Collegeville Textbook Company — New & Used Textbooks in East Lansing, Michigan

The latest fad with college textbooks is renting. In our opinion, this is a scheme to appear like a good deal for you, when it’s usually a better deal for the book store.  While each store does rentals a little bit differently, it basically works like this:

Sign a contract and give credit card information to pay  less up front – usually between 5%-50% off the NEW price – use the book for the semester and take it back. If you are a little late returning the book, the fees can be very substantial.

Additionally, pay VERY close attention to how much you are actually saving, especially at places that claim to “rent everything”. Often times the rental price can be as little as 5% off. Since you cannot sell this back and are responsible for keeping it in decent condition, this is almost NEVER a good deal.

Also, if you need the book for another semester (for example Math 132-133), you will have to rent it again and pay twice as much.

We came up with an alternative to renting that is much easier and safer. Our “Guaranteed Buyback” program guarantees that we buy back 1000′s of our books for at least half of what you paid for it. There are no contracts to sign, no credit card information held, and no late fees. Just bring the book back at the end of the semester and we pay you cash. Just look for the books with the GUARANTEED BUYBACK STICKERS ON THEM!

Collegeville is the only store at MSU to offer a GUARANTEED BUYBACK on 1,000′s of books.  It works like this:

1. Buy any book that has an ORANGE Guaranteed Buyback Sticker (There are LOTS of them)

2. Use it for the semester

3. Bring it back at the end of the term and get at LEAST 50% Cash Back.

No Contracts, No Late Fees, No Handing Over Credit Card Information.

E-A-S-Y.

In addition to the primary textbook, you will see a lot of extra stuff on the store bookshelves. This could include study guides, solution manuals, quick references, and electronic aides.

Study guides can be useful, and are often times recommended, but not required. Unless your instructor specifically requires the books, you can usually get through the course without buying them. If your prof does not require them, we recommend going to the first week or two of class to determine if you need them.

Many courses have quick reference guides associated with them. These are usually laminated 1 or 2 page guides that give an overview of an entire subject. These can be extremely useful for foreign languages, advanced sciences, or any other subjects that involve lots of memorization of standard tables or graphs. Aside from that, these guides generally don’t offer much and instructors rarely even recommend them to their students.

Electronic or online materials come in two forms: access codes and CD-ROMs. Access codes are almost ALWAYS required. Many profs use them for graded homework. These are often bundled with the book. Keep an eye out for Used books bundled with valid access codes. They’re hard to come by, but if you can find them you can save big!
CD-ROMs generally don’t provide a whole lot of material that you can’t get from the textbook. These are generally included with the text, but are rarely required.

If you haven’t guessed by now, the magic word with textbooks is USED. Buying Used is always the best way to save money. A Used copy of a textbook will be at least 25% cheaper than a New copy. The supply of Used books is generally less than the demand, so if you see a Used copy, buy it. It might not be there in an hour and then you’ll have to settle for New.

Just like any other big purchase, you’re going to want to shop around at a few different stores to make sure you get the best deal. Each store has different stock, particularly in regards to Used books. The most convenient place to shop is on Grand River Avenue, right downtown. There are 3 bookstores easily within walking distance so you can compare without driving all over the city.

Most stores offer textbook reservations. Unlike rentals, this is a great way to secure Used books before you even get to MSU. With reservations, you just send in your class schedule (either on the stores website, or by mail using a form) and pay a small deposit. The bookstore will set aside your books and you can pick them up when you get to State. You are under no obligation to buy them, you don’t have to search the store to find all your classes, and best of all, you get first pick of Used books. You can reserve from Collegeville right here!

Selling your books at the end of the semester is a great way to recoup some of the money you spent at the beginning. But, you have to play it smart. There are five rules to getting the most cash out of your books when you’re done with them.

a. Timing is everything. Finals week and the week prior is the best time to sell your books. By then, the bookstores have a good idea what is being used for the next semester and will be willing to buy them for the most money.

b. Shop around. Just because one store is only offering $20 for your $150 book doesn’t mean that the others are the same. Once the bookstore has bought the amount it needs, the price can go down. Other stores may still want more copies of your book.

c. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Make sure you know how much you’re getting for each book, not just a total. Your total for two books could be $70, but you may be getting $65 for one book and only $5 for the other.

d. If you think the price seems low, ask why. If a book is being used for a class, you should be able to get about half of what you paid for it. It could be a valuable book that the bookstore doesn’t need. It also could be a book that isn’t being used the next semester. It could also be going into a new edition, in which case, you’ll probably want to take what you can get for it before it completely loses its value.

e. Always insist on CASH. If you are offered a debit card instead of cash, make sure you understand the terms of the card. Many have hidden fees that quickly diminish its value. You are usually better off just getting cash.