Buyer’s Remorse

September 30th is the university bookstore’s point of no return. Beyond that, the pain of a lightened wallet cannot be undone. The glossy brick that serves as the world’s most expensive two-inch-thick drink coaster shall serve as a constant reminder of young follies. It may be too late to get refunds for textbooks, but not too late to grimly resolve to buy cheaper next year. Confucius said, “By three methods may we learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is most bitter.” Well, that primes y’all for gaining wisdom, doesn’t it?

There are two major schools of textbook pennypinching: Damage Control, and Loss Prevention.
Damage Control entails a student’s attempts to decrease the hit taken to the student wallet after a reckless $700 book binge in first year by selling off the ill-gotten gains. Students wishing to take advantage of either method, but especially Damage Control, should note Policy 15. Barring university outlets (Bookstore, ESmart, WriteSmart, Campus organization retail (FEDS, the Grad Student Association) and external companies under contract (CIBC, Apple Haircutters), no group, organization, or individual shall engage in commercial activities on campus without written permission of the Director of University Business Operations. Policy 15 keeps out hot dog stands, the guys hawking fake Ray-Bans, and most importantly, student textbook resellers. While it is not against policy to advertise, to actually sell anything is not condoned, as I found out the hard way. On the other hand, by the time I was politely asked to leave, I had brought out a pile of 1A textbooks and a hobo-brand cardboard sign within five metres of a university outlet. Not the best decision I ever made.

Luckily there are options other than strapping old textbooks to one’s body, slapping a trench coat on top, and sidling up to baffled parents whilst whispering, “Hey, wanna buy a book?” accompanied with a discreet flash of the concealed goods. The UW Textbook Exchange on Facebook has high traffic but a post is likely to be buried beneath dozens of its ilk in minutes. The system implemented by Bookro UWaterloo (bookro.com/uwaterloo/) is less haphazard, but comes at the price of being compared to cheaper, superior versions offered by different sellers on the same page. Engineering programs are likely to have Facebook groups, where one can shill to a niche market. Me, I found success skulking around orientation events and politely accosting people who toted their shrinkwrapped textbooks proudly. Eighteen hours in pleasant weather for a $180 recovery – about minimum wage. Not bad. If you’re not inclined towards peddling the wares yourself, you can pay the FEDS Used Bookstore (in a corner of the SLC basement) 10%from their retail price they set on your used book.

The second school of practice – Loss Prevention – is more effective. Skip the keener back-to-school phase and unleash the procrastinator within by putting off textbook purchases and wait until the first lecture for the prof to admit that the previous edition is probably alright or that the text isn’t actually required and “more of a reference, really”. Then check the price quotes in the FEDS Used Bookstore, compare it to stragglers perfecting their Damage Control techniques online, and buy whichever is cheapest.

I’ll admit it’s difficult to make the effort to seek out buyers and sellers. It is tempting to give in and buy everything new from the bookstore. But every time I doubt the worth of my efforts, I remind myself of how much cheese I can buy with the money I’ve saved. Or the trees, beverages, fountain pens, whatever. Anything besides the world’s most expensive collection of two-inch-thick drink coasters.