Textbooks — one of the most expensive purchases students have to make — are available not only from the IUS Bookstore but also from other sources.
Websites, such as half.com, Amazon and Barnes & Noble say they offer competitive prices for textbooks while providing great savings in comparison to campus bookstores. They also allow students to set their own prices to sell their own textbooks.
“I prefer to purchase my books online,” Josh Graham, business sophomore, said. “I usually find the books that I need for about half the price. I’ve had classes, such as philosophy, only cost me $10 for five books from buying them on half.com to math books that cost me $150 because it’s a stupid bundle that only IUS sells.”
Graham said he has visited other sites including Chegg.com and eBay to purchase cheaper textbooks.
“I like the adventure to find the best bang for my buck,” he said. “I guess I’m a weird one, but it really is nice to save some money and to be able to buy other stuff with my money instead of books.”
Another option for students is to rent textbooks. Local bookstores — like Destinations Booksellers in New Albany — offer savings of up to 60 to 70 percent. They also provide free shipping for orders more than $100.
“You beat the hassle of buying and selling, and you beat the hassle of ‘It’s not in yet,’” Randy Smith, owner of Destinations Booksellers, said.
The textbooks are shipped from a warehouse to the customer’s address. Students have 21 days to return the textbooks without penalties if they end up dropping a class.
Returns can be made by bringing the textbooks to the store or by shipping via UPS.
“You can order on Jan. 1, and they won’t count it against you,” Smith said.
The 2010-11 academic year was the first year Destinations Booksellers has offered the service, and they have not heard any complaints thus far.
“We will work with you to make it happen if you need our help,” Smith said.
Students can also find necessary textbooks through OneStart.
A classifieds section on OneStart typically offers savings of about 50 percent of the price of used textbooks sold at the IUS Bookstore.
“Basically, your only option is to buy it from the bookstore or from someone who’s already bought it,” Bryan Robertson, political science freshman, said. “There are so many options for people to save money.”
The IUS classifieds are easily accessed by selecting “Classifieds” on the left side of the page and then “Books.”
“The sad thing is, with as many students that go here, the maximum number I’ve seen listed was 200,” Robertson said.
Some students still purchase their textbooks from the IUS Bookstore or online through the IUS Bookstore’s website.
“I purchase my textbooks through the bookstore’s website,” Josh Martin, secondary education junior, said. “Ordering online eliminates a lot of the hassle of having to dig around in the store itself trying to find the right books, and, if for some reason the course books change, your order will automatically update.
“It’s sort of an expensive venture, but I really think that the convenience of ordering through the bookstore site outweighs the couple of bucks I might save trying to go through a third-party vendor like Amazon,” Martin said.
By JENNIFER HARRINGTON
Staff
jeharrin@umail.iu.edu