Have any of you bought ebooks of textbooks?

[Xist]

I have completed two Bachelor's and have retaken some classes. I always try to shop around for my books. That sure has gotten easier since 1997! The one problem was a year ago when I ordered a textbook and got the wrong edition, but I got it cheaply.

Here it is at the school bookstore:


If you look at the URL, this is run by Barnes and Noble. $180.80 is one of the more expensive textbooks that I have bought and that is the used price!

They charge more than the Barnes and Noble website!


Fifty to sixty dollars cheaper, plus you are supposed to receive a $10 rebate weeks later. Someone is asking $110.61 in the marketplace for a new copy, shipped, which is about B&N's used price.

Amazon has it for $25.22 for rent, $93.88 new, and $79 used. Their etextbook is $112.

Google Play has it for $32.49 to rent and $112 for the ebook.

The thing is, you put the book information into Google, and this is at the very top, above Amazon and other stores:


There are six places selling PDFs for $19 - 20! Did someone scan the textbook and distribute PDFs? Is this otherwise stolen? Are these scam sites that will steal my credit card?

I do not know about the rest, but PDF4colleges has a 50% off coupon NEW START.

Right. $10 textbook, but I cannot find any real information on the site, good or bad.

Academia.edu says that I can download the textbook for free if I sign up with Slashstar.net, which pinky-swears to not use my credit card without permission.

Shut up and pay $200 for the real thing? You shut up!

[redpoint5]

The evil isn't downloading textbooks, it's the publishers pushing their outrageously priced products onto a captive audience, and the administrators who are complicit in selecting those expensive textbooks.

Publishers offer the textbooks for free for the administrators, there is zero talk of price, and then they simply elect to make the textbook part of their curriculum.

I had a philosophy professor that wrote his own "textbook" and sold it for $4 in the student store. Should have given him a bonus payment for being thoughtful.

One day we'll look back at how long we held onto the archaic way of delivering "higher education" and wonder why we allowed established institutions to fleece the public for so long.

I can get more out of a Kahn Academy video than 5x the time spent in a classroom.

Credentialing really should come down to performance on standardized exams on the subject matter, which can be administered very cheaply.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

The evil isn't downloading textbooks, it's the publishers pushing their outrageously priced products onto a captive audience, and the administrators who are complicit in selecting those expensive textbooks.

Publishers offer the textbooks for free for the administrators, there is zero talk of price, and then they simply elect to make the textbook part of their curriculum.

I have several copies of music history textbooks and ear training textbooks that were given to me by publishers when I was teaching.

My engineering mechanics textbook lists at the school bookstore for $223, and when I went to the bookstore to check it out in person I was surprised to find it's only the first 14 chapters on statics--so the students will have to buy the second part of the book for as much or more next semester!

I bought the international (complete) edition for $29 (I don't do PDF textbooks since I like having a physical copy to annotate).

[Xist]

I stopped at Dollar Tree for a prepaid Visa. Problems:

1. While the card is only $1, they charge $8 the first time you use it.
2. There is a $4.50 or $5 monthly charge.
3. They require you to pay cash.
4. It probably does not work for this purpose.

A quick search indicated that the Walmart Cash Card was the best prepaid option. Problems:

1. $1 up front and $5 the first time you use it.
2. $3 monthly fee
3. It does not work for this purpose, but at least I could buy it with my debit card.
4. It sells your information.

OneVanilla may be the best option, it is supposed to allow you to be anonymous, but I did not see it at Walmart.

I created a new e-mail account just to see how much spam I receive, but I could not purchase the book with it, so I used an account where I do not carry a balance, so any problems would undoubtedly come from this.

$9.95 later, I downloaded the PDF, which Avast says is virus free, it looks perfect, it has (as far as I can tell) the full text, bookmarks, it is searchable, and I can copy and paste.

I am unsure how much textbook companies are to blame for high prices. They produce a usable product, but it seems ENMU's bookstore charges $50 - 60 for Barnes and Noble to use their name (but their own servers, etc.), while they have a huge profit margin on used books.

That cost you $200? Congratulations! We will give you a $10 credit, only usable here! You graduated and no longer need textbooks? Congratulations! Next!

[redpoint5]

When I was in elementary, the school had the textbooks relevant to the class available, and the next group of kids to take the class would re-use the same textbooks. They’d keep ‘em for like 10 years.

Why doesn’t the class provide the materials necessary when tuition is at an all time high, with nothing to justify that added expense except for emotional babysitters?

I’d tell the faculty that $200+ text books are hate speech used by the power elite to further their positions of power.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I’d tell the faculty that $200+ text books are hate speech used by the power elite to further their positions of power.

What results would you expect with that?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

What results would you expect with that?

Access to one of those emotional babysitters, perhaps.