Question
One of my bidders wants me to forward some books he won to his friend in prison. Can I do that?
I was just wondering if anyone else here has, and if they got them okay. I know some prisons have rules/regulations about items that mailed to the prisoners.
These books are for someone in Oklahoma State Prison. This is a first for me!
The bidder wants me to put my ebay user name "CD Books" as the return address since he said the prisoners can only accept items from booksellers rather than private parties.
Answer
Most prisons have strict rules about books coming in, there's a chance that your books will be returned to you. The prisons I've sent to say that the books can not be from a person, they must be from a store. They must be new. A invoice must be enclosed. I've sent them to prisons successfully because I use Endicia and it makes me look like a 'real store'.
So, send at your own risk (or your buyers risk).
Answer
If you accepted PayPal as payment their (no laughing here) "seller protection" won't cover you.
Personally, I'd be really leery about putting my return address (unless it was a P.O. Box), but then again, I've watched too many Law & Orders....
http://home.earthlink.net/~hoosierma...lighthouse.gif
"I have a mind like a steel trap. Stuff gets in there and WHAM! it never gets back out again."
Answer
I've sent books to inmates probably a half dozen times through selling on Amazon. Put my user ID, Amazon Order, and my address on the label. None were ever returned and I never got a note/email stating they never received them so I've assumed the books reached the inmates without any problems. I always use DC too so maybe that helped.
Jeanne
My eBay stuff
Answer
I have gone both ways on these orders. A few years ago, I had a few orders for prisoners from Half.com and I sent them off, but used Half.com's address (does anyone remember in their pre-Ebay days they used to ask you to use their address rather than your own?). I assume they went through because they never got charged back to me.
Then I read a lot of bad experiences on an Amazon chatboard about people getting books back, or getting chargebacks on books not returned to them from prisons. I recently had an order on Amazon to be sent to a prisoner, and I politely declined it. The book was selling for enough $$ that I didn't want to take the chance on a return or chargeback.
Answer
These books are pretty "harmless", they are religious books by C.S. Lewis!
The person who bought the books, has a confirmed address - which I will send them to instead. He put the prisoner's address in the "notes" on the paypal page.
I just don't want any hassles - from the prison, or prisoner!
And I do use a PoBox - by the way! http://community.here.com/infopop/em.../icon_wink.gif
Answer
The odds are good that the person who paid isn't going to be able to give those books to the inmate now. They might be a little peeved. Edited to add that I think the winning bidder should have asked first.
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The subject matter has little to do with anything. People smuggle drugs in between the pages, put LSD in the glue of the binding, insert wires inside the spine, etc.
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*waving to mickey from north of SF*
You might contact the bidder & explain that you have to ship to a confirmed address. Maybe you should let the bidder back out if they won't accept the books to their own address. (Since you sell lots of books, I'm sure you know there's always a market for C.S. Lewis. http://community.here.com/infopop/em.../icon_wink.gif)
Here's a link to Oklahoma State Prison. No email address but a fax number if you want to confirm their book policies. (The demographics report is also interesting.)
Ms. C.
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Club99SYI starts Saturday September 27!
sweet stuff on SYI!
Answer
I'm going to send the books to the confirmed address, rahter than the prison one. I did enclose a note apologizing why I'm not sending them to the prison and why and that I hope he can give them to his "friend" himself upon his next visit! http://community.here.com/infopop/em.../icon_wink.gif