With a new semester and new classes kicking into high gear, students are facing one of the main sources of drained finances — buying books. While many students may opt to purchase these supplies online in hopes of saving a few bucks, bookstores at universities such as the University of Wisconsin say their book sales seem generally unaffected by the increasingly popular trend.
“We find ourselves very competitive with online prices after adding in time and shipping costs,” Steve Scheibel, textbook department manager at the UW University Book Store, said. “The effect (of online sales) is there, but it’s minimal.”
Gwen Gardner, president of the National Association of College Stores and manager of a Davidson College bookstore, said online sites and bookstores have the common goal of trying to get course material into students’ hands.
“We want to make sure students have the books they really need,” she said, adding that online sales have not noticeably affected bookstore sales. “College bookstores provide a physical, brick-and-mortar location. Service always costs a little more, but students seem to think it’s worth the convenience to get everything in one place.”
Although Gardner said the NACS has not received a good answer as to why textbooks are cheaper overseas, she said university course requirements differ between the two regions.
“In the UK, a professor says, ‘Here are 10 books on the subject; pick the book you want.’ The demand is not the same.”
Prices are usually set at American universities when publishers competitively send representatives to speak with campus faculty members. Faculty then determines the best value for students, and bookstores purchase their choices.
“Faculty is the key to the whole picture,” she said.
Oren Milgram, director of student affairs at StudentMarket.com, said the site’s main goal is saving students time and money by comparing online bookstores. The website uses a system in which students search for books by author, and since its initial launch, Milgram said the site has attracted 1 million visitors and 1,800 colleges nationwide annually since 1995.
Some online stores such as Amazon.com and Half.com offer additional services for buyers such as seller ratings posted by past buyers.
“People write pretty straightforward ratings, and early on there were speed bumps,” he said. “But now a buyer sees the credibility of the seller before buying.”
Amazon.com refunds a buyer’s money if a book fails to arrive, and if the purchase totals $25, shipping is free. Milgram said StudentMarket.com shipping costs are $3 for the first book and 99 cents per item after that.
Scheibel said University Book Store buys back almost all used textbooks.
“If you come in with 100 books, we are likely to buy 90 percent of them,” he said. The store fails to buy back about 5 percent of books, including lab books and custom publications, Scheibel said, because they have no value to anyone, even online customers.
University Book Store buys back textbooks according to a formula in which the bookstore will pay back half of a new price if the book can be sold again, but acknowledged that all books are not always bought back. In addition, the bookstore replaces defective textbooks, and students receive full money back if they drop courses within about a week.
“The used price is 75 percent of their new price, and if you do your fractions, we pay back two-thirds of used prices. If it slipped into the bathtub, or if the dog chews up the spine, no,” he said, adding that the amount of highlighting does not affect the buyback price.
Despite the costs of textbooks, Gardner said most bookstores make their money on clothing and gifts.
“The margin is pretty much constant for all books,” Gardner said. “Whatever it costs the store, they’re going to add that on to the books — nothing more.”
