One of the leading questions on students’ minds at the beginning of the semester is how much they will have to spend on textbooks.
New students in particular are plagued with questions as to whether they should purchase used or new books, or if they should rent them.
An even greater concern, especially when buying from a university bookstore, is how much money students will receive when they sell their books back to the store.
The amount of money that is spent or returned on books often depends on where the student is looking.
The prices found online for new books for beginner level classes at UW can vary quite a bit from the prices at the UW Bookstore, but there are both positives and negatives to ordering online.
For an introductory level Marketing course, a new textbook at the UW Bookstore will cost students $262, while renting a used book will set them back about $108.
Purchasing the same new book online costs about $174, while the cost of a used paperback textbook online is $110.
However, when purchasing online, students must take into account shipping and handling, which usually runs about $3.99.
Additionally, when textbooks are purchased online, they are usually purchased from different individuals and shipping and handling fees are charged for each book because they are shipped from different locations.
Buying books online also can add stress to the process because it is impossible for students to know which individuals are trustworthy and that they are going to send the book.
There have been occasions where sellers have not received messages that someone has purchased a book from them. This causes patrons to receive their books late, leaving them without the resources they need to do their assignments.
Fortunately, many websites use ratings for sellers to help patrons better choose from whom to buy.
Many professors also give the option to use an e-book for a lower price, about $123 for the same marketing textbook. However, e-books generally only last for a few months and are often not available to students for future reference.
More recently, there has been another option. Students can order books from rental websites and return them at the end of the semester.
The same marketing textbook could be found on a rental website as a purchase for about $165 and as a rental for about $100.
This leaves students in a similar situation as purchasing an e-book, where the material is not available for future reference. However, it is a good option for classes outside of a student’s core area of study.
Another downfall to buying or renting textbooks online is that it isn’t as easy to make last-minute purchases. Students may have to wait weeks to receive their textbooks.
Prices online also usually increase when it gets closer to the beginning of classes, the cost of the marketing textbook online increased by about $20 as August progressed and it was in higher demand.
However, when books are sold back online, students usually get more money back.
Students waiting too long to sell books back at the university bookstore often do not receive as much money because the book’s value goes down as other students sell their books.
