Cheap textbooks and other issues that interest college students blog » bookstores http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:37:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 A Guide to Surviving College http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2010/08/26/a-guide-to-surviving-college/ http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2010/08/26/a-guide-to-surviving-college/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:50:15 +0000 Kate http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/?p=771 Kate is a guest poster from the blog Arguing with a Doughnut. It’s just as weird as this post.


Congratulations! You have been accepted into college! NOW WHAT?
Now you will experience everything you’ve ever dreamed of, right? Almost! Almost. While college definitely has a lot of “fun” going for it, there are an awful lot of pitfalls, differences, and out-and-out lies that you’re going to have to figure out as you go.
UNLESS.
You read this.
First, let’s cover your dorm room. It will not look like this:

It will look like this:

Brace yourself. Don’t go out and buy a lot of stuff; there won’t be any room for it. Equip yourself as if you’re going to prison because that’s about the amount of space you’ll have. If you think you’ll have room for a craft corner or a bookshelf made out of anything but hastily wrought IKEA furniture from failed and abandoned efforts to have “real” furniture and cinderblocks, you’re sadly mistaken.
Eventually, you’ll need to crack a book.
Don’t forget to buy your text books.
Buy them online. Forget the campus bookstore. Just FORGET IT.
Texts online are cheaper, way cheaper, easier to get, and not a waste when you resell (or keep!) them. Just get the book list as soon as you can, either by e-mailing your professor or by hacking the internet until you find a syllabus for the class and stealing it covertly for the sole sake of saving a few cents.
Once you have your books, you will <strikeout>want to study</strikeout> need to study.
You will also want to make sure you aren’t accidentally trying to live the lies you were told about college. For example, the brochure image? This one?
Yeah. About that. You’re going to school HERE:
Or, if you’re in the North East?
And remember when you thought you could get up and wear pajamas to class?
You can’t.
And finally, one last sage piece of wisdom…
Walk very, very carefully when you get your diploma.
]]> http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2010/08/26/a-guide-to-surviving-college/feed/ 8 How not to buy textbooks and still have access to them http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/11/12/the-dream-of-every-college-student-%e2%80%9ccheap-or-free-textbooks%e2%80%9d-can-be-yours/ http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/11/12/the-dream-of-every-college-student-%e2%80%9ccheap-or-free-textbooks%e2%80%9d-can-be-yours/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:12:00 +0000 Eugene Aronsky http://textbookdeals.wordpress.com/2008/07/21/the-dream-of-every-college-student-%e2%80%9ccheap-or-free-textbooks%e2%80%9d-can-be-yours/ Every college student hopes to have professors that will choose either free or at least cheap textbooks. Unfortunately those are rare, and many professors simply do not care that the book that they are selecting for the class will cost $200, while in other cases they simply do not have a choice since that may be the only good book on the subject. We already discussed some of the mechanics of textbook pricing and college bookstores. Today I give you a few tricks on how to get cheap textbooks. Some of these tricks are well known, and often used, others are only known to a few, and this fact will enable you to take full advantage of these tricks.

In regards to cheap textbooks many of the tricks have already been covered in previous blog posts, that is: used textbooks, older editions, etc. The trick I want to discuss with you today is how to find ways to avoid buying books altogether, while still having access to the contents of the books. The classic solution to this problem is simple: find a friend in the same class and share the textbook. Unfortunately this is not always possible, and when it is the friend may want you to help pay for part of the book, something completely understandable and a much better deal than having to pay the full price.

Another idea to keep in mind is that school libraries, or department libraries, typically keep copies of every textbook in reserve (this means that you cannot take them out of the building). This means that if you do not mind doing all of your studying at the library, than you do not need to buy the textbook. The downside to this is that you cannot take notes in the book, but you can always make copies of pages, and depending on the subject that may be good enough.

Another much less known trick is that most university libraries in the United States participate in some type of EZ borrow program. This means that they share books with other university libraries and are able to request books from other schools. This is great because you can request your textbooks from another university library, sign them out and bring them home. Depending on your library’s load duration, you will probably have to renew them mid semester, but that is not a problem. You will still not be able to take notes in the book (and out of respect for other students, please abstain from doing so), but at least this way you can read the book in the comfort of your home. This is a little known scheme, but trust me it works great! I had a good friend who went all through graduate school never having to purchase a single textbook.

