I know I don’t do near the DVD swapping that I used to do because of the $.49 or $.50 fee/charge. And I stopped doing the CDswapping way back for the same reason.
Well, I’ve not been requesting as many here of late….and I’ve not been sending as many because I sold a lot of my books to 2nd & Charles (a used book, toy, electronics, etc. – but not clothes or housewares store).
I’m guessing that I won’t be a member anymore. I guess I should use up my credits.
Really, when you consider the cost of shipping, it’s not much more than going to AbeBooks or even Amazon to buy used books. And lucking out at a used book sale is even cheaper!
It’s really disappointing that they’re adding charges. I remember when I signed up (YEARS ago) they said that they would “grandfather” the original members when the time for charges came…..and I don’t see how they’ve “grandfathered” the original members.
Oh, well. There’s still my favorite tool – bookfinders.com. And my favorite used book shop – AbeBooks.
I’m using up my last 3 credits and then just sticking to Amazon. As was pointed out, often books used on Amazon can be as inexpensive as paperback swap with the new fees.
Now, I do think I will keep my wishlist if it will let me and then pay the fee for any really great book that comes along through that at PBS, if I can’t find the book for less at Amazon.
Really, I don’t use PBS nearly as much as I did in the beginning.
I never got the email. When does this take effect? I have also found that I am not using it much. I have thought about quitting anyways. I do need to use my credits, though.
Thanks for the heads up. I hadn’t used pbs in a long while. I just used my last 3 credits. I have a $2.50 money balance that I guess I’ll just write off. I prefer Amazon and Abe Books anyway.
Wow, I don’t remember seeing an email either and I don’t see where it says when this goes into effect. I have 12 credits that I need to use up! I rarely use pbs and am often disappointed in the copies I receive when I do. I much prefer just shopping for what I want in the condition I want.
I’m still a big pbs fan and I will likely go with the membership. I got 8 books in the last 30 days; at that rate the membership is a good deal. I’m still happy with 99% of what I’ve gotten there, and I still get great deals. I STILL think it’s cheaper than used at Amazon. Even if you get a book for just a penny there, there is the $3.99 shipping fee. Most of the books I mail cost just a bit under $3 to mail, so adding $.49 is still cheaper. I’m excited about getting a wishlist of 500! They really put me in a bind when they limited us to 200. I’m always having to knock something off to put a new one on. Sigh. I do feel old–I joined when the site was just a couple months old. I think it’s a way of life now, not a site. LOL I go to garage sales and think “I could list that . . . ” LOL I think I’ll still be there when they shut the site down. I’d of course rather not have fees—but on the other hand, I know how expensive the site, all the things they do, employees, etc. must be. I’d rather have the site and a small fee than no site at all. 🙂
I don’t begrudge them the money at all. (I charge a fee to belong to my library so I’m ultra sensitive about that.) The laborer is worthy… I just rarely ever use it. In fact I haven’t listed any more books since the initial stack when I first joined a few years ago and I still have 12 credits. They rarely have books I’m looking for and, while I do put them on my wish list, it can take months if not years to get what you want. And many of the ones I’ve gotten have been really ratty which is disappointing when all the books I’ve sent have been like new. It’s a great service for those who use it.
Robin, my experience has been the same. I rarely used it and the copies I received were often poor. I think their fee option is reasonable, if you use the service.
I guess some of my problem with the fees is that I somehow just “outgrew” using PBS. I rarely use it anymore — cost of postage, condition of books, waiting time, and now the yearly fee, those are reasons to de-clutter my life.
So, I think I’ll just pass on it….. But! It is a really good idea. I got so many GOOD books from PBS. (And some terrible ones! *L*). I definitely leave PBS peacefully, with malice toward none, and with great memories.
It’s funny, I’ve only gotten 2 or 3 bad books over the years, out of something like 700+ books!
I’ll try the paid scheme for a year and then re-evaluate. One fear I have is it becoming more “exclusive” and therefore having fewer books to choose from. So I’ll see.