Reading into textbook prices

January 28, 2008 —

by James Fry

by Aaron Crossen

In general, online outlets like Amazon.com and Half.com are less expensive than the bookstore. But the quality of the book isn't always guaranteed, and not all listings can be completely trusted. Here are some guidelines for buying online:

1) Make sure you're getting the correct edition.

Most professors require the most up-to-date version of a textbook. You may be able to get by with an older version of a text, but most revisions add some things that weren't in a previous edition. That can come back to haunt you on tests.

2) Buy from reputable resellers.

Joe's Book Shack might have the best price, but you'll have a better chance of getting the right book in the best condition if you buy directly from Amazon. Both Amazon and Half.com sell books for various resellers, so pay attention to where the book is going to come from when buying online.

3) Don't buy books in bad condition.

Simple as that. If you're missing chapter four, you're not going to do very well on the chapter four test. Most booksellers won't try to sell you something that's just unusable, but be safe and just buy something in good or average condition. Knowing the reseller helps in this regard.

Textbook prices are getting higher and higher. There are reasons for the rise and there are ways that students can get around it ... and still be able to afford dinner.

Students scrambled over the past few weeks to get their books for the new semester. However, with prices so high, many of them found that buying only the books that they needed right away was the best way to go until they could gather enough money for the rest.

Christopher J. Surfield, an SVSU economics professor, explained that a number of reasons cause textbook prices to climb.

He said that books, especially in the economics field, are higher in price because of the number produced and sold. No matter what book is being produced, it costs a certain amount to create. If there is a higher demand for that book, then the cost will go down because more are being produced.

"There aren't as many econ students buying books," Surfield said. "So if you can't spread the cost over millions of books, it gets expensive."

The initial cost of publishing a textbook includes not only the setup of the book, but of the proofing, editing and other fixed costs. If there are only a few of these textbooks being published, that initial cost is divided among a smaller number of books, causing the price to rise.

International editions of textbooks are usually less pricey than other editions sold in book stores. Because international students tend to be more price-sensitive, international editions of textbooks are created so that they can be sold to those students at cheaper prices.

According to Surfield, many international students aren't willing to buy the expensive books as most American students are. They are more worried about the price and so the international editions of textbooks are a solution to get them to purchase the textbooks that they need.

As professors at SVSU choose texts for their classes, some take price into consideration while others don't look at the price tag so closely.

"In choosing textbooks, I'm less concerned about prices," Surfield said. "It's more about the content."

Assistant Professor of Marketing Tim Brotherton explained how he chooses his textbooks.

"It all depends on the aim," he said. "I choose the best book for the class."

Sometimes students can't get around the high prices of textbooks, so shopping around to save money is becoming increasingly popular.

"Students are more than welcome to come in and check prices," said Chris Pawloski, manager of the SVSU Bookstore. "They can compare ours with prices online. However, when you buy a used book online, you never really know the condition it will be in."

If the condition of a used book from the SVSU bookstore is terrible and somehow gets on the shelf, it can be exchanged. That may not be the case online.

A lot of students go into the bookstore looking for that yellow "used" sticker.

"We try to put more used on the shelf,"Pawloski said. He explained that the earlier professors tell the bookstore which texts they will use, the earlier they can start buying those used books back from students, giving others more used books to buy for the following semester.

"Most books are used two to three semesters," Pawloski said. "They try to hang onto the same book."

New books are inevitable. Publishers dictate the changes and then have to sell them at a new book price. When a professor requires a text that is a brand new edition, students can't buy it used and must buy the new book.

There are a few Web sites that SVSU students tend to visit before deciding where to purchase their books. Two examples include the used book havens Amazon.com and Half.com.

"I check in the bookstore and Half.com. If it's cost effective and if I need the books right away, I'll buy them from the bookstore. If not, I'll order it online," business management senior Heather Smith said. "But most of my books are over a $100 a piece because they're brand new."

Other students choose not to compare prices and shop for bargains, for various reasons.

"I get mine from the bookstore," said biology and secondary education junior Josh Parker. "They're high, but I pay with loan money. I have to use it."

History professor Paul Teed is the author of a book titled John Quincy Adams: Yankee Nationalist. His book has not yet been used in the classroom.

"It's in hardcover so I won't use it yet," Teed said. "If it comes out in paperback and is cheaper then I would."

Professor Teed checks prices before he chooses texts for his classes. He has also found ways to get around expensive textbooks.

"Students need a backup for a lecture and I like to use primary sources as well," Teed explained. "But cost is a major consideration."