Students favour convenience when buying books

Humber Lakeshore students say they would prefer to buy their textbooks from the college’s bookstore because of convenience.

Police foundations student Justin Prasad says a man approached him while he was waiting in the bookstore lineup Monday and offered to sell him used textbooks at half the $540 new book tally.

“It’s just easier to buy from the store,” Prasad says. “I only have debit and I was already in line so I decided to just pass up his offer.”

Certain programs require students to spend hundreds of dollars on books. The bookstore does offer some for rent or used books for discounted prices, is on campus and students can pay by debit or credit.

Bookstore manager Sharon Mundle says students tend to buy from a trusted seller rather than do a private deal.

Mundle explains the bookstore sells the most updated versions of textbooks available. Students can sometimes sell their textbooks back to the store at the end of the semester, but Mundle says if the newer edition has replaced the student’s version, the book is not accepted.

“Sometimes when students come in and are unable to sell a book back, they say ‘I’ll just sell it to a first year’,” she says.

Mundle says this is the problem when buying from private sellers. If there is not a lot of research done into the name and version of a textbook, students could waste money on a book they can’t use.

Students use websites such as Kijiji and Craigslist to sell books online. Sellers say websites are a good way to get more money back for old textbooks.

“The bookstore only gives you back 50 per cent of the money you paid,” said Yarko Prots, a student in the International Business program. “If I buy a book for $100 I can sell it for $60 or $70.”

Another alternative isn’t too far away from campus. College Books at Lake Shore Blvd West and 22nd Street offers books at 10 per cent less than the bookstore on the Humber Lakeshore Campus. College Books offers everything the book store has but at a cheaper price because of lower overhead costs, says store technician Surat Tourson.

“The bookstore located on the campus is 30 metres closer, and they’re inside the college so that could be a reason for the markup,”  Tourson says.  “I know when I was a student, any kind of saving was a big deal, even it was $50s off a $500 textbook purchase.”