College Textbook Scams! Please read!

amlaboy · Aug 25, 2006

My college bookstore won't give out ISBNs either. I go to the bookstore, examine the required books myself, write down the ISBN # and then go shopping online. This semester, my books would have cost close to $200 for just 2 books. I bought both for under $80 via Amazon and Ebay. Forget the bookstores!

Thankfully my grant covers the cost of my classes and books. It's a free education! Can't beat that! :)

Megsd, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2006

Mine doesn't give ISBN numbers either, which is a real pain. I plan to do the same... go to the bookstore with a pad and pen and write them all down.

todell80 · Aug 26, 2006

NPR's (National Public Radio) Morning Addition program on July 25, 2006 did a story on just this very subject. It was very interesting:
"Book Costs Shock College Students, Families"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5580358
The cost of my books each semester have often exceeded the cost of my tuition and fees!

Thank you for that link!! It sounds like everyone is pointing their fingers at someone else!! My NS was really good, they gave us a list of books we needed at our orientation last March. I have to charge my books to my financial aide, so I'm stuck at the bookstore. I know the manager, though, and she let me come out and pick my books out in the middle of the summer. That way, I did get some used books. There aren't that many, since most nursing students keep all their books.

~T

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2006

Mine doesn't give ISBN numbers either, which is a real pain. I plan to do the same... go to the bookstore with a pad and pen and write them all down.

My college bookstore is closed each semester until right before the semester starts. Then, you go down to the bookstore when it opens and trying to get the ISBN number is a challenge. They seem to purposely cover all the ISBNs with industrial strength price stickers. In addition, a plethora of bookstore employees roam like hawks. It's really hard to find a spare second to peel back the sticker and get the ISBN number. I finally started getting the title of the texbook, author, and edition number through our online bookstore, which doesn't list the ISBN. I then go to half.com and purchase my texts that way. So far I've gotten all the correct textbooks, and I save about 50%.

What a racket.

enoRN · Aug 26, 2006

they've got the cash, if y dont have enuogh u'll be forced to shop around

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2006

My college bookstore is closed each semester until right before the semester starts. Then, you go down to the bookstore when it opens and trying to get the ISBN number is a challenge. They seem to purposely cover all the ISBNs with industrial strength price stickers. In addition, a plethora of bookstore employees roam like hawks. It's really hard to find a spare second to peel back the sticker and get the ISBN number. I finally started getting the title of the texbook, author, and edition number through our online bookstore, which doesn't list the ISBN. I then go to half.com and purchase my texts that way. So far I've gotten all the correct textbooks, and I save about 50%.
What a racket.

The ISBN numbers are printed on the inside page of the books with the copyright and printing information; they're not just on the back cover. So they can't cover up everything.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2006

The ISBN numbers are printed on the inside page of the books with the copyright and printing information; they're not just on the back cover. So they can't cover up everything.

Thank you for telling me this!

:icon_hug:

maryshome8 · Aug 27, 2006

The bookstore at my college shrinkwraps all of the books, and I have even found one ISBN number on that back that is incorrect.

Sometimes the professor will give them to you (as I have also discovered)...because they don't give a %&^%$( if the bookstore makes any profit or not.

Thank you for telling me this!
:icon_hug:

casi, ASN, RN · Aug 27, 2006

Sometimes the professor will give them to you (as I have also discovered)...because they don't give a %&^%$( if the bookstore makes any profit or not.

I've had one intructor tell us to use half.com instead of the bookstore. I've noticed that a lot of the teachers really take pity on the students and the book prices. All of my teachers this semester have mentioned that they did their best to try and keep book prices down since we have to pay a rediculous amount.

One thing I found for my Micro book, is sometimes you can find 'international' editions on the cheapy sites for even less. I found my $145 Mirco book in the international edition for $60 brand new still shrink wrapped. So far there are absolutely no differences except its a softcover (even better as is reduces the weight!) and the picture on the cover is different.

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2006

This is why I buy my books off half.com then after the semester is over I sell them back to the college bookstore and get half of what they sell the book for. Example I paid $4 for my history book online ( I paid more for shipping) then turned around and sold it for $45 at the book store. I dont see how people afford their books , I know there have been points I couldnt get all the books I needed.

I start TODAY at a local University to do my pre-reqs, and when I purchased my books this week I was floored to see how much they had went up (I thought) in 12 years since I have been in college.
When I was in college before, if I paid $50.00 for a book, it was steep...but everything that I was buying was $120, $150...My NON-NURSING books are over $500 for FOUR COURSES.
So, when I got home, I started doing a little online research by ISBN number (which will ALWAYS ensure you get the exact same book and edition).
Guess what? I wasn't crazy...the books at the college bookstore were DOUBLE about any price I found on the internet.:angryfire
Now, granted, I have always known that college bookstores were a little more expensive...this was mostly limited to 10 to 15% or so. To me it was worth the convenience. But DOUBLE???????
It's too close to class for me to order them online for this semester, but I have 6 semesters left, and they won't get another dime out of me.
My advice: SHOP EARLY AND SHOP AROUND!!!

matsgrl · Sep 7, 2006

I would venture to guess that the reason these students buy them from the book store is because of federal pell grants, etc. You can charge your books there. I got Pell grants my 1st semester and I didn't have cash at the time to purchase them offline so I had to buy them from the bookstore where it would go on my "account" and when my Pell grant came in, it'd pay that bill off. Yep, I looked for used books in awesome condition but that's what I had to do to make it to class. I didnt buy pens/notebooks there - but I have seen others do it. I'm not paying $7 for a 3 subject notebook. Walmart, here I come!

If I am paying out of pocket (like these past few semesters), I do look online. Our campus has no problems giving out ISBN numbers. I got my Anatomy book off ebay for $63 total and it was $165 at the campus store.

Kathyz · Sep 7, 2006

My son is a junior in high school and in July they sent us his book list with the ISBN numbers. I went to amazon and bought used books on their marketplace (they wanted $117 for Pre-cal and I bought it for $7.75!). My son's Math teacher was floored when he was ripping the pages out of his math book for homework instead of bringing his heavy book to school every day!

I wound up buying only 1 out of 10 at the school. (I thought they'd be surprised but other parents did the same; they should get a clue!) Check around with publishers too. Sometimes you can get a good deal there too.

I bought a few myself this semester. I like amazon's marketplace. E-bay isn't bad too. Make sure you have the correct ISBN.