Today, I went to the local used books store to sell all my college textbooks. I spent several hundred dollars on them in total. I ended up walking out of the shop a pathetic $3.50 richer. FML
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Today, I bought my very first college textbook. I received a stack of hole-punched papers. My $195 "book" isn’t even bound together. FML
Today, I discovered that my parents rooted through our house looking for junk to sell at a garage sale. They sold all of my books from my bookshelf. When I freaked, out my mom said 'well you never read them'. There was about $300 hidden between the pages of those books. They made $60. FML
Today, I started at a new college. I bought my textbooks and went to my first class only to find out that they changed my schedule without telling me. I'd already opened the book. I could not get $200 back. FML
Today, I was at work when my mother called. She gave me great news that she had finally cleaned out my room and all those "old and useless" books that I had in there. Those "useless" books that she had just trashed were all antiques and worth about $500 each. There were 27 books in there. FML
Today, I had to listen to fellow classmates whine about selling one of their many houses, while I can barely afford to pay for a $100 textbook. FML
Today, I left for college. I spent hundreds of dollars on clothes, bedding and other things. After packing my entire closet and everything else I needed, I left only to have to head back home. My dad forgot to pay the first semesters tuition. He said "Oh well, you would have failed out anyway." FML
Today, I lost a book. I'd used my credit card as a bookmark. FML
Today, I had to spend all of my money on textbooks even though my refrigerator is empty. Starving and frustrated, I called home to ask for money for groceries. My mom told me I could afford to skip a few meals. FML
Today, I was mugged while on my way to the bookstore. I'd saved up for months to make a mega-purchase of study materials for my major, only for it to be taken away in a few seconds by some lowlife thug. FML
Today, I bought a textbook for my college class. Not only is the £150 book only sold by our teacher, it turned out to be a piece of shit that he obviously wrote, printed, and stapled together at home. When I went to the faculty about it, I was told it's all perfectly legal, and to drop it. FML
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Top comments
Markg1994 0
You should have asked to clarify whether she said "$350" or "3.50".
saksxalmo 20
This is why you always buy textbooks secondhand... I learned that the hard way.
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Comments (161)
gracehi 31
Boy, OP. You sure are a savvy salesman. I've got another business opportunity for you. I'll take your left kidney off your hands for a cool 20 bucks. I'll even throw in a Spiderman T-shirt. What do ya say, huh?
perdix 29
I hope your nickname is a joke. With your business savvy, I can envision you spending hours face-down in fat, smelly, ugly muff and then having to beg your customer for spare change for bus fare. Your gona need a pimp.
MEM0817 18
Perdix... I'm so disappointed. Your? Your? It's you're. Come on. You're so much better than that.
freshberries22 17
Well that's college for you. Last semester I spent over $600 on textbooks and got back $150 from the college bookstore. Like everyone said sell them online or go on Facebook to see if any of your friends need books. Don't ever sell your books back to the school.
crazy4uboi 6
Sell them to alibris next time they pay a lot more and you buy them cheaper off there to my sister had to pay for her books in high school because she went to a privet catholic high school (and we aren't even catholic) ... Me on the other hand I went to an art school... Yeah we are so much alike... That was random I know I'm sorry I do that sometimes....
gothmo 8
Um, I never buy my books for this exact reason. I always rent them, much cheaper. I did luck out and had to buy a $200 chem book but I found it for $5 somehow. Guess what? That next year they released an updated one so it was worth nothing. Good thing I only paid $5, eh?
Bibliovore 26
The trouble with renting is that not only are you liable for damages, and not only does that inhibit some students from writing/highlighting in their books in ways that might help them learn the material, but afterwards, you don't even have the book. What if it turns out to be a really useful book you'd've wanted to keep, or a handy reference for a class you have next term or year? Searching for cheap, used required texts can be at least as good a deal as renting, and then you either get to keep the books or sell them again yourself. I've been averaging at least 40% off my school bookstore's <i>used</i> prices each term by shopping around online.
dan_in_wi 12
my buddy's gf sold hers on eBay, made over half her money back...
Obey_StudBoii 23
Never settle for less.
panda_lou 11
Dude, NEVER do that. They wanted to give my grandmother $10.00 for about 30 books she wanted to trade in. They are such rip offs.
CharresBarkrey 15
I went into one once with over 100 books, literally came out with $1.20 for them. They make about a 500% profit from trade-ins, it's ridiculous.
Epikouros 31
That's why booksellers drive Ferraris. Oh wait, they don't. It is a rip-off, but not out of greed. If they paid more, they wouldn't be abl
Epikouros 31
That's why booksellers drive Ferraris. Oh wait, they don't. It is a rip-off, but not out of greed. If they paid more, they wouldn't be able to pay the rent or risk not selling the book. As others have said, it's better to cut out the middle man.
TheChelseaSays 34
That exact same thing happened to me this past semester. I spent about $1000 on textbooks and when I sold the books back to the bookstore, they only gave me back $44! I totally understand your frustration!
onorexveritas 23
why didn't you sell them somewhere else?