July is a very big month for a textbook company. Anyone familiar with the way schools are alloted money knows that July 1 is the biggest day of the year. Most schools start their budget years on July1 and this is when they receive money to start buying textbooks. Often, we will have schools call us early in the spring and ask us to hold books until they have money in July. Unfortunately, we usually can't put books on hold for that long. Recently we had a customer inquire as to where their books were. Well, after some research on my part I discovered that the school called us in April to hold books until July. They never gave us an official request or a P.O. number. Of course we no longer had the books to supply them. Unfortunately, this happens quite often and it's sad for both parties involved. We've changed several of our operating procedures to prevent this from happening more.
Our company had also recently come under new management. We are now part of the Southeastern Print Industries umbrella. And no, there will be no genetic experimentation that creates zombie dogs and superhuman females named Mila. That is a different Umbrella. We have a new office and a new warehouse location. Moving to a new warehouse was no easy task, but we accomplished it. We also have some new employees working in our office. It has been a good transition.
About Us:
Southeastern Textbooks is a used textbook provider based in Atlanta Georgia. We provide quality used books, grades k-12 all subjects and all publishers. We cater to schools and home schools looking to provide their students with quality used textbooks. We have been in business for about 12 years and we can provide much more personalized customer service than some of our large national competitors. We do not have thousands of employees that are going to call your school and bug you everyday. We are not going to fill up your e-mail or fax in box with useless fliers every week. We take the time to get to know our customers and developed customer service interactions based on their needs. We only send you the information you need and requested. We will never waste your time because we know that you are a busy person. You have an important job. Providing textbooks for all those students can be difficult and we only want to help you in that process.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Friday, July 27, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Books and Website designs
We are now knee deep into our year. Our representatives are busy calling schools and building customer relationships. It is important for used textbook companies to contact the correct person in the school district or school. In the spring is when many companies start calling schools to contact the correct person. Usually, schools don't start ordering books until sometime in the summer so it is important to make sure they know the companies name before they start looking for books. This year we have invested a lot in our website and online marketing. We would love to branch out into sales through our website and we are trying raise people's awareness of the website. We would also love to provide books to homeschooling parents as an alternative to sites like Amazon and E-Bay. For anyone out there that knows about website design and marketing, this has been a difficult process. In reality, the type of service we provide is really not an "Internet" type of service. It can be, but it is really about talking to schools, finding out what their needs are and providing what they need. We like to create good relationships with our customers that go beyond impersonal online interactions. But, many people use the Internet to find companies like ours, so it's important for our information to be out there.
About Us:
Southeastern Textbooks is a used textbook provider based in Atlanta Georgia. We provide quality used books, grades k-12 all subjects and all publishers. We cater to schools and home schools looking to provide their students with quality used textbooks. We have been in business for about 12 years and we can provide much more personalized customer service than some of our large national competitors. We do not have thousands of employees that are going to call your school and bug you everyday. We are not going to fill up your e-mail or fax in box with useless fliers every week. We take the time to get to know our customers and developed customer service interactions based on their needs. We only send you the information you need and requested. We will never waste your time because we know that you are a busy person. You have an important job. Providing textbooks for all those students can be difficult and we only want to help you in that process.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
About Us:
Southeastern Textbooks is a used textbook provider based in Atlanta Georgia. We provide quality used books, grades k-12 all subjects and all publishers. We cater to schools and home schools looking to provide their students with quality used textbooks. We have been in business for about 12 years and we can provide much more personalized customer service than some of our large national competitors. We do not have thousands of employees that are going to call your school and bug you everyday. We are not going to fill up your e-mail or fax in box with useless fliers every week. We take the time to get to know our customers and developed customer service interactions based on their needs. We only send you the information you need and requested. We will never waste your time because we know that you are a busy person. You have an important job. Providing textbooks for all those students can be difficult and we only want to help you in that process.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Monday, April 30, 2007
About Us
Southeastern Textbooks is a used textbook provider based in Atlanta Georgia. We provide quality used books, grades k-12 all subjects and all publishers. We cater to schools and home schools looking to provide their students with quality used textbooks. We have been in business for about 12 years and we can provide much more personalized customer service than some of our large national competitors. We do not have thousands of employees that are going to call your school and bug you everyday. We are not going to fill up your e-mail or fax in box with useless fliers every week. We take the time to get to know our customers and developed customer service interactions based on their needs. We only send you the information you need and requested. We will never waste your time because we know that you are a busy person. You have an important job. Providing textbooks for all those students can be difficult and we only want to help you in that process.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Monday, April 23, 2007
State or National Editions
Often, when buying used textbooks online books are described as a North Carolina edition, or a Texas edition. Many people avoid buying these, not knowing how the book may differ from the national edition. A state edition book was created by the publishers to cater to specific states. It is also a way for them to control the resale of such books. A state edition is exactly the same as a national edition with one exception. There is a small section in the front of a state edition book that applies the concepts in the book to the local area. For example, if it is a biology book the section in the front may talk about the biology of the local animals of that particular state. Many school systems require schools to use state editions of specific books. The states you tend to see this happening the most with are North Carolina, New York, Texas and California. Once the schools stop using these books it is hard to resell them because schools in other states don't want a state edition that is not their own.
