Of Textbook buying

Six days from the 1st day of classes, I headed up to the college for the finalizing of my academic inauguration. I picked up my photo ID and parking pass, and spoke with financial aid group regarding how my payout can be used. The office realized there was an error in the allocation, so in short I was awarded roughly 1400 dollars instead of the original 2200 hundred, to be used for Spring and Summer 2009 semesters.

Secondly, I began the textbook browsing component of my introduction. In the bookstore, there are tags under each section, relaying which classes each book is for, along with both new and used prices for the book. This is where a lot of people become taken aback, as textbooks can reach well over 100 dollars even in used condition. The reasoning behind this is somewhat visceral, and I'll expand on it presently. Back to the book buying - I wrote down the ISBN numbers for the 3 courses I was registered for. At home, I went online and used cheapesttextbooks.com to find links to books sold on various websites. I placed two orders totaling $132 via Amazon. Had I used the bookstore at the college, it would have set me back $208 for used books. The two I ordered online were stated to be in near new condition. The risk I'm taking in my purchase is the books are sight unseen, and the shipping may take me past the 1st or 2nd day of classes. I'll report on both issues when they arrive.

I mentioned earlier the shockingly high prices of textbooks. The reasoning behind this is due in part to the overall usage of the books. To be exact, a student purchases an original brand new book from the bookstore for the retail price. After the class is finished, he has no further use for the book. He has the option to sell it back to the bookstore, or use an online portal to sell to an upcoming student directly. The process can be repeated many times over provided the book remains in usable condition. The publisher of the book loses out on any revenue from those subsequent transactions, as the money is being exchanged from student to student. The mainstay of any profit from the the textbook comes from the initial price, which is raised to a point where it is tangible to the publisher and author. Note: I gleaned this opinion from a blog I read online, and am offering it here as a plausible rationale for textbook pricing.