Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I sold one book back and vowed never to do it again or pay full price for a textbook. I paid 100 dollars for a new print book that the professor made us buy but didn't even reference during class...when I sold it back I got 20 bucks and a Nestle Crunch candy bar. If i didn't need that 20 so badly...
Buying college textbooks is such a scam. I graduated over 10 years ago and I still own many of my textbooks. Why? Because most of them I couldn't even sell back because the teachers decide to go with a new edition or don't even use those same books again. I was a history major and had to buy at least 30 books each semester. My freshman year I kept all my books pristine, didn't crease them write in them etc... 100.00 book received at most 5.00 at buyback. After that forget it. I didn't even bother.
Buying college textbooks is such a scam. I graduated over 10 years ago and I still own many of my textbooks. Why? Because most of them I couldn't even sell back because the teachers decide to go with a new edition or don't even use those same books again. I was a history major and had to buy at least 30 books each semester. My freshman year I kept all my books pristine, didn't crease them write in them etc... 100.00 book received at most 5.00 at buyback. After that forget it. I didn't even bother.
You had to have got more than $5....I mean I can sell a $80-100 book for $50-60 now...........that is to another student...not the book store, who would offer maybe $20.
It's not that its a scam, if the publishers didn't come out with new editions they'd go broke because the money would only circulate buying used texts.
This is a problem many people are currently working on in favor of the students.
When I was in college things like ebay and craig's list and Amazon were just getting started. The only option you had to sell your books was to go to the book store or pin a note up in the dorms and hope that someone needed your books. I didn't have time to be fussing over that. Problem two was a certain large scale bookseller that now is everywhere owned our college bookstore. It also bought out the independent bookstore where you could buy books cheaper and raised the cost for these books over 300percent. No I am not exagerating. It was ridiculous. It has taken me over 10 years to get over my grudge at this certain store and actually step foot in one. Well now I have too because they seem to drive out every independent bookstore in whatever market they move into. Sorry off topic. So yes I made hardly zip for any of my textbooks. I am glad to hear that there may be some hope for future students. You would hope that if you spent several thousand dollars on books you could get some of it back.
It's not that its a scam, if the publishers didn't come out with new editions they'd go broke because the money would only circulate buying used texts.
This is a problem many people are currently working on in favor of the students.
College textbooks are definitely a scam. Publishers, bookstores, and professors are making a killing with the system they've set up.
Professors make money through royalties, so they are encouraged to pump out new editions, whether they have new content or not. Publishers like them, of course, because all the students have to buy new books. Bookstores are just getting a little slice of the action. The university isn't losing anything over it.
It has been quite a few years since my last graduation, but I experienced nearly everything mentioned in this thread. I cringe when I think of all the money I wasted on textbooks - money I was working a lot of hours part-time to earn. Used and library-loaned books are definitely the way to go to save money. Additionally, I learned in my 4th year to not even buy textbooks until I was absolutely certain via professor verification that I needed them (I found that if I went to them privately and expressed how financially needy I was I would get a straight answer). I had numerous professors who would even loan me their copy of particular books after meeting with them privately. Many will be understanding... the rest well they might not be but it cannot hurt to ask.
One thing which may be helpful is to simply donate the books when you're done with them... even if a year or two after graduation, you can write off your donations against your taxable income and infact you determine the value of the donated books yourself! Donating a book you value at $65 or $70 sure beats getting 5 or 10 or perhaps 15 dollars for a one semester used book you bought for $80!
Last edited by belovenow; 11-06-2007 at 09:05 AM..
That sucks...luckily things have gotten better for some.
Personally I am able to buy off the net for cheaper...Got a $100 book for $12 shipped, new teachers edition math book for $30....etc.
I've been in school for one year and maybe spent $200 on books. I've done 41 units in one year too....so thats a lot of classes.
I feel bad for folks buying from the overpriced bookstore, but thats how it goes.
You can set up a seller's account on Amazon. As soon as your class is over, list your textbook. Other student's will happily buy it for less than the used price at their bookstore, and you'll get more than you would have received.
Textbooks are the one of the biggest scams going.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
