# Buyback is not a right. (mostly rambling...) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 11, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240 "2003-12-11T00:24:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/21 "2003-12-11T11:47:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SnoopyFan \* > \*\*My criminal law book was nearly $100 because I was forced to buy a new one, and it’s in pristine condition. The bookstore wants to give me $17 for it, because that particular class is only offered in the fall. > > Yeah right. I’m gonna hang onto it and sell it back to them in late summer and get the $50 I deserve. I’ve looked at all the reputable book buying websites and they all want to screw me over, too. \*\* My brother, mother and (deceased) aunt are all lawyers and all of them were grateful they kept all of their books because they are useful for bar prep and reference. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/22 "2003-12-11T16:32:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MsRobyn \* > **This works beautifully if you know what your textbooks are in advance. Next semester’s booklists won’t be available until the week before school starts. This sucks because I am probably going to need some reference books but don’t want to lay out the money until I know for sure.** How long does the bookstore take returns? IIRC, the schools I went to would do refunds until the end of the add/drop period. If they’ll take returns for a couple weeks (and of course if you have sufficient cash), you could get the text from them to use until you can get a cheapie copy from [half.com](http://half.com) or another place. ---
**Author:** ![dalovindj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dalovindj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalovindj)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/23 "2003-12-11T16:41:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Is this a US only thing - I haven’t come across it often in the UK? I’ve heard of it being done in Ireland, and I’ve gotten buybacks in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Bermuda. I’d be curious to know if it is a common phenomenon around the globe or not. Can you tell that I spent more time with booze than with textbooks while I was in college? Thank goodness I found this place, because it turns out I missed out on learning some pretty interesting things. Between the SDMB and the Internet at large I’d say I’ve learned more in the last 3 years than I did in all of high school and a year of college . . . DaLovin’ Dj ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/24 "2003-12-11T17:10:42Z")
When I was in college, one of the student organizations set up a book fair where you could buy and sell directly from other students. It worked out great, unless you were unlucky enough to take a class the last time a particular book was to be used. I pretty much resigned myself to the overpriced texts, but I never got over the poor quality of one in particular. Halfway thru the semester, it was, quite literally, falling apart. It was the most expensive text I ever had to buy, it was a wreck before the class finished, and the professor decided to go with a different text the next time. I’m so glad it’s long behind me. ---
**Author:** ![dav01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8491ac/32.png) [@dav01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dav01)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/25 "2003-12-11T17:23:26Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by GMRyujin_ > World Lit: $46 Used, $60 New > American Lit:$48 Used, $62 New > Critical Thinking: $50 Used, $67 New > Psych(1): $93 New (no used). “Optional” workbook $68.75 Used, $93 New > Psych(2): $67 Used, $90 New. “Optional” workbook, $15 New > Spanish: Textbook and Workbook, $90 New. “Optional” package with the 2 CD set, $120. There’s actually a college course called “Critical Thinking”? ---
**Author:** ![dav01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8491ac/32.png) [@dav01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dav01)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/26 "2003-12-11T17:27:20Z")
That wasn’t meant to be a slam on you **GMRyujin** , by the way. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/27 "2003-12-11T17:59:42Z")
I generally returned my college textbooks, but I retained all of my grad school texts. They are on a shelf in my office. I refer to them from time to time… ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/28 "2003-12-11T18:08:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Geobabe \* > \*\*How long does the bookstore take returns? IIRC, the schools I went to would do refunds until the end of the add/drop period. If they’ll take returns for a couple weeks (and of course if you have sufficient cash), you could get the text from them to use until you can get a cheapie copy from [half.com](http://half.com) or another place. \*\* My bookstore’s policy is that they won’t accept opened textbooks for return. So, if I unwrap the book from its plastic, it’s useless and I may as well keep it. Robin ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/29 "2003-12-11T18:09:32Z")
My worst experience with book buyback was a for a psych class I had my last semester of college. They refused to buy the book back without the CD. The problem with this was, that they had not sold any of the books with the damn CD in the first place! That really pissed me off. ---
**Author:** ![Lockseer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@Lockseer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockseer)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/30 "2003-12-11T18:38:33Z")
I, too, worked at a college bookstore. Just this past summer. Was starting up my PhD program in the fall, and needed a quick job…and had always wanted to work in a bookstore, actually. Had the interesting experience of a student who was signed up for the class I was teaching in the fall asking me if I knew if I thought he’d actually need to buy the books for the class (not knowing I was his instructor). That was fun. Heh, heh… I actually liked doing Buyback. I’d say only about 15% of the customer were assholes about the money they got back. You just couldn’t take it personally. It was pretty much just a matter of explaining to them “See, if the book isn’t being requested for the upcoming semester, you aren’t going to get much for it, you understand?” Of course, this meant many folks hung onto books and are probably trying to return them again right now, when I no longer work there. Ah, well. As to when books could be returned…we allowed people to do that anytime during the year. REFUNDS, however, were different. You got full money back on refunds, assuming the books were in the same condition you bought them in. You could typically only get a refund up to two weeks after the first week of classes. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/31 "2003-12-11T19:06:59Z")
