As the semester nears an end, when money is a bit tighter at the end of the month and summer is practically around the corner, students can make a quick buck by selling back their textbooks.
Kristen Lawrence, a sophomore in accounting, thinks selling books back is a good idea.
"Sometimes books are worth more than, what they give you, but its nice to know you can get money back for books you have to get anyway," Lawrence said.
Anders, J&M, Big Blue and Auburn University Bookstores all buy books back year round, but the busiest times to sell books back has been at the beginning and end of the semesters, with a particular emphasis on finals week.
Rusty Weldon, the textbook manager at the Auburn Bookstore said they give back half of the new book price for most books.
"As expensive as books are, I want to see Auburn students get the most value out of their books," Weldon said.
Trey Johnston, CEO of J&M Bookstore said the process is competitive when there are only four bookstores and 25,000 students. They also buy back books for 50 percent of the book's original price and 25 percent of the wholesale price.
John Harrell, the owner of Big Blue Bookstore said books are bought back everyday. They also buy older books if there is a wholesale value.
"You are affected by the condition of the book, the enrollments in the class and you have to ascertain your inventory needs so there are a lot of factors," Harrell said.
There have been times when all of the bookstores have had to pay more than 50 percent of the book's price in order to keep up with the competition and some books this semester are being sold back for $75 to $100.
Auburn Bookstore sets the numbers of books bought back based on what they will sell for the next semester.
"Right now, we are buying for summer and fall, so there are over 1,000 titles we are looking to buy," Weldon said.
The thefts that occurred earlier in the year at Auburn Bookstore won't affect prices.
"Although it was a significant amount, the bookstore decided to absorb the cost, rather than passing it on to Auburn students," Weldon said.
For anything that isn't or can't be sold back, there are other options. Auburn Bookstore works with the Golden Key club to donate unwanted books for an Africa campaign.
"That company helps stock library books across Africa and other parts of the globe," Weldon said.
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