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Home > News
Online bookstores create competition
By Tony Sapochetti
Published: Monday, August 22, 2005
Article Tools:
Page 1 of 2
Students now have the decision of whether or not to buy their
textbooks from a local bookseller or to order them from a larger online
company.
BrokeScholar
Abebooks.com recently released information stating that more students
each year are turning to online book companies rather than local
markets for their textbooks. The company said rising textbook prices
seen at most local retailers causes students to turn to the Internet for
cheaper books.
For a free scholarship
Richard Davies, public relations manager at Abebooks.com, said the
number of students each year that buy books from the Web site has
gone up drastically.
opportunities
"At the beginning of this year alone, around January and February, the
number of sales from college textbooks increased by almost 400
percent and we are looking forward to larger increases this season."
Davies said textbook prices are especially harsh to students who are in
the fields of science and engineering fields, who are used to buying
textbooks that exceed $100 to $150 each.
Abebooks.com also allows the student to sell their books back to the
company at a fixed rate.
The website has the ability to let students buy used textbooks at a
reduced price, depending on the age and condition of the book.
The only real negative to buying textbooks online is the availability
and the shipping period, which lasts about 4 to 7 work days, he added.
"I've never bought my books online, but I heard it's a lot cheaper,"
Whitney Aurand, a senior elementary education major, said.
http://www.dailyvidette.org/media/paper420/news/2005/08/22/News/Online.Bookstores.Create.Competition-967965.shtml (1 of 3)8/22/2005 6:09:28 AM
database that
matches student
information with
relevant financial aid
BrokeScholar.com
Text Advertising with Y2M
Online bookstores create competition - The Daily Vidette - News
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"The help at the bookstore is great, but ordering books online would
definitely cut down the hassle.
"It just seems more convenient," Eric Cline, a sophomore special
education major, said.
However, local booksellers feel that students should remain skeptical
about purchasing their textbooks online for many different reasons.
Mike Flanigan and Bob Rynerson, store managers at the Alamo II, said
the benefits and convenience from going to an on-campus bookstore
can not be matched by any web site claiming the same benefits.
Continued...
Article Tools:
ONLINE POLL
How much did you
pay for your books
this semester?
$0 to $50
$50 to $100
$100 to $200
More than $200
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Online bookstores create competition - The Daily Vidette - News
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