National costs tripled in past two decades

Textbook prices across the country have nearly tripled in the last two decades, a trend that is also jacking up prices at the UofA Bookstore.

A study released last week by the Government Accountability Office reported the prices of college textbooks in the U.S. has been rising primarily due to the introduction of products designed to accompany textbooks by publishing.

This supplemental material, including CD-ROMs and companion text, has been the biggest culprit of increasing prices.

The bookstore's figures have been consistent with the national pattern for the same reasons, said Frank Farias, the bookstore director.

"Last year, I bought a bunch of crap (that was) shrink-wrapped with my chemistry book. It was a chemistry bundle that included a solutions manual," said Jesse Coughlin, an undeclared sophomore. "It didn't matter because the solutions were posted online anyway. I think I spent $130 on it."

Dan Osborn, a business management junior, said he spent $250 on used books and supplemental material this semester.

"I don't even use them, and many courses don't even require them," Osborn said.

To avoid purchasing unnecessary material, the campus bookstore is continuing a new online program implemented last semester, to mitigate cases of "required" classroom materials, Farias said.

Instructors can access this program through the bookstore Web site and see which supplemental material is most necessary.

In addition, Farias said as used editions of textbooks increasingly go out of print because of the release of newer editions, students are unable to re-sell their books and receive a partial refund.

One way to relieve this problem is through textbook classifieds. Farias said he hopes the new classified section on the bookstore's Web site will help students find older editions of textbooks that may still be used and are cheaper than those being sold on campus.

There are currently around 3,000 people who make use of these free classifieds, Farias said.

Although textbook prices are rising, Farias said the bookstore is still guaranteeing the lowest possible price for texts within a two-mile radius.

If a cheaper textbook can be found within the two-mile radius of the bookstore, the store will reimburse the buyer twice the difference. All sales at the bookstore are also tax-free, Farias said.

The radius encompasses the Arizona Bookstores along North Park Avenue and on North Fourth Avenue.

But there are also alternative resources for buying textbooks, such as Internet book services like www.Abebooks.com that claim they sell books cheaper because they import texts from other countries.

Richard Davies, public relations and publicity manager for Abebooks.com, said his online company imports from places like the United Kingdom.

"Only the U.S. has this crazy market where textbooks are priced as high as they are," said. "Go to the U.K. and the books are much, much cheaper."

According to Abebooks.com, the price of a new copy of Marketing Managing (R. Kotler, 2005) at Barnes & Noble is $140 - the international edition of the same book costs $51 at Abebooks.com.

But there are students who have found ways of avoiding costs entirely.

"My sister didn't buy her books," said Justin Sundheimer, a journalism sophomore. "She went to the library and copied the pages straight out of the book."