Buying these books is no different than buying a national edition. If you don't mind the extra section in the front, the rest of the book is exactly the same. You may even learn something from the extra material. Publishers say there is a major difference to avoid resale that they do not profit from. Don't be afraid to buy state editions!
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Buying these books is no different than buying a national edition. If you don't mind the extra section in the front, the rest of the book is exactly the same. You may even learn something from the extra material. Publishers say there is a major difference to avoid resale that they do not profit from. Don't be afraid to buy state editions!
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Buying Used Online
Hopefully many people are familiar with buying items online through websites such as Half.com, Amazon and E-Bay. Used book sales are a huge part of this trend. All of these sites, and others offer used books from private sellers at a fraction of what you would pay at the bookstore for a new book. Many school systems in this country are requiring their students to locate and purchase their own books, not to mention the thousands of home schooled children in the U.S. Buying used books online is often the only way for these families to get the materials their children need. This is evident by the large increase in our online sales at the beginning of the school year. We also sell quite a few at the beginning of the spring semester as well.
For those of you who are not familiar with buying used online, here is a brief overview. First, make sure you have the title, author's name, date published, publisher and the ISBN of the book you are looking for. The ISBN is a set of numbers, usually ten digits long, that identifies that specific edition of that specific book. It's kind of like a social security number for a book. It is located on the back of the book above the bar code, and on the back of the title page. For example the ISBN number for Prentice Hall Biology 2002 is 013050730x. If there were 10,000 Prentice Hall Biology books printed in 2002, they would all have that same ISBN. The next edition printed in 2003 would have a different ISBN. Teacher's editions and state editions also have different ISBNs. It is much easier to search for a book with the ISBN number. If you try just searching Prentice Hall Biology on Amazon you would get three+ pages of matching books. If you do not have the book's ISBN, make sure you have the author's name and the year the book was published. Often one book by the same author is printed several times in several editions. Make sure the year is correct so your student or child doesn't run into problems where his page numbers don't quite match up or the math problems are a little different.
It's better to Google search for websites to buy used books, rather than Google the actual book. If you do this, your top hits will probably be for the publishing company. Once you have chosen a site to buy from, it's a simple process to find the book. Most websites have a basic book search engine where you can enter the title or ISBN. If you have the ISBN you will almost always be directed to the correct book. If you do not have the ISBN, sreach by Title and author then go through the list and find the correct year. Once you have found the correct book, you can then look through the sellers and choose the quality of book you would like to purchase. Book qualities on most websites are New, Like New, Very Good, Good and Acceptable. Once you have found the quality you like at a price you are willing to pay, check the feedback of the person who is selling the book. Sites like Amazon, E-bay and Half.com use feedback as a way to rate sellers and buyers and to make sure they are abiding by the websites standards. Make sure they don't have a lot of negative feedback. Also keep an eye out for feedback that involves issues with shipping or refunds. You don't want to order a book from a seller that is slow with shipping or refunds. Most websites have a standard amount of time in which a seller has to ship an item.
After you have done all this, you can now buy your book. This usually involves entering your information and a credit card to pay with. If you already have an account with that website, that information will already be there. Choose a shipping method, usually standard or expedited. Standard mail is usually United States Post Office (USPS) media mail and expedited is usually USPS priority mail. Many sellers choose to ship with other carriers, but most use basic USPS shipping. When you order remember: media mail can take up to 14 business days to arrive and priority up to 4. Before you order make sure you know exactly how long you have until you will need your book and choose a shipping method accordingly. Many times customers choose media mail and don't realize how long it can actually take. This also becomes an issue if you live far from the seller you are buying from. If you live in California and order from us in Georgia, you can guarantee it will take those 14 business days. Keep all this in mind when ordering.
