by M.R. A. Swartz

Created on: April 30, 2008   Last Updated: September 10, 2009

Textbook Monopoly- How to Win the Game

College students are feeling a burden on their pocketbook due to current upward trends in tuition costs around the country. To add to the situation, textbooks costs are also soaring. The problem of this rise is caused by many reasons. Why are books these days costing so much? Is resorting to used books the only relief?

One reason why books are so expensive is that professors write books for their own courses. By monopolizing the market, professors require you to purchase their book for class; so they can price the textbook however they wish.

Another reason is when new editions of books are released each year. Even with slight changes to a book, a new edition is at it highest cost peak the year of its release.

New advancements in teaching methods are putting all the cost on the student. Additional workbooks, lab manuals, or other equipment used to supplement the class, add to costs of the course textbook. These costs are placed completely on the student giving the professor less incentive to fulfill new teaching goals.

So what can a student do to combat the textbook trap?

First and foremost, used books can help you save money, but they are not the only solution or avenue. Where you choose to buy your books is more important than if the book is used or new. You will find the highest price in used and new books anywhere at your college bookstore. The cheapest place to find books hands down is either online or among other students. As a college student myself I will recommend searching for your book title and author on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/books-used-books-textbooks/b? ie=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&node=283155&%2Aentries%2A=0) .
A search will allow you to look through different website listings of used and new textbooks. On average, buying all my books online, I save 50% on books including the cost to ship it.

Also, contacting your professor a few weeks before the course and to find out if an older edition of the book could also be appropriate can save cost. When a new edition of a book is released, older editions of the same book drop substantially in value. This is a great place to cut a deal on a book, which is 95% similar to the newest version.

Another good technique to lower the overall cost of high textbooks is after you are finished with the course (and passed J), sell the book to the highest bidder. If that means selling to your college bookstore, making an ad and selling it on campus, or putting it online for auction. This cash will offset the original cost to the textbook.

My final bit of advice if there is no possible way around the cost of a textbook is to go in on the book with a classmate. A roommate, close friend, or study buddy is an easy way you can reduce the cost of your textbook for a course. Sharing a textbook may even help you study (what's that?') when you have another person to rely on for homework or tests.

There is no foreseeable reduction in overall textbooks in the near future. Using some advice on textbooks can help you save a ton of resources. Don't feel trapped into buying a new book from the college bookstore. Ask your friends and older students to borrow books or find them dirt-cheap online. Buying only the essential coarse work and sharing with friends will help you overcome the price burden of rising textbooks.

Study on.

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