Used Teacher Textbooks – Today’s textbooks are more expensive than they have ever been in the past, and that is an indisputable fact.  However, the reason for the high cost of textbooks is not easily determined or pinned down.  In my hunt for justifications to this costly dilemma, I came across the following theories:

* One theory points an accusing finger at the vibrant colors in today’s textbooks which push the cost up.  This theory explains that multi-color printing makes the production of textbooks much more expensive, which ultimately translates in higher price tags.  That does not ring true to me because I have seen textbooks which have no colors, other than the white of the paper they are printed on and the black of their ink, are even pricier than those which display a rainbow of colors.

* Other theories say that the global and national inflation is generally to blame but that makes little sense in light of the fact that the continually rising costs of textbooks are miles ahead of the actual inflation.  If anything, perhaps it’s the high cost of the textbooks that pulls the inflation right along with it but maybe not.

* An alternate theory implications the publishers of these textbooks and claims that they have become greedy and seek the outrageously profits with no regard for impoverished students.  These same accusatory theories lament the time when publishers of scholarly books settled for more modest proceeds in order to help students meet their goals more easily, whereas today’s publishers view such valuable academic tomes no differently than any other item on a retailer’s shelf.

* Other allegations against publishers call attention to the fact that the small, independent publishers are rapidly disappearing off the market as they are being gobbled up by the large corporation.  This results in the elimination of competition which makes it easier to revise prices upwards without being challenged.  That, unfortunately, is the mark of our times — the big cats eat the smaller ones.

* An additional conjecture highlights the reality that textbooks get revised all too frequently, some as often as every two or three years.  They then allege that this is what drives the price of textbooks to such extreme heights.  Hmm, that is a possibility.

* Finally, I have heard that some hold the push to buy and sell used textbooks responsible for the high cost of new textbooks.  And this is how they paint the picture:  Every new textbook that is sold brings a percentage of profit into the publishing house and royalties to its author.  However, when textbooks are resold as used, the publishing house and the author are not making the money they would have made otherwise.  So, the price of new textbooks is raised to compensate for such losses.

Now that you’ve heard the alleged reasons for the high cost of today’s textbooks, feel free to draw your own conclusions.  But if you are a struggling student, give yourself and your finances a break and do not hesitate to purchase used philosophy textbooks, used English literature textbooks, used teacher textbooks or any other textbooks you may need and the best place to start is by browsing the Internet for online used textbooks retailers.

Filed under: Used Textbooks For Sale

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!