Students fight high costs through text book exchanges
by Melissa Sanchez, reporter

(Part three in a three-part series on textbook costs.)

   Tuition is on the rise, and so are student book prices. As much as $400 can be spent on books per semester in campus bookstores.

   But students may not be aware there are things they can do to keep the cost of their books reasonable while helping other students get more money back for their used books.
At the end of every semester, certain books can be returned to the TCC

   Bookstore for about 40 percent of the initial value.

   Many times, however, the bookstore does not take back certain books.
This Bookstore policy happens because of discontinued usage or an oversupply of books for the next semester.

   Many students at this point would go home and stash the book in a closet somewhere.

   Some students have no idea that they can make most of their money back while giving other students a huge discount on their books.

   All four of the TCC campuses have bulletin boards for announcing upcoming events and general information.

   On these bulletin boards, students have a chance to get the word out about things that they may be able to offer other students such as used books.

   One way to do this is for students to simply take a moment to write down the information about the book they are selling, the price and contact information.

   After getting the notice stamped by student services, students are free to post their ad on any bulletin board across campus.

   On SE Campus, however, students may post notices only on designated boards in the cafeteria.

   This bulletin board method allows students to sell books that the Bookstore may not be taking back anymore, and often yields more money than the Bookstore would offer.

   Students may be able to find books for as much as 50 percent off the Bookstore price.

   As long as students make sure they sell their books for about $20 less than the Bookstore, both the seller and buyer can come out ahead.

   Some students, however, find that while buying from another student can be very helpful, it can be somewhat unreliable.

   “Getting the books cheaper is great, but it is so hard to find books that haven’t been sold already,” NW student Kyle Bird said

   “There are barely any people selling books. If more people did this, it would probably be more effective,” he said.

   Former adjunct teacher, Carlos Barron, took it upon himself to help students with the cost of their books this semester.

   At the end of last semester, he started taking contact information from students who were interested in selling their books and TI-85 calculators to his incoming class this semester.

   The first day of class, Barron encouraged students who had not already bought their book to get in contact with students from the previous semester so they could work out an arrangement to buy and sell books and/or calculators.

   Arely Ortega and other SE students found this opportunity very helpful.

   “It was very thoughtful and understanding of him. I got my book and calculator for under $100 dollars,” she said.

   Another way students may be able to advertise their used book is on Campus Cruiser.

   A bulletin board located on the Web application allows students to post all kinds of information, including used books they might have for sale.

   If students use this feature to sell their used books, they can reach TCC students on all campuses.

   Campus Cruiser can be accessed by all registered TCC students and can be entered through the Web link on the TCC home page.

   A Web page will soon be available to SE students strictly for the exchange of TCC textbooks.

   The Web site is being created by the Computer Science Club and run by the Future Business Professionals, both on SE Campus.

   Depending on how involved students are able to get, the Web site should be ready by next semester, according to John Kirchner, president of Future Business Professionals.

   On the site, students can contact each other about a book they want to sell or need to buy.

   The system will be especially helpful for distance learning students who do not have time to go to campus and search the bulletin boards.

   Once implemented, the Web site will be a book exchange for SE students only.

   However, the site may be extended to other campuses in the future.

   Students on the other campuses or in distance learning courses may choose to start their own Web book exchange sites.

v“We would be more than happy to network with other campuses, and help them get these applications set up,” Kirchner said.

   For more information on the Web site, students and faculty can e-mail Tccbooks@yahoo.com.

   Before students return their books for $20, or pay $115 for that biology book, they might want to consider using one of these money-saving methods.

   It could mean a significant increase in spending money at the end of the semester. It may also save money at the beginning of next semester.