What if I move? (How do I change my email or mailing address?)

It is easy to change your shipping or email address in your Account Settings. It is important to keep this information updated, so that you get the books you request (and don't have to pay postage-due if they are forwarded), and so that other members don't mail to the wrong place.

Media Mail is not routinely forwarded, and if books are returned to the senders, they may arrive back postage-due!

So when you are about 3-4 weeks away from your move, you should

Put your account on Vacation Hold (to prevent requests while you are unable to mail)
Be sure that auto-request is turned OFF on your Wish List (so no wish list books are requested for you automatically)
Update your mailing address in your account settings

The link to your account settings is in the menu under My Account at the top of any page on the site:

Log into your account.
Click My Account in the toolbar at the top of the page, and
From the menu that drops down, click Settings
- note: there is also a tab for Settings when you are on the My Account main page.
You can update your email and/or mailing address in the top section of the Settings page.
Click Update when you are done, and check the page to be sure the change went through.

You will need to have received 2 books from PBS if you would like to change your email or mailing address. If you have not yet received 2 books from PBS and you need to change your email or mailing address, please contact us and provide your old and new information BEFORE submitting any request for books.

If you are moving to a new mailing address: You should not request books during (at least) the three-week period before a move, to ensure that those books don't arrive at your prior address.

You should also make sure that you have NO books set to Auto-Request on your Wish List.
- Auto-request uses the address that is in your account settings at the time of the request.
- Auto-request keeps a wish active - even if you have your account on Vacation Hold. So before a move, you need to be sure you are using Vacation Hold with *no* books set to auto-request on your Wish List. You can read more about auto-request in What is the auto-request feature on the Wish List, and how does it work?.
If you have forgotten to change your mailing address and you are offered a Wish List book:
- You can click "I want this book, mail to an alternate address" on the offer, then enter your current address. Note: this will NOT change your address in your account settings - you will still need to make that update.
- You can also change your address in your account settings before accepting the Wish List offer.
It is important to realize that changing your address in your account settings AFTER submitting a request will not affect the address on the already-submitted request.

If books requested by you are already "en route" to you when you move:

You can make arrangements to collect them from the current inhabitants of the previous address if possible, OR
You must contact your previous PO to arrange for special Media Mail forwarding. A regular "forwarding" or "change of address" order that works for letters does not typically work for Media Mail packages.
- This may mean that the package will arrive at your new location postage-due, since Media Mail does not routinely include forwarding service - you will need to pay the postage due and claim the book.
If you have requested books that have not been mailed yet, you can try to "catch" the sender using the PM button on the transaction, to provide your new address.
- If the sender has printed postage already, that postage CANNOT be altered to work for the new address.
- If the sender has printed postage already, he or she can contact us (using the "feedback " button on the Contact Us page linked from the bottom of the site) ASAP for help with that.

It is the requestor's responsibility to provide a working address to senders. If you do not keep your address current and correct on your account, you will need to give credits for (= mark received) any books that are sent to the wrong address, whether or not you are able to collect them, and whether or not they are returned to the sender. Because Media Mail is not routinely forwarded, a book requested to an old mailing address may not be forwarded (it might be returned to the sender postage due, AND it also might not be returned to the sender at all). Providing a dependable, correct address to senders is a fundamental part of keeping this club working well, and doing so is essential to maintaining membership.

If you get a Wish List offer and your account mailing address in your account settings is not current, you should EITHER

Update your mailing address in your account settings before clicking "I want this book -- mail to my address"

-OR-

Click "I want this book -- ship to an alternate address" on the Wish List offer (and then update your mailing address in your Account Settings right afterward!)

If you accept a Wish List offer and then you realize that your account mailing address in your account settings is not current, please read this!

Updating your address in your account settings after submitting the request will NOT update the address on the already-submitted request.
If this is your situation:
- You should DEFINITELY update your mailing address in your account settings for future requests, but
- To try to change the address on the already-submitted request you should go ASAP to your My Account page and look for the "Change TO Address" button on the request. It's there only for a short time.
  - Click that button if it is there and supply your current mailing address
  - If the Change TO Address button is NOT there, you should cancel the request if the cancel button is there.
  - If the Cancel button is NOT there, that means the other member has already accessed your mailing address from the request (and could already have mailed), so you need to send a Personal Message as quickly as possible using the PM button on the request, to explain what happened and stop the mailing to the wrong address. If the sender has NOT already mailed but has printed postage, she or he should contact us and we will help.

If a book has already been mailed to your old address, you need to contact your former PO for that old ZIP code and try to arrange to have the package forwarded.

Media Mail is not routinely forwarded ( a regular change-of-address form that works for letters will not necessarily work for PBS books ) so this is something you have to arrange specifically.
If the book can be forwarded to you, it will usually arrive postage-due
You should pay that forwarding postage to claim the forwarded book.