Pejman Mokhtari
I have a cell phone bill, credit cards, rent, gas, a cable bill and the list goes on and on. On top of all this, I have to pay sky-rocketing textbook costs for required classes at Pierce College.
It seems like the price of textbooks are going up and up every semester and you would think they are made out of gold with the prices the Bookstore charges.
However, students might be able to get a lot more money back for their books than usual during finals week and the first week of next semester using the Book Buyback.
Greg Osweiler, manager of the Bookstore, said, “The end of the semester is the best time to sell your books back to the Book Buyback location because the Bookstore has just begun the ordering cycle of (books) for upcoming semesters.”
Though students have always been able to sell their books back for cash, the refunded amount usual it ranges from 10 to 50 percent depending on the textbook.
Teachers have their textbook requisitions to turn in to let the Bookstore know the required text the student needs for the teacher’s class.
When the textbook requisition is handed in on time, it gives the Bookstore time to process the list and know what books they need back from students. The higher the demand of the book, the more the student will get from selling it back to the Book Buyback location.
Only 20 percent of teachers have been turning in their textbook requisitions on time, which leads to students barely making money by selling their books back.
Rather than competing, the Bookstore and Book Buyback are partners that work together to buy books back from students when there is a demand for the textbook.
To help better the situation of selling a textbook back for a good amount of money, the Bookstore keeps a list of books they want and the price they offer to encourage students to bring those books in.
I am going to be honest and say I am never going to read these textbooks again after the class is over and I am sure most students would agree with me.
I remember running through the Bookstore trying to get a used copy of a book, often realizing the price was still too high for what I could afford. But what am I going
to do when the class requires a text? The last thing I want is to be behind.
Therefore, I am forced to purchase that book and try to sell it back for as much as I can get.
Taking advantage of the opportunity of making quick cash for something that will probably gather dust and attach itself to rotten food under my bed is a great idea.
From Spring 2007-08, the Book Buyback system has earned students a total of $890,000 by returning 50 percent of the price students paid for the textbook.
The goal for Fall 2008-09 is $1 million.
The foundation of the Book Buyback success, according to Osweiler, is the teachers getting their requisitions in on time.
Since the students are in the position to make money off of their expensive textbooks, now, the teachers are the ones responsible for turning in their homework on time.
Pejman Mokhtari ()
