General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Have textbooks always been such a ripoff? [View all]the devil
(42 posts)but you have to remember that there isn't much of a market for them. The latest paperback will sell for $5 because the publisher will make their money on it. Textbooks have a limited audience, and so the price goes up on them.
I bought a Biology textbook for about $120 when I was in my second year of university. Barely used it, and it was in excellent condition, so I took it back to the store to sell it back (no, I wasn't going to try to return it... ). The guy buying books was willing to give me $4 for it. I kept it. It came in handy when I became a teacher and had to teach...biology. Funny how those things work.
My advice...check campus bulletin boards, online sites (abebooks.com, for example) and other places to see if you can get a good deal. And keep the good ones...you never know when you will need them. Or pass them on to someone who needs them the year after. You can make some of your money back.