Get the biggest bang for your books

Ashley Carswell
Staff Writer

It’s the end of the semester, and once again students are faced with the question “Where is the best place to sell back my books?”
Students have several options to choose from if they want to sell back their books. The most popular place to go is to the University bookstore where most students bought their books.
For most students, the University bookstore is their first choice because it is the most convenient. However, some get frustrated because they do not understand that book buyback prices and quantities are set by supply and demand for the school and the nation.
The Web site efollett.com works with campus bookstores to sell books, but it also provides students with information on how book buyback works and how prices are set.
According to the Web site, several factors are involved in determining how much money a student can get back for a book. These include the condition of the book-binding, covers and all pages intact; and free of excess highlighting and other markings, whether or not an instructor at the university has ordered the book for the next term, and the number of books the store can carry.
The Web site also states that even if a store has reached its shelf limit, it may still buy your book back. In this case, the price is based on national demand and the need of other bookstores.
Each university has its own policy when it comes to book buyback that follows the same criteria.
“ Univer-sity set policy is to buy back books at half the new price if a teacher has ordered the book for the next semester,” said Dennis Mendoza, a senior majoring in international studies who works at the UWF Bookstore. "Overstock prices are determined by publishers and the need for that book at other stores.”
If the University bookstore has reached its shelf limit for a particular book, students can also go to the Pensacola Junior College Bookstore or to Lemmox, located near Cordova Mall.
“ I’ve heard that it’s better to go to PJC if your book is for a lower-level course, because PJC is a junior college,” said Katie Gonzalez, a sophomore majoring in elementary education. "But if the book is for an upper-level course, PJC might not take them.”
Today, some students are taking advantage of the Internet to sell their books.
The Web site Half.com allows sellers to display books for sale by using the ISBN or UPC number to place books up for bid. The site provides step-by-step instructions and a help page for new sellers that give shipping prices and other important facts.
Using the Internet versus going directly to a store to sell textbooks has positive and negative aspects.
Bookstores offer convenience. However, students might find themselves getting back less than half of the book's price if the condition is poor or if the book is in low demand. Some Internet sites may allow students to control the price of their books for sale, but students are also responsible for shipping and handling and they don’t have a guarantee that the book will be sold.
Danny Worden, text coordinator for the University bookstore, said that students are better off selling books back to the campus bookstore rather than online.
" The bookstore is convenient, and students don’t have to worry about shipping," Worden said. "You make more money if you buy back used, because then you can sell it back for more if the book is requested by an instructor for the next semester. If the book isn’t being bought back by us, then you should try to sell it online. This should be a last resort."
Still other students have decided to cut out the middle-man and sell their books to other students taking a course that they previously had.
“ I usually sell my books back at the bookstore, but when my friends have a class that uses one of my books, I will sell it to them,” said Angelina Sansone, a junior majoring in biochemistry. “I sell it for less than the bookstore price, but a little more than what the bookstore will buy them back for.”
For more information, visit the efollett Web site at www.efollett.com or contact the University Bookstore at 474-2150.