Browsing around the bookstore, you may find that you really want the same book that everyone else has. Stick in with the crowd, in a matter of words. And as you browse around, you find out that some students are buying out used books quicker than the new volumes. You see the section of where one of your class books are supposed to be, but a girl just reached past you and grabbed the last used copy. Or so it seems. The price is almost 30% cheaper than the new book listing price. Bummed, you grab one of the new copies and head to the register, counting how many weeks it is going to save up for that new first person shooter now.
So here is the next money saving tip that bookstores have tried to monopolize:
Sell used books
What a bookstore will do is sell a new book for let's say $200. At the end of the semester, they will try to buy back that book for $20-$35. Then the following spring semester, sell it as a used book for $80-$110. Total sales? $255-$290
And it still doesn't end when that second owner decides to sell it back. So long as it is in decent condition, that book can be resold back to students through the bookstore with sky-rocketing profit margins. It is quite an ingenious, granted a sad reality for students.
So how would students cut out the money mongering bookstore?
Easy. Go online.*
You can get really lucky and only pay 30% of the listing price of a new book, possibly even less. Some of the sites come with money-back guarantees in-case you do not want your scribbled-on textbook** and you have the option to list your book back on the site for your asking price. The drawback is that you can't charge too much because you are competing with students across the country who are doing the same thing. One student at UGA is even organizing a local book trade/sale to take out the bookstore as a middle man***.
The most important thing is to try not to get ripped off by the school as best you can. Happy hunting!
If you found this post helpful, please share with friends and comment below. Thanks!
*Amazon.com, Ebay.com, Chegg.com
**I haven't had scribble but I did have answers to all the math questions once. It was great for studying!
***http://onlineathens.com/stories/021210/blu_561925699.shtml