This last trick applies to all of you out there who took humanities majors, or who are being forced to take litterature, philosophy or history classes. Many of your books, particularly novels are available in the public domain online: all you have to do is search for the name of the book and add “ull text” and if you are lucky it will be right there.

Well I hope that this blog post has given you some ideas as to how to avoid buying books, stay tuned for other postings where I will give you even more ideas on this and other book related issues. If you have tricks or ideas you would like to share, please leave a comment.

]]> http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/11/12/the-dream-of-every-college-student-%e2%80%9ccheap-or-free-textbooks%e2%80%9d-can-be-yours/feed/ 2 The down and dirty on textbook publishers http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/11/11/the-down-and-dirty-truth-about-textbook-publishers/ http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/11/11/the-down-and-dirty-truth-about-textbook-publishers/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:06:00 +0000 Eugene Aronsky http://textbookdeals.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/the-down-and-dirty-truth-about-textbook-publishers/ The way that the publishing business works has changed much since the early days of the Internet. The way that it used to work was that textbooks were more affordable, and since the used book market was very private, publishers were content with their profit margin. It is important to note here that publishers profit only from the sale of a new book; when a used book is sold and resold the original publisher of the book does not see a cent of the money generated. In the case where a bookstore sells used books, the bookstore gets the profit from the sale of the used book but has to buy it from someone. In the case of college bookstores, they have a constant supply of books since every year students graduate and want to get rid of their textbooks. On the other hand, whenever you purchase a book from certain sites online, the profit from the sale goes to the person selling the book, most likely another student.

As the used textbooks market developed with the rise of the Internet, and students were finally able to take control of the used book market by being able to sell their books online, publishers realized that fewer people were buying new textbooks. The solution that publishers devised was to put out a greater number of new editions or to put out new editions more often. It is important to note that many changing or rapidly evolving subjects such as computer science or biology require a new edition to be released yearly because the field changes constantly, but many other subjects such as literature, philosophy, and even business, in other words subjects that are not in a state of great flux and do not change rapidly do not require frequent edition updates. I can recall an ancient history class I took as a sophomore where the textbook that was available at the bookstore was the latest edition, and cost $80. Since I was fairly confident that ancient Greek history had not seen any major changes in the past few years I purchased an older edition online, saving $60 in the process, and had no problem keeping up the pace with other students of the class.

What many publishers do these days is that they put out a new edition regardless of whether or not any changes were actually made to the content of the book. If no changes were made than what they do is they will move around chapters, or maybe change a few chapter titles. The other strategy that publishers have developed is to include a CD or DVD with the textbook. This is seen as increasing the value of the book; however what they fail to tell you is that most, if not all, of the information on the CD/DVD is available on the publisher’s website for free, plus I have yet to meet a teacher who puts these CDs to good use.

The advice that I would offer students is to buy used and buy old editions whenever possible, and if you want to shop online I recommend you use a book price comparison website, in order to make sure that the price you are getting is the best one. In general, you should not stray further than 2 editions prior to the current one. If you are unsure as to an older edition of a textbook, I would advise that you consult with your professor, many are starting to come to the realization that books are putting a real economic strain on students and are starting to care, so they may be able to help.

]]> http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/11/11/the-down-and-dirty-truth-about-textbook-publishers/feed/ 0 Avoid costly mistakes http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/08/05/the-economics-of-books-yesterday-and-today-160-books-student-loans-and-you/ http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/08/05/the-economics-of-books-yesterday-and-today-160-books-student-loans-and-you/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:35:29 +0000 Eugene Aronsky http://textbookdeals.wordpress.com/?p=108 When I was an undergraduate buying textbooks, or any books for that matter, was straightforward, I went to the bookstore and bought the book, or I went online and bought it on Amazon. If I could not afford the book I got a student loan to pay for textbooks (close to $12000 of student loans over 7 years of education went to textbooks). Sometimes I even got a textbook scholarship, but this was rare. All and all I did not have to concern myself with worrying, and had a complete disregard for how I would pay back my student loans. Moreover, the financial aid department at my school often encouraged me to think this way.

Today things are different. Sure you can still act as I once did, and many students do just that, but the reality is that student loans are harder to come by, and the job market being what it is, everyone is struggling and will likely continue to struggle after graduation. This is why I want to share what little wisdom I have acquired during my years as a student.

