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How many of you have sold you college/ university texts back?
- Thread starter waloshin
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Undergrad I would sell back the courses I had to take, but I would keep the science basic books like chemistry, biology and neurobiology.
Keeping all of them now in PA school, as I feel I will be referencing them later.
Keeping all of them now in PA school, as I feel I will be referencing them later.
Yup. I always sell them back.
However I sell them to chegg.com
The coupon code CC115065 gets you a extra $5 back when you sell them books.
Plus they give better buyback prices than the bookstore. Win win in my opinion.
Just get a quote from them online, put the books in a book, print off a free shipping label and drop them off at UPS and your done.
Quick, easy, convenient.
However I sell them to chegg.com
The coupon code CC115065 gets you a extra $5 back when you sell them books.
Plus they give better buyback prices than the bookstore. Win win in my opinion.
Just get a quote from them online, put the books in a book, print off a free shipping label and drop them off at UPS and your done.
Quick, easy, convenient.
It's a racket. I lost count of how many times I'd buy a book new for $100 (or more), have it in pristine condition at the end of the term, only to get offered $20 for it by the bookstore. Then they'd slap a used sticker on it and promptly resell it for $80. Or they wouldn't take it at all because of a "new" edition, which generally consisted of rewriting a paragraph or three and redoing the wayward graph or chart.
One smart thing to do is to advertise toward the end of the semester (flyers work well) that you've got used books for sale, and offer to split the difference between what the bookstore charges and for what they would buy it back from you. Everyone wins, except the bookstore.
One smart thing to do is to advertise toward the end of the semester (flyers work well) that you've got used books for sale, and offer to split the difference between what the bookstore charges and for what they would buy it back from you. Everyone wins, except the bookstore.
Some of the better textbooks - especially the ones dealing with the core classes of my majors - I kept. The others I sold directly to students a semester behind me. I don't see any sense in giving the bookstores the benefit if it can be avoided.
Keep in mind this was before the days of Amazon. Frankly, I'm surprised that campus bookstores are even relevant anymore.
Keep in mind this was before the days of Amazon. Frankly, I'm surprised that campus bookstores are even relevant anymore.
No, the fact that they charge hundreds of dollars for paper with information that is public knowledge should be illegal. The book companies have a monopoly on selling these text books, so they can jack up the prices as much as they want. That's price gouging and is complete ********. I've easily had to spent $4000-$5000 just on books over the past 4 years at school, which is absolutely ridiculous.
Just because something is "public knowledge" doesn't mean they shouldn't cover the cost of making it available. In addition, the textbook companies don't "require" you to buy their texts- your professors list it as required. Who's at fault?
How can you have a monopoly on public knowledge? You just contradicted yourself.
You're probably a Business, Accounting, Law, or Nursing student then?
The worst are math books. Every few years, they change the numbers on one problem somewhere in the middle of the book, maybe re-arrange the chapters, and call it a new edition, requiring students to pay $200 for it because there are no used copies on the market yet. I understand the need to update history books, new events happen and need to be added (well, depending on the period, if it's modern history, obviously, medieval history doesn't change). Ditto for science and law. But math doesn't change. There's no new and improved way to solve an equation. It's just one giant racket.
Nah, the worst are the accounting and finance books- especially for things like Corporate Taxes and other dry-as-a-desert topics that have no need to be updated. I worked at a college bookstore for 4 years and practically every semester they came out with a "new edition."
The latest trend that's been going on for a few years now is the book companies bundle their books with some "study pack" or "interactive supplement" that is little more than an excuse to sell brand-new copies. But as I said, it's the professors who are the dumb ones and fall for it by requiring the package instead of just the text which you can often find used.
But there are an infinite number of problems that can be presented to solve, as well as multiple different ways of explaining the same problem. The situation with math really isn't that different from history texts or science texts.
In any case, bitching about the cost of books is pointless. You can either not take the class, or realize that in the long run the cost of books is minuscule compared to your lifetime earnings and the intangible gain you get from learning the material. Although if you're a sociology or english major perhaps just the second condition applies.
**** I shoulda thought of that when I was going to school
The "enhanced" editions were such a ****ing scam--I never used the CD if there was one and still had great grades.
The worst thing about the college book stores is the costs for art supplies--non returnable I know, but everything had a 50% price markup compared to hitting a Micheals or ordering through Dick Blick.
I did do one thing it was probably pretty bad though considering copyright laws and such LOL...... I invested in a scanner and saved money by returning books the first week for full refunds by my second year in college.
I would buy used from amazon or like places, if they could not be found there then I'd buy from the bookstore used. I'd sell back on amazon or like sites and always ended up losing between $20 - $50 per book. I kept my books relating to my major if I found them useful. I kept more books relating to my old major and my grad school degree. Overall, I think books are way over priced but you cannot do without them if you plan on getting through college.
I always kept the left over art supplies if I was forced to buy something only the campus book store sold I horded it like it was gold.
besides that when it came to text books my memory is still pretty photographic I need a catalyst now and again as a reminder but when I find something on a topic I studied it all seems to come back
That is true, but I just don't think things are changing fast enough to warrant a new edition every other year. Seems a bit ridiculous to me.
And I think some teachers must get kickbacks from authors for using their book. I had a teacher, who on the first day, handed out a pretty thick packet (maybe 30 pages or so?) of corrections to our textbook to correct things that were flat out wrong. The teacher also mentioned he was good friends with the author of the text book. So if the book is so terrible that you have to hand out a packet of corrections, why are you still using it? Methinks he's getting a little bit of cash from his friend/author. Typos happen, and I've had textbooks where maybe one or two things were wrong and needed correcting by the professor and I understand, but this just seemed a bit much.
FWIW, I would always buy on Amazon or eBay and resell through the bookstore. I probably could've sold the books on Amazon for a bit more, but this was guaranteed cash, whereas you don't know if it will sell on Amazon, and it was always nice to finish off the semester with a few hundred bucks. And sometimes, I came out ahead on a book. The best I did was sell a book that cost me $6 on Amazon to the bookstore for around $70 (who then sold it for probably about $110 used).
The higher-level math books typically don't change from year to year. The ones that go into new editions more frequently are just counting on stupidity as a limitless resource in convincing professors that the new edition offers something different.
Probably.
I always keep my books. To me they are both more valuable as references and the trophies of life-progress 
.
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When I was going to college, I kept some and sold others.
Generally speaking the tiny amount they offered back wasn't worth it. They charge a premium for the book and then only offered a tiny fraction back. Besides my accounting books never get out dated so they're a useful resource
Generally speaking the tiny amount they offered back wasn't worth it. They charge a premium for the book and then only offered a tiny fraction back. Besides my accounting books never get out dated so they're a useful resource