mini rant & possible savings

[dkostel]

Hello,
I am a little sick & tired of the whole textbook scam. I'm taking a class this semester for which the text info wasn't available ahead of time. After the first class I ordered the book used, shipped priority. It still isn't here 4 days later. Meanwhile I stopped at the bookstore to see how much the school is charging. I almost choked, $172 for a prior edition, used book that is available online for $20. I almost purchased it when a friend told me that you can usually purchase a chapter at a time as an ebook. I was able to purchase the 4 chapters I need for $7 each which will buy me another week to get the book I ordered or order another $20 copy. The site I used was cengagebrain.com, although I'm sure there are more.
Hope that helps someone else save $150

 

[bigmama67]

I was able to rent my textbook for this term's class. It was $42 to rent or $67 to buy and if I decide to buy it (which I may do) I can apply the FULL rental cost towards it. Never heard of this before but it is working out wonderfully for me! The copy I got was in pristine condition and arrived in 4 days. (I did pay for the faster shipping since there was a coupon on the site).

 

[VanessainWonderland]

WOW I spent close to $500 on my books. definitely going to check out that website.

Thanks! I guess you did help someone!

 

[remyandhollandsmommy]

Half dot com is another site that you can get good prices on textbooks as well as sell your copies. I used to use them for buying textbooks, then my classes switched over to having textbooks included in tuition (now THAT is a ripoff!!). I at least made something back selling mine on half after finishing classes...I found they offered more than other sites and my school book store was a joke since they offered less than 10.00 a book as a buyback on most books lol. I sold a book they offered 2.00 on for 55.00 on half lol! So happy when I finally graduated last year!

 

[DISdreamin']

Try abebooks, half, and anywhere else you can!

FWIW, know that your instructor more than likely doesn't benefit at all from the high cost you pay for the text. In fact, they may even (probably unbeknownst to you) negotiate with the publishers rep for the best price possible, knowing how costly books are to students. Honestly, if the book info/ISBN wasn't available beforehand, I doubt it was for nefarious reasons.

The unfortunate truth is that textbooks are unbelievably expensive! And don't get me started on bookstore markups. So go ahread and be outraged, but I would suggest directing it at the people with control over it - the bookstore (which is often not a college entity, but is instead likely a company who pays the college to set up shop there) and the publisher (such as Cengage, who you just bought your chapters from).

 

[Kellydelly]

Try abebooks, half, and anywhere else you can!

FWIW, know that your instructor more than likely doesn't benefit at all from the high cost you pay for the text. In fact, they may even (probably unbeknownst to you) negotiate with the publishers rep for the best price possible, knowing how costly books are to students. Honestly, if the book info/ISBN wasn't available beforehand, I doubt it was for nefarious reasons.

The unfortunate truth is that textbooks are unbelievably expensive! And don't get me started on bookstore markups. So go ahread and be outraged, but I would suggest directing it at the people with control over it - the bookstore (which is often not a college entity, but is instead likely a company who pays the college to set up shop there) and the publisher (such as Cengage, who you just bought your chapters from).

At my college the bookstore is not privately owned, I would be surprised if any of them are. College bookstores are notorious for selling overpriced texts and listing required/suggested books that aren't really necessary. The instructors don't benefit from the sale of texts, but the college certainly does! Why are international versions of texts so much cheaper?

 

[Justsyd2]

I've been renting all of my textbooks from Chegg.com. I save a ton of money for Disney!

 

[captsparrowslady]

At my college, a lot of the time the professors will list the chapters/pages of the textbooks they'll be using on the syllabus in the course outline. The Library has copies of all the textbooks (a limited supply however), so most students photocopy the chapters/pages they need at 10¢ a copy. As long as they use it for personal use and don't publish/sell the copies for a profit, it's perfectly legal. And then they'll put the photocopies in clear page protector thingamajigs so it reads like a book...

 

[vettechick99]

I have been renting my textbooks from chegg and bookrenter. I haven't paid more than $50 and I get them for more time than I need. I love the Internet!!!

