A UWM Post survey of new textbook prices at the University Bookstore, Panther Bookstore and two online retailers found that online prices were cheaper, but that some books could not be found online.

The survey used a sample schedule including Biological Sciences 202: Anatomy and Physiology I, English 101: Introduction to College Writing, History 249: The Second World War in Europe, Mathematics 105: Intermediate Algebra and Political Science 105: State Politics.

The survey found that new editions of books are often not available on some Internet sites, forcing students to either buy from one of the bookstores or not use them.

Of the two sites used, half.com was the cheapest avenue for students to find new books at a discounted rate. Of the sample of seven books, two were not available, including the textbook for Anatomy and Physiology I and one of the textbooks for State Politics. The total of the five other books was $205.57.

Textbooks were similarly discounted at amazon.com/textbooks, where the total for five books was $251.25. The two textbooks not available were the same ones not found at half.com.

At the two bookstores, all the books were available. The total at the University Bookstore was $510.20 and at the Panther Bookstore was $498.30.

Howie Cohen, assistant store manager for the Panther Bookstore, said that the bookstore tries to have the shelves filled with 75-80 percent of used books.

Cohen said that students have to be very careful when ordering on the Internet. He said that students need to be wary to look for the correct edition of the textbook needed.

“A lot of times, they’re going to order something, and it’s going to be wrong,” he said. Ordering on the Internet is “the latest craze. Everyone is computer literate and thinks they can get a better deal.”

Marc Sanders, manager of the Course Books Department at the University Bookstore, said that receiving book orders early would allow students to save more.

Another way students find buyers and sellers of books is on thefacebook.com, where the “Sell Your Books” group offers to match buyers and sellers. Others use craigslist.com.

In the survey, some items required for classes were not included, such as an RF Radio Frequency Remote needed for Anatomy and Physiology I. For Intermediate Algebra, the survey only used the text used in the majority of the sections.

Books for Introduction to College Writing were not included in the survey because students were required to attend the first day of class before purchasing books.

> Comments