Best deals found by shopping around
May 4, 2007
As students finish the school year and find themselves near broke going into the summer, they will start to scour the city to find the best deal on textbooks they no longer need.
Spring Book Buyback began on Monday, and students will once again expect to face long lines in Brady Commons and small returns on books that cost their whole fall wages. But what most students don't know is that there are alternatives to selling books back to the University Bookstore.
Similar to last semester, Brad's Books, a privately owned book buyback company, will be set up in the Domino's parking lot, located on Ninth Street, to buy back books of almost any sort.
Brad Bolz, owner of Brad's Books, said his company is more likely to buy back books the University Bookstore does not want.
"We work out of 10 warehouses, which is unlike Brady, who only works out of one," he said. "When Brady offers nothing for a book, another school will often offer a few dollars."
But Student and Auxiliary Services spokeswoman Michelle Froese said the bookstore sometimes does offer the best deal.
"If the students want to sell back a book, and that book has been requested by an instructor to be used again the following semester, we always give them 50 percent of the original purchase price," Froese said.
Bolz said students could maximize the return profits by researching the best location on a book-to-book basis.
"If the student was really smart, they would go to the Brady Web site and then ours and see what they are going to get paid for each book," Bolz said. "Then they would take the books to those different places and maximize the money they get back. They would make about 30 percent more then if they went to either individually."
Freshman Mark Fitzgerald said his visits last semester to both Brad's Books and University Bookstore varied in return prices.
"I went to the stand on Ninth and to Brady, and I had them both write down what they would give me for the books," Fitzgerald said. "They were about split on which was better. The bookstore was buying old editions while the other was buying back new editions that the bookstore wasn't taking. I got $40 for a book at the stand that Brady only offered $5 for, and $75 for a book at the Brady that the stand only offered $5 for."
Brad's Books offers a standard rate throughout its buyback.
"The most recent pricing update will happen on Thursday," Bolz said. "That will be the price I pay you when you come to my buyback trailer."
Froese said University Bookstore does not always know at the beginning of buyback whether it will need the book or not.
"The deadline for faculty submissions on books they will be using for the fall semester was April 13, but submissions are still coming in and usually do until the end of buyback," Froese said. "When this happens, books could be worth more later in the week than in the beginning."
Both Brad's Books and University Bookstore offer online pricing and a customer-first standard.
"The buyback goes great," Bolz said. "We have a computer system that operates very quickly. We don't ask for ID, we have lines that are basically non-existent and we do it all with the student in mind instead of trying to maximize the profit we can squeeze out of the student."
Froese dismissed "urban myths" about the University Bookstore buyback.
"If you are getting less than 50 percent at the buyback counter, it's because the bookstore hasn't received the book request from faculty or the book is not being used again at this university," Froese said. "We are doing everything we can to put the student first."
More May 4, 2007 News Stories
- Alden to decide fee's fate — Hearnes Center Committee's recommendation sent to Mike Alden.
- Best deals found by shopping around — As students finish the school year and find themselves near broke going into the summer, they will start to scour ...
- Bookstore reacts to mixed feedback — Matt Avery doesn't hate the University Bookstore. In fact, he liked it well enough to create five pro-Bookstore public-service announcements ...
- Campus Blotter — Monday, April 30 Police are investigating the fraudulent use of a student identification card. The damages are $148 from a ...
- College Republicans support troops — Among the items in the donation box at the 2007 Troop Drive sponsored by the MU College Republicans were a ...
Most recent News Stories
- Building funding reduced to balance budget — Projects such as painting have been put off in lean budget times.
- Four Front discusses diversity with administrators — The biannual meeting lets Four Front members ask about diversity issues at MU.
- MSA leaders skeptical of KCOU tower plan — MSA and KCOU will discuss revisions to a proposal to fund a new tower.
- Students, faculty work to lower book costs — Students could get more money if professors promise to re-use their books.
- Faculty Council discusses departure of sports medicine faculty — Members decided to take more time in investigating claims against the university.