Meetups near Detroit, MI

Thursday, August 31

• 7:00 PM
• Knitting: The Monroe Knitting Meetup

Friday, September 01

• 12:00 PM
• Network Marketing: The Metro Area Network Marketing September Meetup

Saturday, September 02

• 11:00 AM
• Pagan: Meetup at Renfest

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There's a new twist on Internet book-buying among college students looking to save a buck. Not only are students shopping the Web, they're also scrimping by buying books a chapter at a time or simply swapping books with other students online.

As college students head back to campus in the next week or two, about 23% of them will turn to the Internet, trying to beat bookstore prices, according to textbook-industry surveys. That's up from 16% in 2004.

And the trend is likely to swing even higher as tuition continues to rise; nationally, costs have grown at twice the rate of inflation over the last 20 years, according to the U.S. Government Accounting Office.

In Michigan, tuition increases averaged 7.13% this fall -- and budget-conscious students are snubbing campus stores in search of lower prices or even free books through sites like SwapSimple.com, which allows students to trade books, games and DVDs for only the cost of shipping and a $2 fee.

Amazon.com and Half.com, eBay's textbook store, are other lower-cost options. Both offer discounted prices on new and used books.

Another option is available through a Web site launched this year called iChapters.com, which sells books published by parent company Thomson Learning one chapter at a time, for as low as $1.99 a chapter. That can be a great solution to a major student complaint -- professors who require expensive books but only use a couple of chapters out of them.

Jim Marr, 21, of Byron Center has picked up four textbooks for his classes at Michigan State University though SwapSimple.com.

"I love it. I've been trying to find a fair deal on my textbooks around East Lansing," Marr said. "This made it nice and easy."

Alecia Kupser, 21, of Wyandotte uses Half.com for her books at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She tried out SwapSimple, but couldn't find a book she needs next semester. The site is only about a year old and has about 2,000 users. Consequently, book availability can be a problem. But the site does allow users to post wish lists.

For Lindsay Eschenburt, 18, of Clinton Township, saving money is a huge goal as she shops for books as a freshman this fall at Macomb Community College.

"One of my concerns when I get ready to buy books is, I'm going to use it a little, but I'm going to pay so much," she said.

Students aren't the only ones concerned about rising book prices.

The Michigan Legislature passed a bill this summer urging universities not to limit financial aid purchases to campus bookstores. Most large universities don't have the requirement, but some schools set limits to help their bookstores' revenue, said Rick Shipman, executive director of financial aid at MSU.

But the bill is more of a guideline than a mandate because Michigan universities are autonomous under the state constitution, said Phil Browne, chief of staff for state Rep. Brian Palmer, chairman of the House Education Committee.

Lawmakers step in

Other states are going farther.

Illinois and New York don't charge sales tax on textbooks. Connecticut is considering legislation to stop bundling -- the practice of including CDs or other materials in with the price of textbooks. Others are pushing instructors to use books longer, making it easier to buy used books.

Publishing practices also are driving up costs, said Mike Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan. New editions are often put out after a couple of years, with little academic justification.

Traditionally, students tried to cut book costs by buying them used from the bookstore and then reselling them. Today, many students say buying used books from the campus store doesn't save enough.

"I paid $118 for a calculus book that was used and in poor condition," said MSU student Matt Murer, 18, of Walled Lake. The bookstore bought it back after the class for $25, he said.

"To me, all bookstores on college campuses are a rip-off," said Murer.

Campus bookstores operators note that even if the Web offers good prices, there are pitfalls to buying books online.

The biggest drawback, said Mike Wylie, assistant manager of the Student Book Store in East Lansing, is that you can't return a book to a Web site if you drop a class.

His store, which caters to MSU students, typically takes back 5 to 10% of the books it sells during the first 10 days of a semester.

Jennifer Libertowski, spokeswoman for the National Association of College Stores said the Internet is a concern for store owners.

"It represents increased competition; it keeps our members on their toes," she said.

Eastern Michigan University's bookstore sells used books for about 25% less than a new book, said manager Marlene Frigmanski.

Wylie said the East Lansing store gives the same discount for used books, explaining that an $80 new book would sell for about $60 used. And most stores would buy that book back from students at the end of the semester for $40, and resell it again for $60.

But, Wylie said, some things can change that formula. Typically, 10 to 15% of professors drop or change books. If a book isn't used the following semester, the buy-back price will be set by wholesale vendors and are likely to be much lower.

"You get so little back on books you paid hundreds of dollars for," said Dearborn resident Anna Allie, 21, a U-M Dearborn student. "You can find books just as good, used on Amazon."

Lakshmi Rengarajan, director of marketing for SwapSimple.com, said his company's Web site does offer some protections to traders.

"If a trade goes bad, we have a 100% guarantee," Rengarajan said. "We'll get you the item."

To get customers started, the site gives everyone a few credits the first time they put something up on the site to swap.

Power of publishers

In the end, all this competition may not be enough to bring down bookstore prices. Publishers set the prices, and the college faculty chooses the books. Universities don't even control the bookstores -- most campus bookstores are outsourced to private companies.

"The publishers are into the profit-making business," Boulus said. "And faculty, I'm not sure they have an incentive" to choose cheaper books.

So students are likely to continue to seek out more creative options.

"In college you never have very much money at all, so it's important to save everything you can," Murer said.

Contact PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI at 586-469-4681 or pwalsh@freepress.com.