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Blog Entry: #112

How to Beat the Campus Bookstore Scam:
4 Tips to Save your Money and your Dignity!
by Joe DePalma

When purchasing college textbooks, you must always keep in mind that your school is a business that is trying to squeeze as much money out of you as possible. Colleges apply “the squeeze” to your wallet in a variety of ways. One of the most blatant examples of “the squeeze” is the campus bookstore scam. The campus bookstore is actually the biggest scam on campus.

How else would one describe an establishment that forces an individual to purchase items, some of which they do not even need, at an inflated cost (let's say $38)? Next, the establishment leaves that individual with little choice but to sell the product back to them for a fraction of the original cost (let's say $9). Finally, the establishment completes the scam by reselling that same product to a second individual for slightly under the original price (around $31).

Campus bookstores do not have to rip-off students the way they do. Campus bookstores could buy books back from students at a rate of about 50% of the original cost and still make a nice profit off the deal when they resell the book. But they don't! They get greedy. That is why every student has to shop campus bookstore smart to beat the scam!

There are many misconceptions about buying books at the campus bookstore. The biggest delusion of all is that some students believe it is a good idea to buy every book they need before each class meets for the first time. This method of jumping the gun and rushing to the campus bookstore in an attempt to avoid crowds or impress a professor should be eliminated for many reasons. First of all, just because a book is on a list for a particular class does not mean the professor won't change his or her mind about using that book. Also, if the book comes in a clear wrapping which you remove, it is next to impossible to get a full refund even if you return it the day after you purchased it with the receipt.

The campus bookstore scam is at its zenith when a student is forced to purchase books that he or she does not even need. To combat buying unneeded books, there are some basic guidelines every student must follow.

* 4 Tips For Beating the Campus Bookstore Scam *

Tip #1 for Beating the Campus Bookstore Scam:

Any more than two thick textbooks for one class is too much material for a professor to realistically teach in one semester. To avoid being scammed, only buy the book your professor talks about the most on the first day of class. Don't worry about missing your chance to buy the other books needed for that class because most bookstores stock extra copies until about halfway through the semester when they send them back to the publisher. Using this delayed book buying technique will allow you to feel out your class before purchasing all of the books your professor (who is forced by the school) says the class requires.

Tip #2 for Beating the Campus Bookstore Scam:

Only buy the books you believe are the most focused on the course. Which book do you think will be the focus of your next class?

Book A : A thick, hard cover, generic $75 textbook that weights five pounds.

Book B : A $27 soft cover book that was written by your professor.

Book C : A $40 book package of two very small handbooks and a thin workbook with a CD.

* Answer: The odds are that the school forced your professor to assign books A and C, which will be skimmed through at best. Book B is the one you want to buy, read, and study from cover to cover because which professor isn't going to favor their own book over another?

Tip # 3 for Beating the Campus Bookstore Scam:

Do not rush out and buy any books your professor casually recommends a few days after they tell you about the two books you will really need for the class. Professors do this to help sell books for their colleagues who return the favor in their classes. These late “recommended” books are usually just that “recommended,” but if worse comes to worse and you actually need the book for a few days, you can simply find a classmate who purchased the book and ask them to borrow it for a night, copy a few pages or inquire about studying with them and possibly starting a study group.

Tip #4 for Beating the Campus Bookstore Scam:

The last resort…The Library! That is where you should be able to find a reference copy of every textbook for every class. Most schools keep these books available for students just like you who did not buy, lost or had their textbooks stolen. The library is your friend. They will help you find the books you need.

Extra Tip – The Two Most Popular and
Basic Answers About Campus Book Buying

Basic Question #1: Should I buy used books?

* Yes, Buy used books whenever possible. Used books are cheaper and, more often than not, the last person who used it wrote helpful notes in the margins and highlighted key terms or sections.

Basic Question #2: Which books should I keep?

* After the semester is over and it comes time to sell your books back to the store, do not sell back the key books from your major classes. Rather than getting back 10 – 25% of the original cost, it is always good to keep them for future reference, and they will also look impressive on a bookshelf.

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