To save money on textbooks, many students have started renting and ordering online, while others still prefer the convenience and security of buying at local bookstores.
Brandon Collins, instrumental music education junior, said he typically compares prices between local bookstores, but is open to the idea of shopping online and renting although he hasn’t before.
“I shop at the University Bookstore, [and value the] convenience, but I should be shopping online,” Collins said.
A new Norman store, The Peoples Bookstore, allows students to rent textbooks and save about $100 compared to college bookstores, said owner Regina Ferguson.
“We offer books to students for less than the bookstore,” she said, after experiencing textbook price markups first-hand while working at a community college bookstore.
“I was given a price gun and told how to mark them up,” Ferguson said.
Students who use The Peoples Bookstore pay a $50 membership fee and rent books for 50 to 75 percent of the cost to buy.
Ferguson said renting may only be advantageous for some students, however.
“Renting may not be the cheapest, but take time to find the best option for you,” she said.
For students buying and selling their books online, timing is the most important part, said AbeBooks.com spokesman Scott Laming.
“Buy books as early as possible and sell as early as possible to get the best possible deal,” Laming said.
Web sites such as AbeBooks.com provide students with a forum to buy and sell books. “[Students] find cheaper deals online because demand and supply is spread over a larger area,” Laming said.
Those uninterested in Internet surfing may still find bookstores the best option.
In the midst of economic struggles and technological advances, Ratcliffe’s Textbooks in Stubbeman Place hasn’t noticed a shift away from buying and selling textbooks, said Ratcliffe’s manager Charissa Siebert.
Siebert said students should take care of their books and sell them back in a timely fashion. By buying used and considering loose-leaf alternatives, students can save money up-front, although it may jeopardize the buyback value.
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