Textbooks expensive despite alternatives

By Jaclyne Badal
The Collegian

Technological advances make it possible for students to search for textbook bargains online, but industry insiders say they are also responsible for the sharp increases in textbook prices.

A 2005 report from the Government Accountability Office found that textbook prices rose at twice the rate of inflation over the last two decades.

Price increases were associated with product development costs for supplements, the report said.

“It’s not just the textbook you’re getting anymore,” said Susan Bartel, book department manager at the Kennel Bookstore at Fresno State. “You might be getting the CD or online access.”

Education is different now than it was 20 years ago, the GAO said.

“Just as teaching and learning have changed with increasing reliance on technology, the college textbook has evolved,” the report said. The changes mean that students can expect the rising-cost trend to continue without much of a slowdown.

The report recommended used textbooks and online bargain hunting for students who want relief at the register.

But many Fresno State students say online shopping is inconvenient and complicated, and used books are not always available.

“We have no used textbooks generally,” said senior Karri Christoperson, a nursing major. “They come out new every semester.” In her first semester in the nursing program, Christoperson spent more than $1,000 on textbooks.

Transfer-student Ovanisyan Tatevik, who is just starting the nursing program this semester, said she could not afford to study nursing without her parents’ help.

“I have two jobs and that’s not enough,” Tatevik said. “I was just at the nursing brunch and spent $1,040 just for the books. That’s every semester and you can’t even sell those books, you have to keep them.”
Kennel bookstore manager Ron Durham said he understands the rising cost of textbooks burdens students, but added he tries to keep prices down at his store.

“We’re the lowest in the CSU system,” Durham said. “We have the lowest margin. I think that alone says we aren’t that bad a deal.” Nationwide students can expect to pay $129 for a textbook that the store bought for $100, according to the GAO. The store’s margin is 23 percent. The margin on the same book is 33 percent when it is resold the next semester as a used text.

Here at Fresno State, the nationwide trend did not hold for all books. The Collegian’s editor-in-chief, Maurice Ndole, sold back two criminology textbooks to the Kennel Bookstore at the end of last semester.

The bookstore paid Ndole $33 for a Siegel text, Criminology, and $37.25 for a Barkan text, Fundamentals of Criminal Justice. This semester, the used price for the Criminology text was $78.95 and the used price for the Fundamentals of Criminal Justice text was $55.90. The store’s margins were 58 percent and 33 percent, respectively.

Although the Kennel Bookstore margin was higher than the national average on both books, these examples do not necessarily reflect the store’s general pricing practices. Many factors, including the book’s condition and future demand, can affect the price the store pays students and the price at which it resells the book.

Online retailers offer options for students unhappy with the book prices at their university.

Getcheapbooks.com allows people to search for books by title, author, keyword or ISBN. The site then gives the student a list of online stores that carry the book and show the corresponding prices. A Getcheapbooks.com search for a paperback edition of Criminology found 10 stores that sold the book used at prices ranging from $38.95 on eBay.com to $82.90 on Amazon.ca.

Durham said he knew his prices were not the lowest available to students but added that the on-campus store offered compensating benefits.

“There is something to pay for service, too,” He said. “You have quality, service and price. Pick two out of three.”

Christoperson agreed. She chose the bookstore, although she said she could get a better deal online.
“It’s too much of a hassle,” she said. Asked if the higher prices bothered her, Christoperson shrugged. “It’s fine because you have to get your books to graduate.”

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