Buying used books from other students saves money
Written by Crow's Nest Staff, Aug 29, 2011, 0 Comments
Stephen Greenblatt’s “The Norton Shakespeare” textbook features a “dazzling introduction” and is said to “bring readers closer to Shakespeare’s plays as they were first acted than ever before possible.”
But students in ENL 3331 will mostly be using it to read classic works like “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Titus Andronicus” and “Hamlet.” All of these classics are available online for free, but the Barnes & Noble Bookstore on campus sells Greenblatt’s book for a hefty $84.
It’s a common and recurring theme in higher education—students spending what little money they have for overpriced and largely unnecessary textbooks. U.S. college students spend between $700 and $1,000 on textbooks annually, according to a study from the U.S. Department of Education. In 2006, an estimated 17.66 million graduate and undergraduate students spent more than $4.6 billion in total on textbooks.
And prices keep rising.
Textbook costs have increased by 6 percent per year on average, or double the rate of inflation of other consumer goods, according to a Government Accountability Office study. Since no formal organizations or government agencies oversee textbook prices, and there is essentially no way to avoid paying for textbooks other than not going to college, students must pay those increases every year.
But there are some options available for those looking to save a few bucks.
The first step is to avoid brick and mortar stores like the Barnes & Noble on campus when purchasing books. They typically have to mark up prices to cover operational costs. They often sell out of used books and only have new books available, which can cost twice as much.
Instead, use websites like Amazon and Half.com, which offer used books at extremely low prices. Many of the sellers on these sites are other students who are just looking to recoup a few dollars from their original purchase. Students should be wary of buying books that have highlighting and writing in them, however, and buy textbooks in the best condition possible. Amazon offers a used copy of Greenblatt’s Shakespeare textbook for $55, which beats the Barnes & Noble used price by $8.
When timeliness is an issue, and if the textbook will only be used for one class, rental programs are a great way to save money. Barnes & Noble rents the Shakespeare book for $41.15, and Book Holders—which operates a tent outside of The Grind at the beginning of each semester—rents it for a cut-rate $29.04.
Students can also check with professors to see if an old version of a textbook is acceptable. Previous versions often sell for much cheaper prices, since most professors move on to newer versions after they have been released.
Anything beats buying new books at in-store prices. Students don’t need to read their textbooks to know that.
