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Why Buy Used Books?Many students on a budget often have no choice but to seek the discount that used books facilitate over the price of new ones. Some people though are turned off by the idea of buying a book that has been used by another student. Although some of the reasons and concerns are valid, many of them can be dispelled. There are even some very good reasons to seek out used textbooks. Concerns One of the big concerns people have about used books is their condition. I often hear this from parents who probably remember using a ratty old textbook themselves while in college. I tell them when they went to school a textbook had a life of five or more years. In that time a textbook could get pretty beat up. These days the publishers seem to change editions within three years, limiting their life on the market and exposure to damaging use. Many of the students who want to eventually sell their book on the Internet know they’ll get a better price if they keep it in good condition. This motivates more students to take better care of their book to maximize its residual value. If you have this belief about used books, get to the bookstore early and look through the used books on the shelf. Make sure you check for missing pages, water damage and excessive highlighting. If the store has a good supply of used textbooks, chances are you’ll be able to find one in “like new” condition. If you buy used books from the Internet, make sure you buy from a high rated seller and select books from the "very good" condition or better. What if the previous owner was a poor student who highlighted the unimportant information and made incorrect crib notes? A weaker student these days isn’t likely to even make an effort reading their book, so their book is probably the one in “like new” condition that you'll want to buy. Again shopping early will help you locate the better quality used textbooks. Good Reasons The obvious reason is the savings. The standard industry practice is to offer a 25% discount from the new price. You can do even better than this if you can find a promotion, coupon or are willing to buy a used book off the Internet. The current catch phrase for being environmentally aware is to live “green.” Buying a used book when available and then selling it back for use by another student is environmentally friendly and saves trees. Next semester shop early, seek used textbooks and you’ll be saving the “green” (money), while you live “green.” If you still have reservations about used textbooks, I would still encourage you to seek them out. I would then advise you to buy from a vendor that offers a full cash refund, and understand and follow their stipulations to obtain a refund if find you just can’t do without a new copy.
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