Students Look For New Way To Get Books

By Rob Barry

Published: Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Media Credit: Erin Mizla

A student looks for textbooks at the Co-op this past weekend. Students are also buying textbooks at places other than the Co-op, looking for cheaper prices.

With textbook prices climbing to new heights, many students have been exploring alternate ways of purchasing the materials they need for classes.

A recent annual report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said textbook prices for four-year public learning institutions have risen at double the rate of inflation for the last two decades, trailing the 7 percent rises in tuition at about 6 percent. According to the report, the average cost of textbooks and supplies at such a school during the 2003-2004 academic year was about $900, compared to about $315 in 1986.

The report said the rapidly rising prices have largely been due to an increase in bundled supplements. Many textbooks now include CD-ROMs, workbooks, study guides and other materials that are not always needed by students.

"The supplements I've had were useless," said Jenna Palica, a 5th-semester psychology major. "Half the time students barely even use the main textbook."

"I have never used any of the software or guides that come with any textbooks except for Minitab for stats class," said Karen Clabaugh, a 7th-semester accounting major. "So far this year, one book has come with a guide and I still have two classes to buy books for."

It is no secret textbooks are cheaper used than at retail price. However, it can be difficult to find used textbooks at the Co-op because of how often editions are revised, repackaged and sold brand new. William Simpson, president and general manager of the Co-op, said books now have an average lifespan of three years, compared to four to five years a decade ago.

"When a book goes into a new edition the publisher no longer sells the old edition and the book very quickly disappears in the used book market due to non-existent demand," Simpson said.

According to Simpson, professors make the final call in which books they use and they want to give students only the latest information. He said the Co-op would recommend that professors adopt editions for longer periods of time.

"If the Co-op is made aware that the faculty member is willing to use the older edition as it goes out of print," Simpson said. "We can buy up all the available copies at a fraction of the regular price.

Some students have begun exploring alternate ways to buy their books. Due to online used book services like Bigwords.com, half.com and Amazon.com, students can save on their books - if they can wait a few weeks for them.

Darcey Kane, a 5th-semester marketing major, said she shops around to compare prices before buying.

"I have bought books from the Co-Op, half.com, Bigwords.com and a few others," Kane said. "Bigwords.com is great because you can compare the prices of the different books that you need."

Bigwords.com offers a search engine that pours through a host of online used bookstores. The easiest way to search online for books is to use its ISBN, a 10-digit number usually next to the barcode.

The search engine groups its results first by the store with the best deal on most or all of the books and then by store-to-store comparisons of the individual books. The web site claims it saves students about $71 per order of textbooks.

Others are finding the Amazon.com Marketplace a useful tool for acquiring textbooks. Through Amazon.com private sellers (even students) can list a textbook for whatever price they please. The lower the price is, the higher the likelihood of a sale.

Amazon is a popular place to buy older editions of books. Since there is much less demand for earlier editions, sellers must set prices very low to move their books. This is where a student can save big - provided his or her professor doesn't update the texts too regularly.

As long as buyers know the ISBN on the back of the books they seek, they can be confident they will get the right edition when ordering online. The only major drawback seems to be the wait. Most books bought online are shipped via USPS Media Mail, an inexpensive but slow method. A student ordering online may wait several weeks before getting the books they need for class.

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