Buying textbooks overseas cheaper than in the U.S.! (1 Viewer)

[Max Leung]

NY Times registration required:

Students Find $100 Textbooks Cost $50, Purchased Overseas

I've always hated how textbooks are incredibly expensive. I can understand recouping costs, but this is ridiculous!

Even worse is when a professor blindly forces his students to buy newer editions of a textbook, cutting them off from their source of used textbooks. And I get angry when I compare the two editions, and the only differences are the order of the problem exercises at the end of each chapter.

On the other hand, it's a good thing students are taking advantage of the internet to get around the gouging. Hopefully this will spur publishers to lower their prices. Assuming, of course, that they don't jack the prices everywhere instead.

 

[Max Leung]

Oh, and I find it interesting that even some booksellers themselves are purchasing overseas...

 

[Mark Dubbelboer]

One of my texts cost $140 in the university bookstore.
one of the students that had taken the class the semester before went to thailand over the summer and saw the exact same textbook for $50. so he bought a suitcase full and sold them for $90. quite the idea, i'm sure it's highly illegal however.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

quite the idea, i'm sure it's highly illegal however.

Assuming he purchased legal copies of the text, he can legally resell them for profit. This is how used-book stores stay in business.



* Only applies to american law. May not be legal elsewhere

 

[Max Leung]

It shouldn't be illegal to resell books at all. I assume that the student paid the usual GST/duties at least.

 

[Jeffrey Noel]

One of my friends at K-State used to sell new textbooks through half.com. He would have the books ordered to be shipped from overseas directly to the purchasers address. He made anywhere from $10-$30 per book, while still saving the buyers a lot of money. He made a grand in no time!

 

[Benny G]

Even worse is when a professor blindly forces his students to buy newer editions of a textbook, cutting them off from their source of used textbooks. And I get angry when I compare the two editions, and the only differences are the order of the problem exercises at the end of each chapter.

Even though I've always bought current edition textbooks, 90% of the professors I've had say to not worry about getting the current edition. It's the bookstores that force you to buy new editions.

 

[JordanS]

My International Business Textbook was $120 plus tax at my university bookstore.

*angry*

 

[Scott L]

The bookstores themselves (bad word I know but oh so useful!) charge a hefty fee just for storage space. One of my professors made a $20 reader packet (about 40-50 pages) but when she put it in the bookstore they slapped on an extra $30 just so she could put it in the college bookstore. $50 for a thin reader packet.. what a waste.

And let's not forget the $85-$150 books that the bookstores won't buy back at the end of the semester. I hope books online come sooner than I think, and at least 50% cheaper to read them!

 

[Philip_G]

really, with the student loans that I have, 300 bucks a semester on books is a drop in the bucket.

 

[Max Leung]

Wow you only paid $300/semester on books? Back in 1994, I paid $500-600/semester (in Canadian dollars - equal to $350-450 US)...textbook prices have tripled since then. You only taking one course?

Tuition back then was $1500-$2000/semester, for 7 courses in Engineering.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

I'm glad people are finding a way to circumvent those price gouging bookstores! I just wish I had access to overseas books when I was in school.