Hey! Hutchinson Community College! Y’know I’ve gone here for.. uh. 3 years come the fall. I know how it works. I’ve been in school a while. I understand the textbook racket. Really. Ya all sell used copies at overinflated prices and pay us peanuts, and claim that “you’re saving us money” by doing so. In reality, many kids just overpay because they’re lazy.
I get it. I understand it’s a stressful time for everyone – myself included. I specifically drove the 51.2 miles one way to school today to sell back my books, which means you can take out $12 from my total just for the gas alone. I’m not a math major, but when it comes to *my* money, I’m smart about it.
I came armed. I wrote down all my figures from my How I beat the College Textbook Racket post I wrote about 4 months ago. I know what I paid. I know what Amazon pays. I know what eBay pays. I know what the bookstore sells em for. This is not me being rude, this is me being a smart shopper.
I also knew that the bookstore buys back books if you buy them here and keep the receipt for 50% of the price IF they need them, and 35-50% if they don’t depending on their stock- their discretion. They basically get 60%-70% resale value on books, which is a damn good profit margin, I think most companies would kill for it.
I knew all of that.
So, with all this in mind… you *might* want to tell your booksellers to not get pissed off when I say “No, I didn’t buy my books here, but I came to sell them back because I need the money and I know the bookstore needs people to sell books back to keep stock for next year.”
When they start blathering how I’d have saved money had I bought them here, and I politely say “Not $100 plus dollars worth”, they shouldn’t get offended. (if I would have bought them all new at the bookstore, it would have been a lot more than $100 worth, but I digress. The point is made.) I haven’t had a job in a year and a half. I’m a shopper. If I can find a better deal somewhere else, I’m going to. It’s my right to get the best value for my money. (in fact, if I didn’t need money so bad they’d have -all- gone on eBay). And I admit, I was a little annoyed – but I was polite. Terse, but polite. I bit my tongue so hard I still have blood in my mouth, as a matter of fact. (Yes, I have a temper, and I know how to control it, even with little sleep)
It’s when the buyers start saying I’m rude, have an attitude, and refuse to buy my books that I have a problem. When they claim that over half my books have water damage – pretty funny since the only one that does I didn’t even bother to sell back, I’m keeping it – and then continue to carry on, and then say “well we aren’t buying your books so you just need to leave”. The girl Megan (sp) keeping saying how I’m rude and immature? Very nice, really. It’s immature to want to know the price of every book that you’d buy back so I can compare to see if I can make more money somewhere else? Since when was saving money immature? The guy behind me raised his eyebrow and mouthed “wow, they’re mean” as I was walking off.
So I loaded them all up again, walked upstairs, then someone in business office called the bookstore manager Anita. She took care of me.. kind of. The book buyers said “well her books are damaged so they aren’t worth buying” was *completely* uncalled for – when I pointed out that it wasn’t water damage because there was no discoloration, the Megan girl going “You should just be quiet and quit being rude”… Let’s just hope that we both don’t have work studies in the same place next year, honey, because I can SHOW you rude. (I don’t think I would, but I’m just angry right now.)
Most of mine were bought new. I took online classes so the majority sat on my floor unless I was traveling or using them. I am VERY PICKY about my books, I treat them like gold. There’s a reason I have so many VF+ old books in my household. I respect them. Even if I hate them.
So yes – that one that you said was water damaged? You hadn’t bought any of them back yet, and they need them next year. Funny – Anita bought it without a problem, especially when she learned the code was still intact and that they had 0 in stock, and I showed her what real water damage looks like versus average use on a page.
Anyway, obrigado to Anita for buying back the few you did. Even though the 2nd one of mine really isn’t water damaged, it’s ok. I can sell it on eBay for $70. You’d have given me $35. you sell it for $100. I wish I could make that kind of profit.
PS, the used copies you guys did have when I came in to check them out last year? Almost all were in worse shape than this book. torn covers, pages stuck together/discolored, so much writing that you couldn’t read the text. (it’s not water damage – it’s flimsy paper that has creases because it’s flimsy paper.)
Anyway, final count:
I got $90 back total. I don’t know how much each was individually, as they really wanted to be rid of me..
I sold back:
Psychology (I paid 66.53 used, the bookstore sells it used for 79.99, it’s 105.99 new, and it eBays for $45. I’m guessing I got ~$42.50 for it.)
John Connelly’s The Book of Lost Things (I paid 5.57 used, used for 10.99, new for 13.99, it ebays for $5. I’m guessing I got $5 for it)
American Lit II – 3 volume set (I paid 43.47 + tax NEW, bookstore used for 50.99, new for $67.50, ebays for $35, and I’m guessing I got $42.50 for it).
They would not buy back my Macroecon book because of “water damage” on one page. (I paid 69, bookstore used it 109.70, bookstore new is 147, eBay price is $70. They were offering me $35. Uh… nothx anyway)
I haven’t sold back: British Literature II, and now I’m not going to be able to due to this. (oh well. Their loss, since they need them as they had 0 used copies when I checked in the beginning of spring)
And I’m keeping my Fairy Tales book.
So really, it did behoove me to sell back to you guys because I don’t HAVE to deal with eBay.
PS: Next year? I’m not even going to bother coming to buy/sell books here, unless there’s a significant difference in price and quality. I don’t know that it’s worth it to deal with this bullshit again. And I’m one of the most understanding people in the world, but don’t treat me like I’m some wet behind the ears green dumbass college kid.
Now, I have a final to finish and a paper to write.
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