With the end of the semester approaching students are finishing up their classes and studying for finals.
Many consider this the most stressful time of the school year. For better or worse, the end of the semester coincides with book buyback.
“Book buyback helps me figure out which classes I need to study for because once I sell my book back I know that I am finished with that class,” Jason Smith, a sophomore education major, said.
Most students have to decide when it is best for them, to sell their books back based on if they need it to finish out a class.
Book Buyback started last Tuesday at 9 a.m. but according to most students they do not sell their books back the first two days of book buyback.
“I never sell my book back the first two days because I heard they offer more at the very end, so I just wait,” Brittany Cole, a junior mass media major said.
“There’s always a huge turnout for Buyback,” Bethanie Brogdon, the director of university stores, said.
Brogdon maintains that the advent of internet shopping and selling has not affected the success of the university’s buyback system.“It’s probably the same,” Brogdon said. “We’ve had really strong buyback over the years.”
The VSU bookstore is not the only place where you can sell your books back but most students find it the most convenient. Most students say that they buy most of their books form Chegg or Amazon but they sell their books back to VSU because they want their money as soon as they sell their books. “VSU really does not offer much for books but I sell my books back to them because I like my money up
front,” Jessica Gordon a junior history major said.
Another option for selling back books is the buyback van, run by Eric Scarborough.
The van comes to town near the end of every semester, buying books from students. Scarborough believes students benefit from his business, which is based in Milledgeville, Ga.
“We do retails, and a lot of web-based selling,” Scarborough said. “We are trying to grow as fast as we can.”
The business began by selling books off the back of Scarborough’s pickup truck, and now it moves to various colleges throughout Georgia. Possibly offering a better deal than the schools themselves is part of the business’s appeal.
“We try to give more cash,” Scarborough said. “I’ll even probe them and see what they’re given and give as much as we can.”
VSU employees might not share his view, even though there has not been a change in their business since the van’s appearance in past years.
“Most students know the university gives more money than that van does,” Brogdon said. “It just needs to be a book that we need to sell again.”
Book buyback is great for making money, but it also causes a little theft. Some students have had their books stolen during buyback week.
“I left a book on a table when I was in the library last year and when I came back from the bathroom it was gone,” Rebecca Johnson, a junior political science major said.
Victoria Wright, a senior nursing major, said, “My advice to all of the freshmen is to keep your books guarded, don’t sell your books back until you are sure you do not need them, and check out different places to see who is offering you the most money.”
Book Buyback begins Thursday in the University Bookstore, and the buyback van will be parked in Remerton until Dec. 9.
The van’s hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. The van’s website is www.selltothebus.com.