Spring Break
Senate introduces bill to decrease textbook costs
Students and faculty who have adapted to the high textbook prices may find relief in the College Textbook Affordability Act
Issue date: 9/13/07
As students look for alternatives, online book vendors such as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble Online have been quite successful selling used books. As Lynch put it, "The used book market is the perfect business because it is all supply and demand."
Tammy Hovey, a public relations manager from Amazon said that selling used textbooks is just "the next logical move. We know there is a huge audience with the need for used books. Purchasing textbooks can be extremely expensive … and students have a tight budget and need to get their books as soon as possible. Our used textbook business is quite strong."
Shamma Hossain, a junior, said she was a little skeptical about buying her used books solely from online vendors.
"A lot of my friends buy their used books from the internet, but I have a fear of ending up with a textbook with missing pages and writing all over it," she said.
Lynch says that a college bookstore cannot even attempt to compete with the prices of online vendors of used books.
"You find prices that are nothing like the suggested prices we get from publishers and it's hard for us because when you see your textbook being sold for $25, why would you buy it from us? We try and compete on the levels of service and comprehensiveness. It comes down to convenience and a commitment to the University."
Students are trying to get the best possible deals by shopping around. Hossain said that although she usually buys from the bookstore, she spends "hours researching all the books and their prices."
Some students, like sophomore Amanda Muscato, no longer buy some of their books. She says that she is not always sure what she will need throughout the semester and sometimes just, "borrows the textbooks from a friend."
Chris Yook, a senior, chooses to buy from a combination of online sellers, friends and the University bookstore. "I usually buy my large textbooks used from Amazon where they are a lot cheaper than the bookstore but if it is a smaller text, like for my philosophy and political science classes, the prices aren't so different, I'll buy it from the bookstore," he said.
Tammy Hovey, a public relations manager from Amazon said that selling used textbooks is just "the next logical move. We know there is a huge audience with the need for used books. Purchasing textbooks can be extremely expensive … and students have a tight budget and need to get their books as soon as possible. Our used textbook business is quite strong."
Shamma Hossain, a junior, said she was a little skeptical about buying her used books solely from online vendors.
"A lot of my friends buy their used books from the internet, but I have a fear of ending up with a textbook with missing pages and writing all over it," she said.
Lynch says that a college bookstore cannot even attempt to compete with the prices of online vendors of used books.
"You find prices that are nothing like the suggested prices we get from publishers and it's hard for us because when you see your textbook being sold for $25, why would you buy it from us? We try and compete on the levels of service and comprehensiveness. It comes down to convenience and a commitment to the University."
Students are trying to get the best possible deals by shopping around. Hossain said that although she usually buys from the bookstore, she spends "hours researching all the books and their prices."
Some students, like sophomore Amanda Muscato, no longer buy some of their books. She says that she is not always sure what she will need throughout the semester and sometimes just, "borrows the textbooks from a friend."
Chris Yook, a senior, chooses to buy from a combination of online sellers, friends and the University bookstore. "I usually buy my large textbooks used from Amazon where they are a lot cheaper than the bookstore but if it is a smaller text, like for my philosophy and political science classes, the prices aren't so different, I'll buy it from the bookstore," he said.
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