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March 31, 2015

Sherri Cady

College Administration

11200 Mississippi Blvd NW

Coon Rapids, MN 55433

Dear Mrs. Cady:

As the executive director of Webster’s, I am pleased to discuss the advantages of purchasing textbooks online, or on-campus. After I give you a little background information, this report will discuss the benefits of purchasing on-campus, current research on student purchases, and the overall cost savings.

Introduction

As most know, purchasing textbooks is a huge part of college classes. Over the years, they have increased the different ways of being able to purchase textbooks for classes. There are multiple ways for students to purchase their textbooks before the school year. The first and most popular is on-campus which gives the students the ability to hold the physical book and see the look of it without the worry of shipping. When purchasing on-campus college campus’ work with certain sellers to get a deal on bundles for classes without the high prices.

The second option is online which gives the ability to compare prices on multiple websites to get the best deal. As well, as save money on purchasing used items or renting the book. The other options that are becoming more popular year after year are renting and purchasing an e-Book.

Benefits of Renting vs. Buying

With technology rising daily, the Internet has given students so many different ways to purchase their books. This increase has made purchasing books much more of a process than before. The two most common ways students purchase their books are renting and just buying it new/used. There are so many different benefits to each way, making decisions harder.

Most do not know that you are able to rent textbooks online or on-campus. Between 2009 and 2010, there was a huge increase of 500 percent in the number of textbook rentals (Mobertz, 2013). The biggest benefit to renting is the price costing up to 50 percent less than buying. Between renting and buying, renting is a little more flexible giving the opportunity to purchase the book later on, if they feel.

I see students buying their textbooks simply because they are able to write or highlight as much as they want. Another benefit is having the option between purchasing a new or used print. Most colleges have a system where you can ‘buyback’ your books at the end of the semester, giving you about 75 percent of the books retail price (Mobertz, 2013). Purchasing a new print increases the overall buyback price, but bookstores also accept used prints. During a survey conducted in February of 2015, I asked students how they prefer to buy their books each semester. The results show that most students buy their books on-campus to assure they are receiving the best deal with all the requirements.

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