It has been brought to my attention that I do not make any money from the maintenance of this blog, this is totally true. This blog exists, and We Compare Books itself was founded because I want to help students. I feel an affinity with students, and I do not want them to repeat my mistakes. On that note I would urge you to read this blog, if you are a student, and please take the advice to heart. If you are a professor who cares about your students, you can share this blog’s URL with them. If you are a parent, or know anyone who could benefit from the information here, I would urge you to spread this news. The world has changed, and we cannot afford to keep living as though it has not.

All this to say: compare prices. It is imperative that you check prices, all over the Internet and at your local bookstore. This is the only way you can be sure to get the best prices for all your books.

]]> http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/08/05/the-economics-of-books-yesterday-and-today-160-books-student-loans-and-you/feed/ 0 How to get the best prices on textbooks for summer classes http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/04/08/how-to-get-the-best-prices-on-textbooks-for-summer-classes/ http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/04/08/how-to-get-the-best-prices-on-textbooks-for-summer-classes/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:44:47 +0000 Eugene Aronsky http://textbookdeals.wordpress.com/?p=412 Getting cheap textbooks for summer classes is an especially unique challenge.  This is because of the duration of summer classes.  A normal class that you might take in the fall or spring semester lasts about 4 and half months, and most of the time the first week is spent on the introduction.  This means that if you were to not think ahead, and order your textbooks online on the first day of class, you would get them in time for your first, or second assignment (and if you were to plan ahead, contact your professor before hand, or ask another student, then…)

Summer classes, on the other hand work differently.  Most summer classes last 4 weeks, although some may last 6, and you typically have class 5 times a week, with assignments from day one.  Given this short duration it becomes difficult, if not impossible to order a textbook online and wait for regular delivery, and no one wants to pay for overnight shipping.  In this case most students end up going to the bookstore and paying full price for the textbooks.

The solution to this problem is one that is quite simple, but one that few students think of – plan ahead.  Summer classes are rarely a last minute thing, therefore, the same day that you register for a summer class contact the professor (email usually works best) and find out what the required books are, and order them 2 weeks before the start of class, this way you can be sure that you will receive the books in time for class.

Planning ahead and ordering your books online before the start of class has another advantage, and will help ensure that you are getting the absolute lowest price.  Towards the end of every semester students start to sell their textbooks online; given the increase in supply and the fact that demand for textbooks typically peaks after a course starts, this is the optimum time for you to get the best prices on textbooks! And the best way for you to ensure that you are getting the best price on new/used textbooks is to use a textbook price comparison site such as We Compare Books

]]> http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/04/08/how-to-get-the-best-prices-on-textbooks-for-summer-classes/feed/ 0 You choose. To save money on textbooks, or not to save money on textbooks : a study of textbook prices, University bookstore vs. We Compare Books http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/03/17/you-choose-to-save-money-on-textbooks-or-not-to-save-money-on-textbooks-a-study-of-textbook-priceuniversity-bookstore-vs-we-compare-books/ http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/03/17/you-choose-to-save-money-on-textbooks-or-not-to-save-money-on-textbooks-a-study-of-textbook-priceuniversity-bookstore-vs-we-compare-books/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:11:48 +0000 Eugene Aronsky http://textbookdeals.wordpress.com/?p=389 (From the editor)

Choice, we live in a world in which we all have many choices, starting from the 100′s of varieties of bottled water we can choose from, (all of which are basically the same) to the choice of which electronics store where we choose to purchase the latest gadget at (and of course the choice of the gadget itself).  We often make dozens of choices a day, and typically, given competition, and the marketplace, these choices do not end up costing us more money (most bottled water, regardless of the brand costs the same, as for gadgets, they tend to fall in a price range, where we pay more to get more).  The point I am trying to make is that our daily choices do not end up costing us money; additionally, if we had to choose from 2 items, both identical, but with a price difference of $50, most of us would obviously choose the cheaper item (this is commonsense!).  When dealing with textbooks this is the exact scenario that you are faced with: you can choose to go to the bookstore and pay the full price for the book, or you can choose to go to your favorite online bookstore and pay a slightly lower price, but if you want to get the true lowest price on the book your best bet is to use a service that is designed to compare prices, and is guaranteed to save you money, a service like, We Compare Books

I recently asked our intern to do a study, I told him to pick a semester of courses he had, and to pretend that he was going to buy books for said courses now, and to compare the difference in price  between the university bookstore, and We Compare Books, below is what he found.

