A question for WVU students

[johnnytavo]

Since I am a freshman I don't really know if it is better to return my books to the book exchange or the book store, is there even a difference in the money i will get back?

Just wandering if anyone had any advice

[SeanB]

Bookstore... you always get more money back.

Also... thought for next year...

Buy your books on Amazon, you can get the ISBN numbers from the Bookstore website and get them at a fraction of the cost. Heck when I was an undergrad I sometimes got books used on Amazon and sold them back for PROFIT to the Bookstore.

[Brucey]

Damn, why didnt I think of that.

[johnnytavo]

yeah i was thinking about that, never thought you could make a profit though lol

[lilred]

my .2 cents

I didnt attend WVU, grad from Marshall, but I still bleed blue and gold!!

Anyways, buy your books off Amazon, then sell them online!!! I found many places that would buyback your text books for much better prices than our local stores would ever think of. Just take care of them. These places usually provde a shipping label you print out to ship your books in. Just take an afternoon online and sell them. It doesnt have to be right at the end of a semester either. I sold many books well after a yaer that I obtained them.

Hope this helps.

Go WVU!!

[NaomiUC]

As a former employee of UC Bookstore/Follett Higher Ed, here are some pointers:
a) find out if the same book is being used the next semester. You will get more money. Supply/demand thing...Book adoptions have already been submitted..ask the prof or the Chair.
b) If it's not being used, see what they are willing to give you and go online to compare selling. Sometimes you might just be better to add to your library.

And it also depends if your bookstore is state-run or by an outside company. State-run bookstore seem to be less generous and have to bring in publishers to buy back books and then they have a % agreement worked out, etc. (Darn WV State U)
And lastly, schools and publishers are getting sneakier. They are printing special edition books just for that school. Which means it's harder to sell online and it may be a one year book. Sometimes professors will edit a master book and add some of their own material in, and then make students buy it to collect the royalties. There was a professor at Marshall, that was changing the book every semester. Which doesn't help the students or the bookstore out.
So I guess after my mini-rant, what I'm saying is...if it is a high $ book, it pays to shop around. If it's a standard gen-ed book, it's likely to turn some profit. But major specific things, such as nursing and IT change a lot, that may be a gamble online. And then there's always the bulletin boards in the hallways.... :D