It’s what all students want – the most bang for their buck!
The quarter has just begun, you’re low on cash and in need of textbooks – what do you do?
“Go to the Internet,” said Koz Berger, an undecided freshman in business. “It’s just a click away.”
Berger took a gamble with his economics books. Instead of relying on campus area bookstores like the Student Book Exchange or Long’s bookstore, he took his chances on the Internet and saved over $30.
Berger’s book – “The Principles of Economics, Second Edition” – brand new, sold for $70, but he got it used and in good shape for $26 at www.half.com.
“I just shopped around and found it cheaper online,” he said.
Berger said he likes to use either www.half.com or Ebay when searching for textbooks.
“I just look online and it’s cheaper than in the stores,” he said.
Nick Minzer, a sophomore in psychology and an SBX employee, said buying books online is for lazy people.
“Buying books online is bad. You don’t even get to pick the book that you want,” he said.
However, campus area book store prices can even be steep for used books. College Town Books has used copies of “The Principles of Economics” for $56.25 and SBX has it for $60.
Kathy Smith, general manager of Long’s and the Ohio State bookstore said there is a dark side to buying textbooks on the Internet.
“You have to consider shipping and handling, hidden charges and the hassle of returns,” said said. “If you drop a class or change a class then you can forget it.”
Smith said hidden charges are the most troublesome because students think they’re getting a book for the advertised price, but when they go to finalize their sale, the price is jacked up because of shipping and handling costs. Long’s sells its used books 25 percent less than the industry standard.
Shipping and handling can be as little as $5 or as much as $10. Two more setbacks are credit cards and delivery dates. In order to buy a book off the Internet, one must have a credit card, and shipping can take anywhere from 24 hours up to three weeks.
Austin Alford, a freshman in business, said buying books online is too much of a hassle, yet he doesn’t buy his textbooks in university-area bookstores either – he buys them from other students.
“It’s less than what they sell in the store. You can get a $100 book for less than $50,” he said.
The easiest way to find a book at www.half.com is to search by the ISBN number on the back of the book. If you don’t have the ISBN number you can also search by title, author or keyword. After that, a picture of the book will appear – though it may have a different cover – along with five categories that rate the condition of the book: brand new, like new, very good, good and acceptable. Each book has feedback from the seller that tells whether the book has curled corners, worn binding, or torn or taped pages. Prices can be as cheap as $6, however in order to make a transaction, you have to be a registered user.
Some technology-shy students said they prefer the traditional way of buying books.
“l’ve tried to buy them online but something always goes wrong so I just go to the bookstore,” said Karen Allerding, a junior in middle childhood education.
Allerding said though she favors the bookstore, she’s not totally opposed to the Internet.
“I might try it again because I get pissed off in the bookstores – all the freshman rush the bookstores on the first day of classes.”
Additional LinksClick on the following links to find the best deals on new and used textbooks.
