College bookstores

[fireheart17]

+1. You think I'd learn going to school the second time around for my master's, but nope. I shelled out like $150 bucks for some obscure book on public administration in East Asia. Turned out we only needed ONE article for ONE class discussion, and the professor offered to make every copies for one class.

Fast forward to last month when I tried to sell it back, and the bookstore isn't taking it back. I'm still kicking myself in the ass. I'm thinking I'll try half.com.

Depending on the book title, you might be able to sell it overseas?

A lot of my classes in my undergrad had similar scenarios. What happened with that (and a number of classes for different subjects, both my undergrad and postgrad) was that they would either post the articles online (only accessible to the uni students) or they'd bind them together, divide them by tutorial and sell them as readers for around $15 each.

[mikoyan29]

I got lucky with my Calculus and my first PHysics book. The Calc book I could use for three classes (and still have it). Physics for two. The rest, not so much. They got progressively more expensive the higher up I got. But I kept the books in my major and burned one book (I hated that class and prof).

[lordlundar]

*That only a new copy would have the needed software license key, without which we'd have to buy the full version of the software separately

That reminds me: If you think the book prices are bad, you should see the software requirements for some courses. Prices on some of them start at $800 for a "scholastic" version that the course doesn't allow. Instead the course requires the professional level at four digits, is mandatory for 90% of the course, and no compensation or discount for students. Most teachers realize that almost no one bothers with buying the program and instead pirates it.