 

[LilyWDW]

Most bookstores are owned by other companies including Barnes and Noble, Nebraska Book Company, and others. How do I know? I have worked for both the listed companies at their college locations including IN the textbook departments.

As for international editions, they actually can not be sold or bought within the US. We were not allowed as a store to have these on the shelves and were also not allowed to purchase them from students during buyback. I doubt you would get into any trouble selling them student to student, but bookstores are not supposed to be selling them.

As for the cost of the books. The cost is set by the publisher. The markup of the book is then set by the school, either literally in the case where the schools runs its own store or in the contract the company that runs the store has with the school. There may also be an additional markup placed by the store, but really how can you blame them? Otherwise they don't get much money from those books, it's the same as any other retail store. The instructor can get a kick back from the publisher by reviewing books and using them in their classes, but honestly it's so small that most don't care.

Buyback... I can't explain how all schools or companies do it, but I can explain how it was done when I worked with B&N. At the end of the semester, usually dead week and finals week, we have buyback. If you try to sell at any other time of year, they will not have the system set up yet and you will not get the best price for your book. During this time you will get approximately 50% of your purchase price IF the book is being used the following semester at THAT school, IF we don't need anymore, and IF the book is in sellable condition.

So, if your book has water damage, we will not buy it back. Can't... we can not put that book on the shelf. If you don't have the CDs with the book and they are required by the department of professor (who send us the book info ahead of time and tell us these things) then we will not buy it back. If you bring it in 3 weeks after the end of classes, we may not be able to buy it because we already met the number we were buying. If it's not being used next semester, then we can't buy it back for the store, but we may be able to give you a lower price if it is being used elsewhere. If the professor has not yet told us what they are using, then we can't buy it back until they do.

As for if the text is suggested/required... take that up with your department/instructor. We get that information from them and if they send us the book requirement sheet back and have noted that the book is required, then we tag it as required.

 

[DISdreamin']

As for the cost of the books. The cost is set by the publisher. The markup of the book is then set by the school, either literally in the case where the schools runs its own store or in the contract the company that runs the store has with the school. There may also be an additional markup placed by the store, but really how can you blame them? Otherwise they don't get much money from those books, it's the same as any other retail store.

The funny thing is, though, that the markup can be substantially different for packaged items versus ala carte books. Why? Why is a "bundle" more expensive, percentage-wise, to shelve than the book alone if they both come from the publisher ready to go? It's very confusing!

The instructor can get a kick back from the publisher by reviewing books and using them in their classes, but honestly it's so small that most don't care.

For the amount of work involved in truly and thoroughly reviewing a text, and the small honorarium typically involved, I can tell you on a per-hour basis it is FAR below normal pay and certainly not lucrative. When instructors bother with it, it is likely more due to nterest in the text itself for use in a course than it is for the money.

As for if the text is suggested/required... take that up with your department/instructor. We get that information from them and if they send us the book requirement sheet back and have noted that the book is required, then we tag it as required.

Before buying a book, even if it is listed as required, it is worthwhile inquiring. Some instructors will tell you that there are copies on reserve in the library and, if the book is only used for a limited portion of a course, it may be worth your time to use the reserve copies rather than purchasing.

Other instructors will have reserve copies on-hand in the library to buy people time to order their texts on the web. Sometimes you can get an eBook directly from the publisher for considerably less money, if this interests you (personally, and eBook wouldn't work for me...I need to be able to flip back and forth and mark things up).

There are lots and LOTS of ways to save money on texts. Find them and save BIG $$! You pay a premium to buy at a campus college bookstore. Always.

 

[Justsyd2]

At my college, a lot of the time the professors will list the chapters/pages of the textbooks they'll be using on the syllabus in the course outline. The Library has copies of all the textbooks (a limited supply however), so most students photocopy the chapters/pages they need at 10¢ a copy. As long as they use it for personal use and don't publish/sell the copies for a profit, it's perfectly legal. And then they'll put the photocopies in clear page protector thingamajigs so it reads like a book...

