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Topic: Is this new? Multi-Mail request?

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Subject: Is this new? Multi-Mail request?
Date Posted: 11/28/2011 8:01 AM ET
Member Since: 12/21/2007
Posts: 1,642
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Is this something new? I was on my accounts setting page and discovered this--

 

"This section is not required. MultiMail requests are opportunities for you to mail multiple books in one shipment - so you can earn more credits for less postage. If you happen to have all of the books a member wants, you may get a MultiMail request, even if your books are not next in line to be requested. Each MultiMail request you send costs $0.99 in PBS Money. If you do NOT want PBS to offer you MultiMail requests, please check the box below, and then click 'Update MultiMail Settings' to apply the change."

 

You can opt out of it if you choose. I personally just check the person's bookshelf anyway and see if there is more than one thing I want to order. But I'm guessing this is something new. I'm thinking of just opting out. I'm not sure how it affects Gold Key members--although it isn't mentioned anywhere at all in the help docs. I don't see how a charge of 99 cents is going to save me any money at all on multiple book orders.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 8:47 AM ET
Member Since: 8/23/2007
Posts: 26,510
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I never noticed that before.  I didn't check it off.  I went to the newsletter archive and the help docs and didn't see anything.  I know people have asked for this-to be able to list multiple books that they want and see if someone has more than one to send and save on postage. I didn't check it because I never have much read to send and when I do it's usually WL. 

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 9:01 AM ET
Member Since: 2/13/2007
Posts: 2,276
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I just checked "What's New" and there is nothing there either...I would expect an announcement soon. I love that they are attempting to give us a way to request multiple books from one member but I do think that the 99 cent fee would offset savings...time will tell.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 9:27 AM ET
Member Since: 10/26/2007
Posts: 1,140
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I believe it's part of the gold key membership.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 9:31 AM ET
Member Since: 2/13/2007
Posts: 2,276
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Not a part of Gold Key. If it were there would not be a fee attached, IMO



Last Edited on: 11/28/11 9:39 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
Date Posted: 11/28/2011 9:37 AM ET
Member Since: 4/7/2008
Posts: 15,690
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I haven't heard anything about this either...I guess we'll hear from the Team about this soon.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 12:05 PM ET
Member Since: 10/19/2006
Posts: 136
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I think it is a Gold Key membership option. I'm not a Gold Key member and the Multi Mail Request is not on my accounts setting page.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 12:16 PM ET
Member Since: 8/30/2008
Posts: 2,207
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Hmmm, I have it on my Settings page. I opted out as I don't have/do PBS money and I personally don't request multiple books very often, and rarely get multiple requests from my Shelf.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 12:19 PM ET
Member Since: 7/28/2006
Posts: 4,984
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Where is it exactly?  I'm not seeing it on my Settings tab...

Sometimes when the Team rolls out new features they only activate it on certain accounts for beta testing.  Could be why some see it and some don't.  Or I could just be missing it.  crying

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 12:23 PM ET
Member Since: 8/23/2007
Posts: 26,510
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I didn't check it off because of the .99 fee.  You'd have to ship 3 books or more to someone to really make it worth the .99 fee plus the increase in postage.  Unless they were really light books.  I guess if 2 books could be sent for $2.78 the .99 would make the credit average 1.89 instead of 1.39.  Still cheaper I guess but seems kind of steep considering I already paid for the Gold Key membership and usually use the PBS postage for bulk orders to save a post office trip.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 12:24 PM ET
Member Since: 1/30/2009
Posts: 5,696
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Hm. I see it at the bottom of mine. Is it .99, or .99 plus a .50 transaction fee? If the latter is the case, it more or less negates the benefits of multiple mailings (unless the order is particularly large) IMO.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 1:01 PM ET
Member Since: 10/22/2009
Posts: 1,452
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I don't see it on my settings page either and I'm a Gold Key member. As others have said, with the 99¢ fee I don't see where it would really be a money saver.   I guess it might help in moving some heavily posted books.  (Say if somebody wants three John Grisham books with tons of copies in the system and I happen to have all three of  those on my shelf.)

(edited for typos)



Last Edited on: 11/28/11 2:02 PM ET - Total times edited: 2
Date Posted: 11/28/2011 1:21 PM ET
Member Since: 12/31/2009
Posts: 3,995
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I'm also Gold Key, and it's not in my settings. Looks like a beta test.

I don't see the sense of paying for something like that. I hope they're not thinking of using this to do away with the "order more from this member" button or something.



Last Edited on: 11/28/11 1:22 PM ET - Total times edited: 2
Date Posted: 11/28/2011 1:28 PM ET
Member Since: 8/23/2007
Posts: 26,510
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I think it's intended more for like Laura says: say someone wants several books by one author or from their RL or what not: There will probably be a way to list all the ones you are looking to order right now, then anyone who has checked that box and has more than 1 will be offered the order first. Or the requestor will get a message saying "X Member has more than one of the books you are looking for would you like to took at their bookshelf" or something to that effect.

