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Buying back books: UA students decide where to sell used textbooks for best price
Nick DeMoss
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: News
The University Bookstore staff is proud that 35 percent of books offered are used, cheaper editions, exceeding the national average by 10 percent, Sadeghi said.
A new option for students is the Hog Auction, which can be found at the University Bookstore Web site. The process is similar to using Ebay, Sadeghi said, and allows students to set their own buying and selling prices.
"Students can use Hog Auction to sell their own books at their own price. We make no money off of it," he said.
The last day to sell books at the University Bookstore is May 9.
For bookstore owners, the condition of the book being sold back is a deciding factor on the amount that can be given to students for it.
Representatives from Beat the Bookstore, Campus Book Store Inc., and the University Bookstore said that water damage, missing pages and the amount of marking/highlighting in a book all affect the buyback deal. Selling books without their accompanying CDs also greatly diminishes the buyback rate.
For Tyler McBride, a sophomore English/journalism major, the best option is to rent textbooks online and avoid the entire buying and selling process. McBride said many of his books are novels and plays for which the buyback prices are typically lower.
"Obviously, I'm not buying super expensive textbooks, but in my experience, (renting) has been cheaper for me," he said. "In past semesters, I had several books I would have only gotten $2 or $3 for," he said.
The best plan for UA students looking to make top dollar on used books is to compare pricing at local stores and on the Internet before making a sale.
"If you think you're not going to use that book, make it available for other students to use," Sadeghi said.
A new option for students is the Hog Auction, which can be found at the University Bookstore Web site. The process is similar to using Ebay, Sadeghi said, and allows students to set their own buying and selling prices.
"Students can use Hog Auction to sell their own books at their own price. We make no money off of it," he said.
The last day to sell books at the University Bookstore is May 9.
For bookstore owners, the condition of the book being sold back is a deciding factor on the amount that can be given to students for it.
Representatives from Beat the Bookstore, Campus Book Store Inc., and the University Bookstore said that water damage, missing pages and the amount of marking/highlighting in a book all affect the buyback deal. Selling books without their accompanying CDs also greatly diminishes the buyback rate.
For Tyler McBride, a sophomore English/journalism major, the best option is to rent textbooks online and avoid the entire buying and selling process. McBride said many of his books are novels and plays for which the buyback prices are typically lower.
"Obviously, I'm not buying super expensive textbooks, but in my experience, (renting) has been cheaper for me," he said. "In past semesters, I had several books I would have only gotten $2 or $3 for," he said.
The best plan for UA students looking to make top dollar on used books is to compare pricing at local stores and on the Internet before making a sale.
"If you think you're not going to use that book, make it available for other students to use," Sadeghi said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Simmons Mattresses
posted 5/26/09 @ 11:14 AM CST
Textbooks can often be very expensive and it's great to be able to sell them back. While the bookstore does what it can to give students a fair price, I have found that more money can be made back if you sell your textbooks to other students on sites like Amazon. (Continued…)
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