Newbie Page
From MoochWiki
Welcome to BookMooch! Read this page before you mooch - it will improve your chances of a happy mooch, and decrease the chances of irritation and negative feedback.
Contents |
How to list books
-Start by Listing 10 Books - You can list as many books as you want to give away, but starting with a small inventory will allow you to see how it goes, and not get too overwhelmed if your whole inventory gets mooched.
-Use Condition Notes. List any defects about the book that might matter to a potential moocher. This will also get your book mooched faster when multiple copies are available. Things worth noting:
- missing dust jackets
- smells of any kind
- ex library
- water damage
- underlining
- Like New Condition.
- BookCrossing Stickers
- Don't use the word "Good" - this means different things to different people.
-Write a Status Message - this is used to tell potential moochers that you smoke, have pets, don't smoke, etc. Allergic people will thank you!
-If you get overwhelmed with many mooches, or can't send a book within the stated time, Use the Delay Button. Moochers will understand when a person suddenly gets a large amount of book requests, and can't send them out because of finances, or time.
- If you have any questions, feel free to email [1] or post on the BookMooch Forum [2]
Deals
It is considered OK to offer deals where you give back points if someone mooches several books, or if it's in really bad condition.
It's considered sort of OK to offer extra points for books, as long as they are not highly wishlisted.
It's considered abuse to ask for more points on a book. If the points-to-postage ratio is really awful, you can ask people to mooch an extra book, or reject the mooch.
How to accept a mooch
Use the accept button to say that you are willing to send the book, and that you know that you have it. If you know you can't send the book right away, the delay button is your best option. Use the sent button when you have sent the book or just before you are going to send it. Whatever you do, communication is the key.
How to reject a mooch
You need to have a valid reason to reject a mooch. Valid reasons include "shipping costs are too expensive" (but if a book is too expensive to send even domestically, don't list it - requiring extra points is against the rules). "Can't find it" is not a valid excuse - if it happens once people will forgive you, several rejections like this will lead to trouble.
As this comes up every now and then, we'd like to remind you that "I don't want to send my book to this person" is not a valid reason to reject a mooch, no matter what your reasoning is (common victims are book sellers and people who don't send internationally). If you suspect the moocher is abusing BookMooch, delay the request and click "Report Abuse" on the moocher's member page and the Abuse team will investigate.
How to send books
The book sender always pays the postage costs. Feel free to send books the cheapest way possible, although if this is going to take very long it might be good to check there's no hurry. Combine multiple mooches into a single package. For packages outside the US, use the international flatrate envelope. Within the US, First Class is cheapest for sending most single paperbacks as they're under 8 ounces; past that, Media Mail is less expensive.
When you pack a book, make sure it's protected from the weather (rain damages books very easily) as well as mechanical damage, and make sure the book can't be easily separated from the address. Bubble wrap envelopes work well.
Don't declare too high value on the customs declaration, it may mean the receiver has to pay tax. About $2 per book is ok. If your customs form has the options, tick "gift".
Mooching Internationally
When you are mooching a book from an International BookMooch Member, There are 3 options for mooching
If the Account is set to world-wide, you can mooch the book without asking.
If the Account is set to Ask First, when you request a book, an email goes to the book owner asking if they will send it. If the owner can send it, then an email gets sent to you saying "Yes! You can Mooch the book", and a link to mooch it. You still need to mooch the book! If the owner is not willing to send the book, then the request is cancelled. During this time, the book is reserved for you, and no one can mooch it.
If the account is set to "Only within my country" then you cannot mooch the book.
Alternately, if the international owner isn't willing to send you the book, you can ask the book owner to hold the book until a BookMooch Angel on the BookMooch Angel Network is found.
Feedback
Negative or even neutral feedback is not taken lightly here - if you're dissatisfied, first send the sender a message - they may offer to refund your point(s). After you get a reply (or after a few days) edit your feedback to reflect their response: if there's some problem, but you get your points back, please leave a positive feedback: you want to encourage people to do that.
If you are dissatisfied don't let them talk you out of putting a negative (or neutral) feedback, but state the truth. Avoid opinions and don't assume: stick to the facts when leaving negative feedback. ALWAYS give a reason if you leave any thing other than +1 feedback.
