Faith Lane is frustrated with the campus bookstores buyback polices.
“You never get half back, that’s not true at all,” said Faith Lane, 19, education major.
“You never get half back, that’s not true at all,” said Faith Lane, 19, education major.
Lane is describing her experiences with the bookstore.
“Last semester, I bought three new books for $300 and only got $110 back.”
Lane is not alone; many other students often left wonder why they did not get a full refund.
According to Bill Wimberly, bookstore manager for all five campuses, the refund percentage a student receives depends on whether their book is bought back at wholesale or retail value.
If a student’s book is bought at retail value, it means HCC is buying the textbook because it will be used again by faculty the following semester. These students will receive a 50 percent refund of the textbook’s original price. If a student’s book is bought at wholesale, it means that an outside book company is going to purchase the book from student and then sell it to another college in the country. This happens because the bookstore is either overstocked on a particular title or because faculty are no longer using the book, said Wimberly.
“If a wholesale book company buys a book from an HCC student they will get between a five to 25 percent profit of the original purchase,” said Ashley Carl, Director of HCC Marketing and Public Relations.
Missouri Book Services is the wholesale company currently being used by the college this year. When contacting Missouri Book Services to determine what factors are used when deciding a student's refund, a representative could not be reached.
In case your wondering a book is eligible for the buy back process based on three criteria.
“The textbook must be in reusable condition. The faculty must have filled out a textbook adoption policy stating they agree to use the book for another two years. Finally, the book can’t be packaged with a consumable product like a lab manual or access code,” said Wimberly, "These three things greatly reduce the number of books that are eligible for buyback."
Janay Martin, 19, an education major just wishes the bookstore would become more aware of books that are too damaged to be resold before putting them out on the shelf.
“Last semester, I bought an Algebra book that was already coming apart when I first got it,” said Martin. “So, they should’ve been able to buy it back from me, but they told me I couldn’t get any money because of the book’s binding.”
“We’re not going to have an answer to every scenario, but if a student purchases a book that is damaged, bring it back, and we’ll give them another used book or refund,” said Wimberley.
Consistent with the retail buyback policy, a student who spends $100 on a textbook will receive a $50 refund and then the bookstore will turn around turn around and sell the book used for $ 75. This often leaves people wondering where that other $25 is going.
According to Carl, the bookstore is part of the college’s auxiliary service division.
“The bookstore makes a five percent profit which is returned to the college for use in supporting academic and administrative affairs ,” said Carl .
“The bookstore makes a five percent profit which is returned to the college for use in supporting academic and administrative affairs ,” said Carl .
However, there seems to be a separation, as Wimberley claims that five percent profit goes to run the bookstore.
“The bookstore is self supporting. We get no dollars from the college,” said Wimberly. “The only dollars that go to run the store, is what profit we have made off the books.”
“The bookstore is self supporting. We get no dollars from the college,” said Wimberly. “The only dollars that go to run the store, is what profit we have made off the books.”
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