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I was ordering my textbooks from Amazon over a decade ago when I was working on my masters degree. Never had any issues, and so much nicer than the bookstore experience.
Access codes are the big thing now. And they can be a royal PITA... I have relative who is a college professor and the students seem to constantly have issues getting these access codes to work properly. Which of course they don't figure out until right before they need it for the first time (e.g. homework due the next day).
The smart thing to do would be to encourage all text book publishers to go e-book. All your text books on one light weight device with the ability to search and cross reference ..... not to mention you have it in minutes with no shipping to worry about.
The smart thing to do would be to encourage all text book publishers to go e-book. All your text books on one light weight device with the ability to search and cross reference ..... not to mention you have it in minutes with no shipping to worry about.
A lot of them are. The funny thing is that they still charge the same amount for the e-book and with this, you cannot sell them back to anyone.
The smart thing to do would be to encourage all text book publishers to go e-book. All your text books on one light weight device with the ability to search and cross reference ..... not to mention you have it in minutes with no shipping to worry about.
I would not be for that. I try to avoid the ebooks. They're usually just as expensive, or I've even seen ones that are more expensive. And you cannot sell them back at the end of the semester. So even ones that are cheaper, end up being more in the long run.
A lot of them are. The funny thing is that they still charge the same amount for the e-book and with this, you cannot sell them back to anyone.
That also gives the publisher more incentive to update it yearly (or every semester) to ensure that everyone ALWAYS pays full price. With certain subjects, is the material really going to change from semester to semester? For example, I don't think for English majors it's not like the classic anthologies are updated all that often. With the e-versions, you'd end up having to buy a new one all the time even though you sometimes use the same anthology from one semester to the next.
That also gives the publisher more incentive to update it yearly (or every semester) to ensure that everyone ALWAYS pays full price. With certain subjects, is the material really going to change from semester to semester? For example, I don't think for English majors it's not like the classic anthologies are updated all that often. With the e-versions, you'd end up having to buy a new one all the time even though you sometimes use the same anthology from one semester to the next.
Actually, my thought is the opposite. With going the E-Book route, there is no used market. So, they keep the same version out there for years and charge full price to download the e-book because there is no other way to get the book.
The publishers were spitting out new versions every year to try and destroy the used market. The publisher doesn't get a dime once the book has been sold once. It could be sold 10 more times and nothing additional is given to the publisher. I've reviewed text books that were 3 versions apart and the text itself was matched word for word. The only difference was that they used different images. Publishers would also attach 'supplemental text' to the regular book which can only be accessed online. To access this, you needed a code which was only good for a semester. You buy the book used for half price, but then you need to buy a new code direct from the publisher which costs you what equals the other 50% of the book. So, you should have just bought the new text at full price and not deal with the hassle. Publishers have been trying to rig the system for many years now. The E-Book route is definitely in the publishers favor.
My only problem with the eBook format has been that we didn't actually get to buy the eBook; we essentially got to rent the eBook from the publisher. It's not like the old days of renting a textbook from the university bookstore for substantially less than buying one; access to the eBook is just as expensive as buying the hardcover. There's just no cheaper alternative anymore.
Amazon wasn't quite a thing yet at my school. We went to half.com, we bought international and previous editions. Most of our professors encouraged it, including one who always said "Unless the laws of physics have changed in the past two years, you're better off with the cheaper book" I had to quote him a few time to stickler teachers.
I do wonder about the kids who have finanical aid or school scholarships. At my school those kids were allowed to buy directly from the school instead having to wait a week for the money to process into a check. A check that the major banks would usually hold for 3-5 days because some college kid depositing a 500+ check seemed suspicious.
Husband and I shared one book for each class. Annoyed the crap out of some of the instructors, but they couldn't really do anything about it. And it was still an outrageous expense which you often couldn't recover any money for because invariably, revised editions of required textbooks would pop up just in time for the new semester. And the revisions often only included a few words or rewording or changed punctuation. Quite a racket!
Nobody was forcing you to buy the new edition. I had classes where I checked the previous edition out of the library and there were no issues with that as long as nobody else wanted to check out the same book. I actually got a notification one semester that I could not renew a book and had to return it in a week. At that point, I was able to find a cheap used copy online.
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