Most students sell back their textbooks at the end of the semester. Too often, they don’t take time to consider their options and truly find out which method pays the most or is fastest and most convenient. Let’s briefly discuss the often-overlooked differences between campus buybacks, online buyback services, and marketplace websites like Amazon or Half.

Put plainly, the textbook industry is stacked against students. Publishing companies battle used book companies in a constant game of cat-and-mouse, and this fight affects buyback prices. Publishers’ frequent new editions combat the used book market, and knock the resale value of old editions almost to zero. Campus bookstores buyback prices are set by these used book wholesalers, and a bookstore’s offer is based on inventory levels at these mega-corporations.

So essentially, buyback prices are increased or decreased for these reasons:

1. If and when a new edition is scheduled to be published;
2. The volume of a title in print as there are more/less copies for sale nationally; and
3. The number of campuses that will use the book the following semester.

If students are put off by these stipulations, know that they affect prices at online marketplaces like Amazon or Half too. These marketplace sites may look attractive, as the going price looks to be more than any buyback offer. But be careful, many students overlook the ins-and-outs of selling your books here.

Let’s take an example - Sociology, 12^th edition, by John Macionis. Current at time of writing, the lowest marketplace price is $64.99. Most students want their book to sell first, so let’s say you decide to list yours at $63.00. Now what?

Here’s what happens:

1. Wait for your book to sell. It could be one day or six months. You never know.
2. Your book finally sells for $63.00 and the site adds up to $7 to cover expedited shipping. Total = $70.00.
3. The site takes up to 22% in commission, leaving you with $54.60.
4. Let’s say the buyer is in Seattle. You drive to the post office.
5. You pay for postage out of pocket, often purchasing packaging or tape too. Sociology, which weighs around 5 lbs. with packaging, can cost $13.95 – $17.15 for USPS Priority Mail from Birmingham, AL to Seattle, WA. Check it here.
6. You wait 2-4 weeks for your $53.82 to be disbursed to your bank account.
7. Your NET amount paid, sold price minus shipping minus commission, is $37.45 – $40.65.

Compare that to a current (at time of writing) buyback offer from FreeTextbooks.com of $48.00. No commission. Add to that prepaid shipping, a referral system (get $5 for every friend you refer), price matching, and same-day payment, and there is no better offer.

Questions or comments? Post your thoughts below & start the discussion.

What is FreeTextbooks? Founded in January 2009, FreeTextbooks.com is an online textbook buyer and seller with a growing nationwide online clientele and a real-world presence at the University of Alabama, Samford University, the University of Alabama-Huntsville, Auburn University, and Troy University. We sell for less, buy for more, and offer a unique cash back program (so you can earn free books). In addition, FreeTextbooks.com is a social venture, helping to meet the underprivileged’s most basic needs – food, clean water, clothing, education, and health. In the past four months, we’ve provided 850 meals to Birmingham’s Jimmie Hale Mission.