Lots of students know about buying college textbooks, and a number of college students know how to sell textbooks. When I considered the idea that there are countless students, researchers, academics and scholars throughout the United States and the world, it occurred to me that it’s likely that at least a few are not familiar with all the buying and selling methods available when it comes to their books. In 2012, there may be approximately ten to twenty million students attending institutions of higher education; wouldn’t it be possible that some students might not know of every available method to buy or sell used college textbooks? Many universities, including ones I’ve visited in California, Washington, Texas, Oregon, Louisiana and Montana might provide notices or instructions to their enrollees where to purchase or acquire any text books or literature that are required for the courses they offer. (Quite a few instructors spend a lot of time reviewing texts so as to make a decision which ones are the best for their students to use.) Sometimes, there are flyers posted by the colleges and universities, or by various student organizations enumerating various options when it comes to buying books and selling textbooks. These days, with the existence of personal computers and the net, there are numerous online options, e.g. web sites designed to sell books online, as well as websites where students may try to sell their used textbooks to online book buyback companies in addition to many local options (e.g. on campus or local bookstores or textbook sellers). Some of these web-based (“online”) venues may be listed among the various listed options.

Now, some interesting thoughts about acquiring and utilizing texts: once a college instructor or professor who requires the use of texts in their course has made a decision which one is ideal for his or her class, this information is made available — usually to the campus bookstore and/or the students enrolled in the faculty member’s class. Some night courses, basic education classes, MBA programs, etc., may automatically supply any literature required for the course. For example, when the enrollee arrives at the university classroom on the first day of class, their books may be waiting for them on their school desk. Otherwise (in many cases), the textbooks are not already supplied via the registration or enrollment process, and the student must acquire the book. Getting a hold of new or used textbooks is usually done by various means, including going to the university or college’s bookstore, and finding the book which may be located on a shelf labeled with the course number. It’s nice to note that even after finding the shelf that holds the required textbooks or resource material, there may be options: there could be a stack of brand new textbooks with a certain price tag, and next to the stack of new books may be a stack of “used textbooks” with an often lower price tag. Many students are happy to purchase a used textbook and have a chance at saving a bit of money by finding really good-condition used books on the shelf. Another oft-used method of acquiring new or used books is by going online, and searching the web for the book. Because nearly every college textbook being used today has an ISBN or EAN number (like a barcode number), searching for books to buy online may involve little more than typing in the text’s barcode number and searching for and comparing availability and selling prices offered by various textbook sellers and book sales companies. Alternatively, college textbooks have often been acquired by obtaining them directly from other students who have finished using those specific volumes. There are quite a few web sites where students can “swap” books with each other. An example may be that a student who just finished history class might be destined for a math class. Concurrently, there could be a student who just finished their mathematics class and be destined for the aforementioned history class. Provided the respective instructors plan on utilizing the same math and history textbooks, those students might consider swapping their books. Long ago, before the net, much book swapping likely took place at the local university the students who were swapping texts attended, probably because the logistics of a long distance discussion regarding the textbooks’ descriptions, any required accompaniments, or the versions of whatever books were required might have been more complicated than a proximate, in-person discussion. However, nowadays, with the proliferation of the web, the concept of “distance” may seem to virtually disappear, and the modus operandi of exchanging textbooks with a student in a far away state becomes considerably easier with the use of email, online communication, web based used textbook ISBN databases, and simply shipping or mailing the books per the instructions or requirements of whoever is facilitating the swap. Of course, the option of simply posting an ad at any allowed on-campus or local bulletin boards is common, too, in which case a student needing a textbook advertised in a flyer or on a board may consider buying or exchanging texts with the advertiser.

Sell Textbooks

What happens at the end of a class, a course, or college when the student is finished using their textbooks? Many find the answer to be quite simple: make a decision whether any of those books will be of any use in the future. Just about any set of furniture may include a shelf especially for books (a bookshelf)! Countless books, texts, volumes, booklets, reference manuals, and literature compendiums have been kept handy on bookshelves for future reference or educational purposes. In fact, this author has noted that when university professors are interviewed on television, it is a common sight to see a bookshelf in the background, filled with various new and used textbooks. When a mathematical formula is needed, how handy is it to open up one’s math book and retrieve the desired formula. When a historical date is needed, a history textbook is always handy when one’s memory of history-related facts and figures escapes the realm of memory. Even cooks may have various cookbooks in their library. On some occasions, though, when a college student is finished with their class, they may find they never need certain texts any more. If a college student makes a decision they won’t need specific new or used textbooks in the future, it may be reasonable to want to wish to sell those books. Akin to buying or acquiring books, and swapping or exchanging books, there exist many options when it comes to book sales, and selling used books, especially with the presence of the net, online resources, and the number of online websites where students may attempt to sell their books. Many examples exist of companies that buy books via the web; here is a popular example of a resourceful place many university and college students, academics, and graduates sell textbooks. Because nowadays, with all the options available when it comes to attempting to sell textbooks, one may wish to consider various attenuating factors which may include convenience, offering price (“textbook buyback” offer price), the web site’s rules and policies, whether shipping is covered or not, etc., as well as any requirements as to the salability of the textbooks wishing to be sold. It’s important to thoughtfully weigh these various factors. For example, if comparing the book buyback offering price between a company that offers free shipping on any books they purchase from the seller, and a buy back company that doesn’t offer shipping, one may wish to take into consideration the shipping/postage costs. Some web-based textbook buyers offer insured shipping, so that if any textbooks being sold get lost in transit, there is the potential for recourse, to recoup the textbook buyback price on the book(s) being sold. If, on a particular occasion, a student happens to sell their used textbook to a company that doesn’t offer free shipping, but they get more money (even taking into account the shipping costs) than another company which offers free shipping, then a potential circumstance like that one may be something to keep in mind. One may feel it is ideal to find a textbook buyer that offers the most money, taking into account shipping and buyback price. However, when it comes to reviewing options, price (i.e. the base dollar-amounts) isn’t always the lone deciding factor. Perhaps other factors like convenience, reputation, and confidence may come into the student’s decision-making process. Another hypothetical example may be as follows: an online textbook buying company may be offering a bit more than the student’s own college campus bookshop. If the student is confident that the online book buyer will provide a reputable, satisfactory book buying experience, then it may be “worth it” to sell the textbooks to that company. However, if the student will worry about any problems (imagined, or otherwise), then it may be “worth it” for the student to sell it to their own college campus store for a bit less money, because it would be an in-person book sale. Of course, all the above-listed examples are hypothetical, just listed as ideas to consider. There may be times where one’s local college bookshop offers more for a book than anywhere on the net, and vice versa. The point is that when it comes to buying books, selling textbooks, swapping books, and keeping the books on a shelf in one’s own personal library, many options are possible. It is quite pleasing to know that today, more and more academics, students, and graduates are becoming more aware of the options and possibilities that exist. Perhaps in the future, there may be even more choices to make when it comes to textbooks. Oh, by the way (in conclusion), there’s even another choice a student may possibly make when it comes to their used textbooks: they might wish to donate them.