 It's way down on the bottom of the settings page as the very last thing. If I had a huge bookshelf, I might be worht it to me. But 90% of what I post and mail here is WL or so few copies that they get ordered quickly.

I would think that if they wanted me to beta-test something, they would have asked me beforehand and explained it to me.

My guess is that they are still adding it to be peoples pages or whatever and then there'll be an announcement.



Last Edited on: 11/28/11 1:31 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
Date Posted: 11/28/2011 1:52 PM ET
Member Since: 1/17/2009
Posts: 10,283
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Here is my GUESS on what it is:

1. A fee that a SENDER can opt to pay, so that if a member is looking for multiple books, a sender with this option turned on would have the books all ordered off their shelf, regardless of FIFO. So, you as a SENDER are paying a 99 cent fee so that someone elses book order bypasses FIFO and comes right to your shelf. You pay the fee at the time you get the order, I guess.

So, basically, if you post a lot of books by the same author, or from the same series, you are someone who might be interested in paying a fee for receiving this type of book order.

I don't think it has anything to do with "Order More Books from this Member".

It sounds kind of steep to me, personally. I might pay a 50 cent fee for something like that, but not $1. (or maybe a sliding fee, like 25 cents for a 2 book order, 75 cents for a three book order, $1.00 for 4 or more books)

 



Last Edited on: 11/28/11 2:06 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
Date Posted: 11/28/2011 3:38 PM ET
Member Since: 4/7/2008
Posts: 15,690
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I had it this morning but it's not there anymore...

They seem to be testing it. I agree with Sara though.....$1 seems steep.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 3:44 PM ET
Member Since: 5/4/2009
Posts: 439
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A dollar does seem steep to me, but if it saves you $2 each time and you have lots of multiples/series, it may be worth it. I figure $2 on average since two books between 8 and 16 ounces each mailed seperately would be $4.82, but mailed together would be $2.82.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 3:49 PM ET
Member Since: 8/30/2008
Posts: 2,207
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Hmm, now it's gone. Strange.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 4:28 PM ET
Member Since: 2/13/2007
Posts: 2,276
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Gone from my settings too...at least I know I did not imagine it! It would be cool if it were included as a part of Gold Key or available as an option to non-Gold Key members...that would make sense to me.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 5:58 PM ET
Member Since: 8/19/2007
Posts: 4,451
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OK - Last week I ordered 7 books from one member - it timed out and the books were ordered from 7 different members.  Yesterday I ordered 3 books from one member - she canceled the order, and those 3 books are going to three different members.  If I had opted in to the multi-book program (I haven't), would I get my $1.98 back or would it just have been lost?  Pat

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 5:59 PM ET
Member Since: 1/17/2009
Posts: 10,283
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 If I had opted in to the multi-book program (I haven't), would I get my $1.98 back or would it just have been lost?  Pat

Nobody knows what this feature is yet. We are all just speculating.

But it sounds like a fee that the sender pays, not the book orderer. Why would the book orderer want to pay to save someone else shipping?

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 6:53 PM ET
Member Since: 9/22/2010
Posts: 3,683
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I am not a Gold Key member and it was there, but now it is not.  The way it read  to me was a "fine" against us if someone ordered more than one book from us at a time. Didn't make much sense except to put more $ in the till for PBS.  I very occasionally get multiple books orders and would resent this, especially as I use DC for all my book requests as I know this helps PBS.

If it is some new option being tested, I hope my understanding of it was wrong.

Sianeka - ,
Date Posted: 11/28/2011 7:18 PM ET
Member Since: 2/8/2007
Posts: 6,630
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Thomas, I think this is a new feature under consideration, but I doubt very much they would "fine" Senders for wanting to save postage and send out multiple books.  I'm guessing only here, but I think it is a feature designed to allow Senders (for a small fee) to skip over the FIFO sendout order and offer multiple books sent out at one time to Requestors that want multiple books in a series or by a certain author, etc.

If you posted three books in a series, with FIFO sendout order of #1 for first book, #35 for second book, and FIFO sendout number of #100 for third book, then you could as Sender, offer to send out all three books to a Requestor who is looking for them for .99 fee.  That way, Requestor's order for all three books would go to you, and not just the request for first book, which is the only book request you'd get if the system was going by Sendout FIFO order.

It would not affect you if a member ordered first book from your bookshelf, and saw you had all three books and ordered them from you using the Order More Books from Member feature.  (No fee to you if they did that.)

At least this is my take on the proposed new feature.  (THIS IS ONLY MY GUESS, I DON'T HAVE ANY KNOWLEGE AT THIS TIME ON MULTI-MAIL FEATURE!)

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 7:19 PM ET
Member Since: 12/31/2009
Posts: 3,995
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The way it read  to me was a "fine" against us if someone ordered more than one book from us at a time.

That's the way it seemed to me also. Either pay for the privelege of sending multiples or, if you decide to opt out, you can only mail singles. Not cool.

If they're already testing the feature, then I guess we'll soon be finding out one way or the other.

Date Posted: 11/28/2011 8:36 PM ET
Member Since: 8/19/2007
Posts: 4,451
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I had it a while back, but now it's gone.  Pat

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