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Help Center - When will I get my book?

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You can expect your swap book (a used book requested from another club member for a Book Credit) to arrive about a week after it is marked mailed.

  • MediaMail transit times are variable
    • USPS says to allow 2 weeks, but the PBS system allows nearly 4 for books mailed within the contiguous US.  (For books mailed to or from an address outside the contiguous US, the system allows 5 weeks.)
    • Some books cross the country in 2 days!  Some take two weeks to go 100 miles.  MediaMail is inexpensive, not predictable.
  • The average transit time for all books at PBS (including those coming from military addresses outside the US and HI, AK, PR and GU) is 9 days
    • But most books will arrive much sooner than that.
  • If the information on the request says that the book is coming from outside the continental US, your book may take longer to arrive. 
    • You can tell where your book is coming from by looking at the right side of the "en route" request.
  • If you are concerned about a book that hasn't arrived yet:
    • Remember to allow for postal holidays and inclement weather that can slow down mail
    • You can contact the requestor using the button on the en Route transaction to send a Personal Message.
    • A reasonable time to inquire (politely) would be at the two-week mark (= 14 days after a book was marked "mailed").

If you are sending a book to or from outside the contiguous US, it is a good idea to send a Personal Message to the requestor at the time you mark the book mailed, to let her know the package might take longer than usual in transit.

Don't forget to mark your incoming book received from your My Account page when it arrives!  Here are full instructions: Marking an incoming book received

If you have purchased a new book from the Market: 

  • Market books come from two sources: Overstock (which arrive more quickly) and Super Sellers (which take longer).  Both sent via the FedEx SmartPost service. With this service, FedEx provides a USPS DC number and the tracking information along the route before delivering the packages to the member's local Post Office. The USPS does the final sorting and delivery, so this service can be used to send items to PO Boxes, unlike standard FedEx shipping methods.  Once the package has arrived at the Post Office, the DC information appears at the USPS website. Prior to that, the same number can be tracked at FedEx's website. 
  • Overstock books are shipped within 5 business days and you should get them within 10 days of the shipment. 
  • The Super Seller books can take a bit longer - maybe 14 business days from the time you order them. 

 


Related Links:

Marking an incoming book received
What happens after you submit a request for a book
What if the sender does not respond to my request within 4 days?
What if the sender agrees to send the book, but doesn't mark it mailed before the deadline?
What if I want to cancel a request I made?
What if the sender is taking too long to respond? Can I cancel and reorder from someone else?
How can I tell who's sending me a book? (or to whom I am sending a book?)
What if I never receive the book I requested?