LilyWDW
Going to My Happy Place
- Joined
- May 7, 2006
Didn't read this all because I have heard it all before. You see, I am a student worker at my on campus bookstore and I have been there for over 4 years now. While some of this may have been brought up, I decided to make a list to describe many of the reasons for the prices of textbooks, esp if you buy ON campus...
1) The bookstores have to base thier prices off of publishers cost and then their own markups. Often their markup is actually decided BY the university because the school gets a percentage of the purchase of each book.
2) New editions are always coming out and often there is little to no way for a store to get enough copies of the old one to provide, thus forcing them into the new edition. These books are OEOP- old edition/out of print. If you can not provide enough copies to cover a certien percentage of enrollment for that class, you can not use that book
3) Packages are the bane of everyone, trust me. Often it is due to the publisher, who insists there is no other way to ship the book and the stores hands are tied. Sometimes the department/instructor INSISTS on the package and the stores hands are tied.
4) Software that is passworded. You can not use some software more then once due to this. Once the code is used, it is set to that person's account. So, if the software is required for the class, then it has to be a new one that is sold to the student. Otherwise the student may be unable to access exams/homework or other items required for their class.
5) Custom editions flat out suck. This has been an issue at my school this semester. It seems more and more departments want a custom book, either printed by the school or a package/printing that is custom done by the publisher for the school. These really are the worse thing to man, because the odds of used are so small (stores can't bring in copies from other schools/many are loose leaf and can't be bought back), the returns are very strict with them, and buybacks are not that great.
Even after saying all of this, I would suggest going to an offsite bookstore to get your books. I refuse to buy online because I can not check the quality of the book then and there and I can not be 100% sure it will show on time. Often an off campus store will have lower prices because they don't have to worry about issues like #1. I shop at an off campus store for my books, because even with my discount their books come out cheaper.
However, I just ask people to not take it out on the employees of the bookstore you are at. The cashiers and CS associates really have NO say in the selling price of a book or what happens at buyback. I have had people throw books
at me and have had to call campus police due to being threatened by someone when I could not buy back thier book. So please, I know how you feel, so don't take it out on me 
1) The bookstores have to base thier prices off of publishers cost and then their own markups. Often their markup is actually decided BY the university because the school gets a percentage of the purchase of each book.
2) New editions are always coming out and often there is little to no way for a store to get enough copies of the old one to provide, thus forcing them into the new edition. These books are OEOP- old edition/out of print. If you can not provide enough copies to cover a certien percentage of enrollment for that class, you can not use that book
3) Packages are the bane of everyone, trust me. Often it is due to the publisher, who insists there is no other way to ship the book and the stores hands are tied. Sometimes the department/instructor INSISTS on the package and the stores hands are tied.
4) Software that is passworded. You can not use some software more then once due to this. Once the code is used, it is set to that person's account. So, if the software is required for the class, then it has to be a new one that is sold to the student. Otherwise the student may be unable to access exams/homework or other items required for their class.
5) Custom editions flat out suck. This has been an issue at my school this semester. It seems more and more departments want a custom book, either printed by the school or a package/printing that is custom done by the publisher for the school. These really are the worse thing to man, because the odds of used are so small (stores can't bring in copies from other schools/many are loose leaf and can't be bought back), the returns are very strict with them, and buybacks are not that great.
Even after saying all of this, I would suggest going to an offsite bookstore to get your books. I refuse to buy online because I can not check the quality of the book then and there and I can not be 100% sure it will show on time. Often an off campus store will have lower prices because they don't have to worry about issues like #1. I shop at an off campus store for my books, because even with my discount their books come out cheaper.
However, I just ask people to not take it out on the employees of the bookstore you are at. The cashiers and CS associates really have NO say in the selling price of a book or what happens at buyback. I have had people throw books
at me and have had to call campus police due to being threatened by someone when I could not buy back thier book. So please, I know how you feel, so don't take it out on me 