Here’s a little experiment I did. I went on to my alma mater’s website and did a course search of a typical 15-credit semester course load in my major, International Relations. After compiling the listed prices for the books from the school bookstore, I then did a search for the books on WeCompareBooks to find the lowest price. I even included the estimated shipping costs. You can do the search yourself to verify.

Essentials of International Relations by Karen A. Mingst

ISBN: 0393928977

-         Bookstore price: $61.50

-         WCB lowest price (plus shipping): $33.99

Understanding International Conflicts by Joseph Nye

ISBN: 0321472012

-         Bookstore price: $61.75

-         WCB lowest price (plus shipping): $47.23

¡Dímelo Tú! by Francisco Rodriguez

ISBN: 1413031609

-         Bookstore price: $211.00

-         WCB lowest price (plus shipping): $39.00

Western Civilizations by Judith G. Coffin

ISBN: 9780393926996

-         Bookstore price: $90.25

-         WCB lowest price (plus shipping): $4.24

A Pocket Guide to Writing in History by Mary Lynn Rampolla

ISBN: 9780312247669

-         Bookstore price: $20.50

-         WCB lowest price (plus shipping): $4.24

World Religions: A Historical Approach by Solomon A. Nigosian

ISBN: 9780312442378

-         Bookstore price: $48.00

-         WCB lowest price (plus shipping): $24.00

Total bookstore price: $493.00

Total WCB price: $152.70

In this instance, you would save $340.30 or 69%! This proves that if you really want to save money on your next textbook purchase, use We Compare Books. Please take note, though, that prices change on a daily basis and that the prices you get may vary slightly.

]]> http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/03/17/you-choose-to-save-money-on-textbooks-or-not-to-save-money-on-textbooks-a-study-of-textbook-priceuniversity-bookstore-vs-we-compare-books/feed/ 0 Fight the Rising Cost of Textbooks http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/03/12/a-cool-organization-working-to-fight-the-ever-rising-cost-of-textbooks/ http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/03/12/a-cool-organization-working-to-fight-the-ever-rising-cost-of-textbooks/#comments Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:40:32 +0000 Eugene Aronsky http://textbookdeals.wordpress.com/?p=384 If you are in college already you know the cost of textbooks can be quite outrageous. Each year they seem to get more and more expensive, and the textbook companies continue to introduce superfluous new editions that really don’t change that much.

There is one group (I mean there is one group besides We Compare Books) – or rather a collection of groups – that is trying to “fight against the machine”, http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.com. This site is dedicated to addressing the problem of escalating textbook costs and advocating solutions. They are a collection of student PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups) from across the nation that want to address the concern of ever rising textbook costs. Their preamble reads:
“The cost of college textbooks has become a major affordability issue for low and middle income students, adding to the potential that these students will either drop out, take on additional loan debt to pay for textbooks, or undercut their own learning by forgoing the purchase of textbooks.
Textbook publishers have not responded adequately to these concerns, but have continued to exacerbate this problem by raising prices and employing practices such as unnecessarily issuing new editions of textbooks.
Faculty and students both share a concern about textbook affordability and its impact on student success.
We must address this problem without undermining the academic freedom of faculty to choose course content.”
Their website is full of useful information about why the textbook industry is broken, how it takes advantage of students, and what students can do to educate themselves and try to fight back. They also have a sign-up page where you can add your signature to the cause to increase their numbers and influence. I definitely recommend every student check it out.

]]> http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2009/03/12/a-cool-organization-working-to-fight-the-ever-rising-cost-of-textbooks/feed/ 0 The down and dirty on college bookstores http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2008/11/13/the-down-and-dirty-on-college-bookstores/ http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2008/11/13/the-down-and-dirty-on-college-bookstores/#comments Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:19:00 +0000 Eugene Aronsky http://textbookdeals.wordpress.com/2008/07/14/the-down-and-dirty-on-college-bookstores/ The way that college bookstores used to function in the past (the “good ol’ days here being earlier 1990′s”) is not the way that they function today. It used to be that the bookstore was owned and operated by the university or college, and had the interest of the students and the institution as its primary concern. The bookstore still made a profit, but this money stayed in campus and was used to benefit the students (this profit would cover a portion of tuition/fees). At some point there began a trend where the university would lease the bookstore out to a private company, essentially the university would off-shore the bookstore. The bookstore would no longer be operated as a part of the school. This trend has continued until today, when most of the university bookstores are now owned and operated by a few private companies. These companies have been able to jack up prices on textbooks, as well as everything else sold in the bookstore, and increase profits, profits which, instead of going back into the school now go only to the company (and its shareholders when it applies).

