Why I Hate College Bookstores

[snatchel]

It's official, college bookstores are corrupt, and crooked.

Beginning of Summer Semester 1, I bought all my books for my classes. On the first day of class, one of my classes was cancelled so I went to the book store to return my books. Because they did not give me a reciept in store, I only had the emailed reciept from purchasing them online (I purchased through the online bookstore catalog to save me time.) Apparently the reciept I was emailed was not good enough for them, and I could not return the $275 worth of books that I would not be using. I got upset, tried reasoning with the manager, and it basically ended with me calling her a crook and storming out. In retrospect, I shouldn't have called her a crook.

Yesterday, I went back to the bookstore to return the books I did use for Summer Semester 1. One of the books I rented was extremely marked up and highlighted, which I noted in the invoice as "book is marked and highlighted." When I returned the book, the manager recognized me and asked to look at the book. She said that it was too marked up to return. I replied that I had listed the damages when I rented the book, and she replied that the books were now "excessively marked and used." I replied that since the beginning of the semester the book has sat in my bookshelf unused, and that she needed to let me return it. She replied by explaining to me I owed 25 dollars to purchase the book since I couldn't return it.

So I will no longer shop at the Angelo State bookstore. I will be purchasing all of my books on amazon or other means, and save money while i'm at it. College bookstores = legal highway robbery.

[Venus Pax]

I graduated nearly 11 years ago, but I remember doing everything I could to make my book expenses go down. And they know they have you captive, which is why they are so high.
At one university, we had a choice of three bookstores. I would buy them at the cheapest store & sell them to the most expensive one at the end of the semester. I also started buying and selling with individual students, but you need to be careful doing this. They change editions frequently to keep the revenue coming in. There were also a few times that other students lent me the books I needed for certain classes, which was very nice of them.
At one point, I went to work for the enemy (book store on campus). This allowed me to get first-hand knowledge (early on) of any changes in editions. If I couldn't buy them off another student, I would get them at a discount from the store. (And then could sell them under Mars' name at the end of the semester.)

[BrianSW99]

Initiate a chargeback for both transactions. You may not win it, but it's worth a try.

[The Mad Moderate]

I use bookrenter.com it has very cheap rates

[apostate]

I bought my books online for Spring and Summer. I got new books for less than the bookstore's used price.

I also didn't have to disarm.

[paulhailes]

I always hated dealing with the bookstores, they literally try to rob you. Although I feel as if I had my revenge on them, I got a $125 drafting kit from them for free because the lady handing out the pre-registered book didn't know what she was doing and she gave me a drafting kit I didn't need tell the next semester.

[03Lightningrocks]

The professors are in on the scam as well.

[OldCannon]

The professors are in on the scam as well.

You ain't seen nuttin.

Many years ago, I worked for two MAJOR book publishers that provided books for colleges, particularly "second tier" universities and community colleges. They spent an ENORMOUS amount of money guaranteeing churn. Revision deals inked with colleges (money into the college's pocket), Ghost-writing deals with professors that wrote a first edition and basically "sold" their name for future editions, and lots and LOTS of "special trips" where the bookstore managers and college officials are taken out for special retreats (we often flew people in to Park City, UT, as we had locked in a rate from a nice "chalet-like" suite hotel there for a large block of rooms).

College students are defenseless against a system that is 100% rigged to maximize revenue to publishers. And it's all 100% legal. It was like being a part of a smaller version of the lobbying system in Washington.

[Teamless]

my wife will go to the college bookstore, get some specific number from the inside of the book, and then go to Amazon.com and buy them.

then this semester, she found out that Amazon will buy them back (if they will be able to resell them) and she got about $150 back when reselling them to Amazon (in Amazon credit only) for what normally would have been garage books or even trash.

[Divided Attention]

Not only will Amazon buy them back, but send you the label to return them! I purchased a used one from them and it was supposed to have a practice test CD with it. It did not. I emailed what I should do, and as I did not have time to wait for a new one they credited the entire purchase price and said I could keep the book or sell it back when I was done. I have been very pleased with Amazon's text book.

A friend of mine rents hers through CHEGG.com and is very happy with them.

Wherever you get them be sure to have the ISBN number so you get the righ book. So many change editions very quickly.

[Jasonw560]

My wife is in graduate school online, and she gets her books through amazon.com for a considerable amount less than if she bought them online anywhere else.

[Venus Pax]

College students are defenseless against a system that is 100% rigged to maximize revenue to publishers. And it's all 100% legal.

And what's a shame is that so many college students live below the poverty line. (We certainly did while in college.)

[Venus Pax]

Glad to hear that you can now get them from amazon & even rent them. We know a 40-something that will be returning to college this fall, and I will let him know about this.

[McKnife]

I had my own way of combating college textbook corruption. Most major books also have an international version, which is the EXACT same thing, but in soft cover. So, instead of paying $150 for a USED book, I would pay $25 for the international version on ebay.

Granted, I could not sell them back to the bookstore, but I did sell it on facebook or craigslist for the amount I paid!!!!!

Go to ebay and search for the Isbn and sellers that have the international version will usually pop up as well as the usa version. You can distinguish the two by the obvious price difference!!!

[bt1911]

It was that way 30 years ago. I believe college book stores get their policies from the USPS or the DMV.