By Erin Mccoy
Cheap textbooks are important to a college student low on money,but finding them can be a pain for those who are low on time. Thereare a number of places to find books around campus and on the web,and if you know your options, you might have a little money leftover after the early-semester shopping’s done.
The three closest bookstores for U of L students – the U of LBookstore, College Book Warehouse and Gray’s Bookstore – are alwayspopular choices for textbook purchases.
Students can also buy their books from online venues, such asAmazon.com and Half.com.
The Louisville Cardinal compared the prices of books typical ofa student with 15 hours and the following classes: HIST 101, CHEM201, ENGL 301, MATH 111 and ARTH 250.
The bookstores around campus were more convenient for findingthe right texts. The textbooks are arranged under U of L classheadings, so that a student doesn’t have to wait until the firstday of class to find out what books he or she needs.
To use the online venues, students have to either visit one ofthe three stores around campus first to find out what textbooks areneeded for each of their classes, or wait until classes begin tofind out and order. Amazon ships in 3-5 business days. Half.com cantake more time because the online seller has 72 business hours tomail the book, and shipping may take 4-14 days.
The average price for a new book at the U of L Bookstore was$102.27. The average for used was $76.73. The U of L Bookstoreprices its used texts at about 75 percent of the cost of a newbook. It also promises to match a lower book price offered by anyother local store, and then knock another dollar off the price.
College Book Warehouse’s prices were lower than the Bookstore’s.Gray’s is College Book Warehouse’s top competitor, often a fewdollars cheaper. (The full list of prices can be seen in the chartat INSERT DIRECTION.) Gray’s, however, did not have the Art History250 book in stock as of Wednesday, Aug. 18; the store had notreceived the professor’s order, although the other two storeshad.
All stores pledged to have every U of L-prescribed textbook instock, excluding those whose orders had not yet been received fromthe professor.
“Ninety-seven percent of our books are in stock for ourcourses,” said Elenita Kelly, an employee of the U of LBookstore.
Gray’s Bookstore takes 10 percent off the price of any textbookthat they have to order for a student. Orders usually take 3 to 5days.
To find the right textbook online, students usually need to knowthe exact title and author of the book. The new books on Amazonranged from $20 less to $7 more than the U of L Bookstore prices.Amazon was usually more expensive than College Book Warehouse orGray’s, and books were harder to find.
The used books on Amazon vary drastically in price, as they doon Half.com. The latter, the lower-priced branch of E-bay, hasmostly used books, available at practically any price. There was awealth of options to choose from for each desired textbook, but alot of material to wade through.
In many cases, a book was available for $5, but quality wassometimes low or questionable.
Zack Pennington, a sophomore majoring in French andCommunication, said of his book-buying experiences, “Cheapest isHalf.com. But where I actually get my books – last year I got themat Gray’s, except one.”
The U of L Bookstore has the largest stock of non-textbookreading material. It also offers school supplies and U of Lmemorabilia. The Bookstore and Gray’s offer the two largestselections of school supplies – notebooks, binders, visual artsupplies, etc.
Supply prices at all of the stores, however, are much higherthan those at off-campus chains like Wal-Mart. A package with 150sheets of college-ruled paper at the U of L Bookstore costs $1.99,and the prices are no better at Gray’s or College BookWarehouse.
In many cases, it’s fine to hold off buying books until classesstart, but Pennington says to go earlier if possible. “The besttime is about two weeks to a week before classes even start becausethat’s when they have the discounts.”
Resale value for books varies by book more than by store.
Kyle Powell, sophomore, says that when he tried to re-sell a $20paperback textbook, “the university bookstore wouldn’t take oneback and they would only give me $1 for the other.”
The same book was rejected at the other two stores, but he gotthe highest offer from College Book Warehouse, where he re-sold hisbook for $2.50.
Bookseller Average New Book Price Average Used Book Price
Sample Classes: HIST 101, CHEM 201, ENGL 301, MATH 111, ARTH250
U of L Bookstore $102.27 $76.73
College Book Warehouse $90.97 $70.74
Gray’s Bookstore $92.51 $69.39
Amazon.com $103.20 Varies
Half.com Prices range from $5-$65 for used books
