so I can easily print them) I will look for your WL books when I go shopping

deborah1175

I'VE ABOUT 20 RECENT CHRISTIAN NOVELS ON MY BOOKSHELF.  AM NEW TO THIS FORUM SO AM NOT TOO SURE ABOUT LISTING YET.  PATTYLITTLEPIE

need credits will take 1 credit each for cassettes.

pm me if interested

I just hope I am doing this right.  Let me know if I make or made a mistake. (See my new topic)

It really is aggravating when a post gets buried because someone bumps themselves more than once a day or thanks the person for their order, after each order!  

Hello, everyone.

 I'm a newbie here. My employer told me about this website today and I joined as soon as I got home. I've got a roomful (literally) of books- can't give them away as fast as I collect them. Even the local library won't take my collection of Reader's Digest Condensed (which goes back into the 1950's). I guess "purists" don't like abriged versions, but I like them. They're great for travelling because with 4 or 5 stories in each volume, you're likely to enjoy at least one. Hope to find someone here who wants to give them a home. Couldn't bear to just throw them in the dumpster. Have plenty of other types as well. Looking forward to trading and meeting other "book addicts"- we seem to be  fewer every year.     Sincerely, JTP

Are you a fan of Horror and have read every King, koontz novel? Well here are some authors I discovered through this site that are just as good at keeping you up at nite.

I have James Herbert, Peter Straub, Brian Keene, and whitley strieber, and Orson Scott Card to name a few.

So come to my Bookshelf and give some other authors a try! try today

I have lots of Susan Wiggs, some Debbie Macomber, Jude Devereaux, Fern Michaels, Nora Roberts, and many more.  Most of the books are very recent, and I intend to add to them frequently.  I'd love to get more credits so I can order more books! :)

Thank you!!!!!!

I have 3 Nicholas Sparks books on my bookshelf that I know someone must be looking for. The ISBN # is different from members wish list. Please take alook at my bookshelf

3 for 1 on entire bookshelf, except audiobooks, until Saturday,  August 9.  Am downsizing library and have lots of classic sf , fantasy and mysteries  as well as nearly new.

Sandy

hello:

i have a beautiful set of illustrated world war II encyclopidias that i would like to find a good home for.they were my husbands fathers.  he was crazy about world war II. they have sat on a shelf for many years and are not getting any use except dusting. they are in excelent conditon. there are 24 in all. i would like atleast 12 credits for them.  well if you have any questions please contact me .thank you for your time   

                                                                                                                                                                                  zoomom