Another less often talked about feature of the “friendly university bookstore” is that these stores operate in collusion with the school’s financial aid office. Schools have set up a system where a portion of the financial aid money (loans) received by students is put on the student ID, and this ID can then be used as a credit card at the bookstore. This was originally put in place to prevent students from spending their loan money on something else than tuition, fees or other school related material. This simplification allows student loans to go directly from the bank to a private company, most often than not the corporation that owns the bookstore. Students are only allowed to use their loan money at the bookstore, which never offers the best prices. If students want to purchase books at a venue other than the bookstore, say at Amazon, they must use their own money or credit cards.

The other option that the school financial aid office gives students is the option to receive a portion of their financial aid money as a check (money that is left over after tuition is paid). This option is seen as an alternative, giving students the freedom to buy their books anywhere they want, but the fact is that this option is very time consuming, it takes months to receive the check, and the process involves much paperwork. When I was a student, not too long ago, I attempted to exercise this option on multiple occasions, and every semester that I did this I was required to spend hours at the financial aid office, making sure that I would receive my loan money, and every time that I asked for my money as a check it took until half of the semester for me to receive my money. Needless to say, the time to buy textbooks had come and gone by that time. Had I wanted the money put directly on my student ID, I could have spent it at the college bookstore immediately. Students who receive financial aid are therefore forced to use the university bookstore, paying substantially more money for the books than they would if they shopped around, and used a book price comparison site.

]]> http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2008/11/13/the-down-and-dirty-on-college-bookstores/feed/ 0 The US election, politics, and textbooks http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2008/11/05/the-us-election-politics-and-textbooks/ http://www.wecomparebooks.com/blog/2008/11/05/the-us-election-politics-and-textbooks/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:50:19 +0000 Eugene Aronsky http://textbookdeals.wordpress.com/?p=113 Well I guess I ought to comment on the recent election, after all, this is a blog, and most blogs provide at least some form of political commentary. I certainly do not want this to be the only blog on the planet that isn’t commenting on what some say is the most election important election of the century.

Anyway, I am under the age of 30, and I reside in the northeast, given that my political leanings should be clear. Additionally, I will say I am happy with the outcome of this election. But aside from my personal political leanings I am very concerned with the affordability of higher education. For all intensive purposes our university system is broken, and I am hoping that it will be fixed during the next four years, or that at least a process to fix it will begin. Public universities should again be made affordable and accessible to the public, and elite universities should continue their trend of increased funding for students that cannot afford to pay $50,000 a year for college.

My concern though is with a narrow part of the higher education system, textbooks. I am in no way advocating for free or subsidized textbooks – although if it ever occurred it would be great news for all students – but the concept of open source textbooks intrigues me greatly. What I am advocating for is for the free market to be allowed to do its job. Textbooks are expensive; they (supposedly) have a high cost of production and distribution. Additionally professors who choose to write such books ought to be properly rewarded. What bugs me is that university bookstores today survive on the quashing of the free market in textbooks. I would go so far as to argue that often there is collusion between university bookstores and professors in said universities. Bookstores require professors to submit a required reading list for each class, these lists are kept private from students, and the bookstores often wait until the last minute, the first week of class, to display these textbooks in the store. Students who want to save money by purchasing books online are left with few options, seeing as how most college classes assign reading from the textbooks on day one of class.

So here my two cents on fixing this whole textbook issue, and my recommendation to the new administration. There needs to be greater transparency in the textbook market. Students need to be given the option of where to buy their books, and they need to be told in advance what these books are so that they have proper time to buy them in places other than the university bookstore. I would suggest requiring professors to submit their required reading list to the university website, to a page that is accessible both to the university bookstore and to students, as well as making the university responsible for informing students of their options when it comes to buying books. Such a free market strategy would force the university bookstore to be more competitive, and would act to lower the prices of textbooks across the board, while maintaining adequate profits for all parties involved in the market.

As a sidenote, I am very happy to receive comments from the readers of this blog, and from the fans of my textbook prices comparison site. If you wish to write me a note, please send me an email, and I promise I will try to respond quickly.

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