We've had students try this at my school, and the school will stop them because it IS illegal to photocopy copyrighted works (technically). My college is big on protecting copyrights. I believe it's ok to make copies of a work that you bought and own, but it's not ok to make copies of it if you did not purchase it.

 

[Inigo]

I've been renting all of my textbooks from Chegg.com. I save a ton of money for Disney!

And don't forget to go to retailmenot.com before you order to see if you can find a free shipping code. It used to be YOLK for free shipping, but I don't know if it's still in use.

 

[captsparrowslady]

We've had students try this at my school, and the school will stop them because it IS illegal to photocopy copyrighted works (technically). My college is big on protecting copyrights. I believe it's ok to make copies of a work that you bought and own, but it's not ok to make copies of it if you did not purchase it.

I guess my college is a little more lax about it... although it is a community college, not a 4 yr university, perhaps that has something to do with it? Students don't photocopy an entire textbook... if they need the entire book, they'll buy it from the bookstore (or other students, or online, etc) and we don't photocopy 'real' books (IE Novels), just Textbooks. I think if perhaps a student tried to photocopy an entire Novel... the school might have a different stand on it... but when it comes to text books, they understand that the books are expensive, and when you only need maybe 10 chapters or less, from a 30+ chapter book... it's a little ridiculous to waste your money on the entire book.

 

[MrsPete]

I thought textbook prices were bad when I was in college in the 80s -- and they were -- but it's worse now! Well, actually, it's probably about the same considering that back then minimum wage was $3.35 and it's more than double that now.

At least two of the big state colleges near us have a rental program. EVERY STUDENT pays a textbook fee along with tuition, and they don't have to buy textbooks. They also don't get to keep them, but who cares? I never used any of my books after the class was done. I think that's a great solution. It prevents the professors from changing their textbook every semester (for no good reason), and it's so much more sensible.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I have been getting my DD's used on half.com I have never had a problem yet & she is has been in college since fall of 2006.

 

[dkostel]

FWIW, know that your instructor more than likely doesn't benefit at all from the high cost you pay for the text. In fact, they may even (probably unbeknownst to you) negotiate with the publishers rep for the best price possible, knowing how costly books are to students. Honestly, if the book info/ISBN wasn't available beforehand, I doubt it was for nefarious reasons.

The unfortunate truth is that textbooks are unbelievably expensive! And don't get me started on bookstore markups. So go ahread and be outraged, but I would suggest directing it at the people with control over it - the bookstore (which is often not a college entity, but is instead likely a company who pays the college to set up shop there) and the publisher (such as Cengage, who you just bought your chapters from).

I hope it didn't sound like I was implicating my prof. He was outraged about the book having not been in the bookstore, he said he turned in the text info a month before the start of class. It just seemed a little suspicious to me that a prior edition, which was available in only used copies (that they likely paid pennies on the dollar for) was on the shelves at the last minute, when students would be desperate, for $172.
I'm a huge fan of international editions, that I've usually gotten off of ebay from Singapore at about 1/5th the price of the "US edition".

 

[disneylove69]

I used to get my books from Amazon. Some of my business books were over$100 each at the bookstore. I got them from Amazon for less then $30 new. I then turned around and sold them more then what I paid for on Amazon.

 

[princessbride6205]

I'm glad everyone is finding alternatives to spending full price at the college bookstore when possible. I used half.com a lot myself.
The worst was a class for which the prof had written his own textbook. It was published but not available anywhere online, so we still had to buy it at over $100 from the bookstore. And the text was so awful (no glossary, no index, errors, etc) that there was a new edition before our class even finished, so we had no chance of getting our books bought back. I couldn't sell it online or find anyone who wanted it either. I think I ended up recycling it.

 

[decaff38]

Buy and sell on Amazon, half.com, ebay. Search on Bigwords.com, directextbooks.com., don't forget craigslist.

I am buying a selling texts for my 2 girls who are in nursing school. I have saved $1,000.00s!!!! It would be unbearable without these sites.

Do a google search for discounted books. You may find another one too. Never pay full price!! About 75% of the time you can get the previous edition and the differences are minimal.

Good luck!!