> [@](#): > > $100 books??? Are these coffeehouse college textbooks? Hell, I have textbooks that I paid a hundred bucks for _twenty years ago_, back when a hundred bucks was real money. Using [the inflation calculator](http://www.westegg.com/inflation/), I find that a hundred dollar book in 1982 would cost nearly two hundred today. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/32 "2003-12-11T19:21:04Z")
Of course, there are countless students whose parent’s actually buy the books, while the student just pockets the money when he sells it back. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/33 "2003-12-11T20:00:07Z")
And then there’s the guy I _just_ dealt with. I said that we weren’t taking a particular book and he said “you can just keep it”. This store is about 450 sq ft., and that’s a generous estimate. We don’t have room for the books we DID take back. Don’t get huffy with me, sir. **Gadfly** , where do I find sharpened tuna? I would love to impale some of these people. I tell people that regular used bookstores often take books back (especially anthropology books, I’ve found) but that just seems to be too much trouble, driving across the street and all. Most of our books aren’t bought for retail sale in this store. We sell them back to wholesalers who then sell them to other stores (we once got a book with a 10 year old savings bond from a kid in North Carolina… we got it back to his mom. She was pissed at him.) I like my job, and yes, it is only 10-15% of people who complain. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/34 "2003-12-11T23:48:57Z")
Long ago when I went to College my experience was similar to a lot of you. I would buy books for $80 and sell them for $20 at the end of the semester. Later, after I’d graduated, some enterprising people had set up a mobilhome across the street from the college bookstore and were selling stuff at 1/2 to 3/4 the price of the bookstore (same texts just cheaper). College had them shut down. College.bookstores.are.just.evil. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/35 "2003-12-12T00:12:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shadez \* > \*\*But the evil really starts with the teachers. My drama teacher had us buy twenty novels. TWENTY. \*\* Novels are easy. If you’re short on cash, check them out of the library as you go along. That’s what I did this spring for a class that required 5 (much better than that hellish 20). However, either get the books from the nearest town or city library or be prepared to beat everyone in your class who has the same idea to your school library. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/36 "2003-12-12T00:43:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Upside\_Down\_Amber \* > \*\ ***FilmGeek** , this is only meant to be an innocent question. I feel like I have to say that, because tone doesn’t always come across on MBs. > > What do you say to people who see you selling a book for $85, when you bought the same book back from them for $30? > > Just curious. \*\* If you don’t mind another bookstore clerk answering, if someone asked about the price discrepancy, I’d have to say “Do you think we work for free?” Preparing for a semester is a lot of work. Someone has to clear away the books from the past semester, someone has to get every single bit of information from the professors, someone has to build the database of courses and titles, someone has to see to the books are bought back or ordered, someone has to check them in, someone has to make sure they’re where they’re supposed to be. In addition, someone has to make sure the store stays clean and someone has to keep an eye out for shoplifters. I haven’t met any of these people who are working for free. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/37 "2003-12-12T01:25:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dav01 \* > \*\*There’s actually a college course called “Critical Thinking”? \*\* Yea. 2 credits. 50 minutes a week. Required. > [@](#): > > Development of practical, logical, and problem-solving > skills important to all disciplines, with emphasis on the > composition of argumentative essays. Definitions, types of > meanings, fallacious and deceptive arguments, deductive and > inductive reasoning. Now I can be one of the morons shrieking “STRAWMAN!” and feeling very impressed with myself. ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/38 "2003-12-12T09:09:42Z")
Buyback is the lubricant for the brutal anal rape that is buying textbooks from a college bookstore. Without it, the magnitude by which you’ve been screwed increases by 33%. At my community college, the buyback was actually conducted by a representative of the major textbook wholesaler. One quarter, the guy actually CACKLED while offering me $12 ($2 each, for pulping) for books that cost me $300. Compounding this was the fact that the bookstore would not disclose pricelists or information on what books were going to be resold or reused, which they were required to do, being a state agency. They had to be sued before they would reveal the information. Vaseline™ and Your College Bookstore: Partners in education. ---
**Author:** ![Purple\_Scottie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Purple\_Scottie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purple_Scottie)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/39 "2003-12-13T18:43:57Z")
The worst example of bookstore price gouging was for one of my lit classes. The version of a Hemingway book we were required to buy cost fifty cents when it was first sold in 1973 and was costing $10 when sold in 1999. Yep, the old nasty thing had actually increased in value. Thankfully we convinced the prof to choose another version that we could find in a local bookstore so that we could spend about the same amout of money for a nonmoldly copy (it was important to use the same version so that when passages were referred to in class you wouldn’t have to struggle to find out what page it would be in your copy). Of course it wasn’t the fault of the people working in the bookstore and hopefully we didn’t growl too much at them. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240/40 "2003-12-13T19:58:00Z")
One of my profs apparently caught some flak (or so he told us) for telling us to find a nice cheap paperback version of one of the class readings instead of paying the outrageous prices at the bookstore for the same book. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buyback-is-not-a-right-mostly-rambling/218240.md?page=3)