PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Point Park: Why bookstore prices are so high
by Janine Rectenwald Wednesday, Sep. 22, 2004 at 8:01 PM
jmrecte@hotmail.com 724-747-6858

Story explaining the process bookstore books go through to get to the students and why we only get a pittance when we sell back.

Bookstore Prices Revealed


The prices at the bookstore are too high. This is a common gripe heard around the halls at Point Park when a new semester starts. Cost of books seems to be on an upward spiral while student’s wallets remain at the same pitiful state. But is the bookstore really to blame? Here is the real story of how the prices in the bookstore are determined.


According to twenty full-time Point Park students surveyed 73% estimated that they spend $300 or more on text books purchased from the Point Park bookstore each semester. In addition, 66% of students surveyed feel that they do not save a great deal money buying used books.
The book prices in Point Park’s bookstore are set much the same way book prices are determined at other Universities. The publisher establishes the price of the books, the bookstore then purchases in bulk from a wholesale company to get the best price. The bookstore then marks-up the price to make a small profit for selling the book. In Point Park’s case, the mark-up is 5%.


A perfect condition used book that can be returned to the Point Park bookstore shelves is then sold for 25% less than the cost of a new book. In other words, a book that is currently selling new for $100 would then sell for $75 used.
If the books was slightly damaged; cover ripped, heavily highlighted, pages torn, the bookstore then boxes the book, sends it back to the wholesale company and the company reimburses the bookstore for the money paid to the student. It all depends on supply and demand.
There are a multitude of outcomes that can occur when a student decides to sell back a book. If the book is in perfect condition and the bookstore staff can put a “Used” sticker on it and reshelf it, that student will receive half of the current selling price back. For example, if the book was $80, the student will collect $40.
However, if the book is in less than stellar condition, the student receives less than half of the current selling price as determined by the wholesale company. The bookstore does not determine the amount of money returned to the student.


Why can’t the bookstore accept an old edition if a new edition of the book has been issued? The bookstore staff must determine if the professor or department is using the same book next semester. If the professor doesn’t require the book for the next semester, the value of the old edition dramatically declines. The bookstore loses money if they purchase the student’s out-of-date editions because there will not be a demand for them next semester. Because the wholesale companies cannot sell the old editions if a new edition has been issued, they are also unlikely to accept the outdated editions. The outcome then, if the bookstore were to accept the old editions, would be piles of old, unusable books cluttering the bookstore.


Fabyanic estimates new editions are turned out roughly every 3 years.


“Again, it all depends on supply and demand,” said Fabyanic, “If a certain book sells exceptionally well, new editions are issued more rapidly than those books that tend to stay on the shelves longer.”
The most expensive books, according to Bill Fabyanic, are usually Engineering, Criminal Justice or the accelerated programs because of the amount of books accelerated students must buy within a short period of time. On the opposite side, Dance is usually the least expensive major.


But don’t lose hope. There are some ways to cut cost of buying or earn more for selling your text books. Internet web sites are the new trend in buying and selling books. More and more students are beginning to discover the advantages of online bartering for text books. Many web sites such as amazon.com, abebooks.com and half.com offer lower than bookstore prices for books. When one student compared prices from the Point Park bookstore to amazon.com they found that they would save $70 including shipping, by purchasing their books online.


“I used half.com this semester to buy my books and saved money. I think buying books online is the way to save the most,” said Max Pacolay, senior Public Relations major, “Used books are helpful, but not helpful enough.”
But be careful. When you’re buying online, you have to factor in shipping. Make sure the cost of shipping isn’t more expensive than buying from the bookstore. And also be aware of whether or not the required book is really going to be used or if the professor is going to toss it and request a new one.


“If you buy a book from an online company and find out the professor isn’t really going to be using that book, you’re out of luck because you can’t sell it back to our bookstore without a receipt,” said Bill Fabyanic.


In summary, the bookstore doesn’t determine the prices of books, wholesale companies and the publisher does. To sell or buy your schoolbooks at a better price, try shopping online because it doesn’t look like we’ll have a change in the bookstore buying and selling system for a long time.

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