College Textbook Store Q & A This site was designed with the intent to keep the student informed on how things work in a college book store and why certain things are the way they are. Information and research are provided by the National Association of Collegiate Stores as well as book store employees. If at the time you present your textbook for buybacks, we have not received an adoption form for that title, then the price paid for that book is based on the national wholesale value of that title. 710 Book Store has accounts with all the major wholesale companies across the US and will constantly work to find the highest price possible for the textbooks no longer used here at SIU. This wholesale price is based on both demand for that particular title and the longevity of the copyright of that title. Unfortunately, there are times when a particular title has no national value and as such we do not have a source to wholesale that book to. 710 Book Store often will offer dollars on some of those titles as well, if we feel there is sufficient history to suggest the future use of that title. This is the case with many local authored books or custom editions that other college outlets will not buyback. What if my textbook title is not re-adopted for use on this campus? The price paid by 710 Book Store for a textbook presented as a buyback, starts with information received by the faculty for the upcoming semester. Here at SIU, each faculty member is responsible for their individual textbook adoption request. This information is gathered daily by the participating book stores. If a textbook has been requested for use by the faculty, then we determine our numerical need for the book based on expected class enrollment and inventory already on hand at the store. Until our quantity of textbooks needed is met, 710 Book Store will continue to purchase that title at approximately 50% of the new price that title was sold for at our store. Once the numerical quantity needed is met, or if we receive information from the faculty that changes the status of that title the price of the book may go down. Once again, assuming a resalable condition, the buyback price is the same for a used book as a new book, thereby adding to the value of purchasing used textbooks. How is the buyback price of a book determined? There are a number of reasons why used books may not be available for a particular title on campus. In today’s market, many faculty members are requesting textbooks that contain different forms of media technology. The inclusion of items like CD’s, Disks, Internet access cards, special workbooks, and ‘clickers’ all make the selling of used copies difficult or impossible. Whenever the faculty adopts or requests textbooks in ‘special bundle sets’, this makes the access of used books to students very difficult and as a result ends up costing the students more money. Normally a textbook has a life cycle where the publisher will re-issue a ‘new edition’ of the textbook every 2 – 3 years. Once a newer edition of the text is published it normally takes at least 4-5 months before that newer edition is available to the used book market. Lastly, some textbooks are just in such a high demand, that used copies are hard to find. Why can't I find used copies for all my textbooks? The retail selling price of a used textbook is generally 25% less than the selling price of a new copy. For over 35 years 710 Book Store has been a leader on this campus in providing students with ‘MORE USED BOOKS’ thereby saving SIU students more money. As an independent book store, (710 Book Store is not part of a national chain, but rather a family owned private business), we have access to ALL the major used book wholesalers in the nation. This gives us the ability to provide more used copies for the student body at SIU. Why are used books a better deal? The original publisher of the book determines the net, wholesale price of the textbook billed to the book store for all new copies ordered. Unlike many items ordered by retail outlets, this price is not based on the quantity of the order. In other words the publisher charges the book store the same price for 1 copy ordered as they do for 1000 copies ordered. As with all retail items offered for sale, the retail outlet (the book store) then establishes a retail selling price. In the college textbook industry, that selling price normally reflects an industry standard mark up of between 20-25% for new books. How is the selling price of a book determined? For questions about textbooks email: textbooks@seventen.com