Suggested sites: Amazon, Half.com, E-Bay, Campusbooks.com, Alibris, eCampus.com. Some of these sell both lower grades and college texts and some focus only on college texts.
Our company also sells used textbooks online. Unfortunately we can not always sell under Southeastern Textbooks, but we always let our customers know who they are ordering from.
www.southeastertextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
For those of you who are not familiar with buying used online, here is a brief overview. First, make sure you have the title, author's name, date published, publisher and the ISBN of the book you are looking for. The ISBN is a set of numbers, usually ten digits long, that identifies that specific edition of that specific book. It's kind of like a social security number for a book. It is located on the back of the book above the bar code, and on the back of the title page. For example the ISBN number for Prentice Hall Biology 2002 is 013050730x. If there were 10,000 Prentice Hall Biology books printed in 2002, they would all have that same ISBN. The next edition printed in 2003 would have a different ISBN. Teacher's editions and state editions also have different ISBNs. It is much easier to search for a book with the ISBN number. If you try just searching Prentice Hall Biology on Amazon you would get three+ pages of matching books. If you do not have the book's ISBN, make sure you have the author's name and the year the book was published. Often one book by the same author is printed several times in several editions. Make sure the year is correct so your student or child doesn't run into problems where his page numbers don't quite match up or the math problems are a little different.
It's better to Google search for websites to buy used books, rather than Google the actual book. If you do this, your top hits will probably be for the publishing company. Once you have chosen a site to buy from, it's a simple process to find the book. Most websites have a basic book search engine where you can enter the title or ISBN. If you have the ISBN you will almost always be directed to the correct book. If you do not have the ISBN, sreach by Title and author then go through the list and find the correct year. Once you have found the correct book, you can then look through the sellers and choose the quality of book you would like to purchase. Book qualities on most websites are New, Like New, Very Good, Good and Acceptable. Once you have found the quality you like at a price you are willing to pay, check the feedback of the person who is selling the book. Sites like Amazon, E-bay and Half.com use feedback as a way to rate sellers and buyers and to make sure they are abiding by the websites standards. Make sure they don't have a lot of negative feedback. Also keep an eye out for feedback that involves issues with shipping or refunds. You don't want to order a book from a seller that is slow with shipping or refunds. Most websites have a standard amount of time in which a seller has to ship an item.
After you have done all this, you can now buy your book. This usually involves entering your information and a credit card to pay with. If you already have an account with that website, that information will already be there. Choose a shipping method, usually standard or expedited. Standard mail is usually United States Post Office (USPS) media mail and expedited is usually USPS priority mail. Many sellers choose to ship with other carriers, but most use basic USPS shipping. When you order remember: media mail can take up to 14 business days to arrive and priority up to 4. Before you order make sure you know exactly how long you have until you will need your book and choose a shipping method accordingly. Many times customers choose media mail and don't realize how long it can actually take. This also becomes an issue if you live far from the seller you are buying from. If you live in California and order from us in Georgia, you can guarantee it will take those 14 business days. Keep all this in mind when ordering.
Suggested sites: Amazon, Half.com, E-Bay, Campusbooks.com, Alibris, eCampus.com. Some of these sell both lower grades and college texts and some focus only on college texts.
Our company also sells used textbooks online. Unfortunately we can not always sell under Southeastern Textbooks, but we always let our customers know who they are ordering from.
www.southeastertextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Textbook Price Issues
Anyway, on to today's textbook information. There has been a lot of talk lately about the rising costs of textbooks, especially college textbooks. While we don't expressly carry college texts we do understand the plight of the average college student. The inflation rate of textbooks has well surpassed the national inflation rate. In an article on MSNBC.com, dated Aug. of 2005, the prices of textbooks have risen at more than twice the rate of inflation. Textbook prices have increased by 186 percent since 1986. You can read the article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8963920/
This article focuses mainly on college textbooks, but the same issues arise in texts for lower grades as well. What does this mean for your average student? It means that publishers are are adding supplemental materials such as software and online access. While these materials are great for a student, the problem lies in the extra cost that is placed on the student or school that is purchasing the books. Often times students do not take advantage of the supplemental materials when they are provided and in many cases the cd-roms that come with the books can only be used on one computer thus eliminating them for future book owners. This is a problem in schools, public schools especially, where books can be used for up to 7 years. Depending on if the school is on semesters, that can be anywhere from 7 to 14 students using any one book.
Here in lies the benefits of used textbooks. Often, a used textbook still contains the original supplemental material because the original owner didn't use it. Used textbook companies can often provide other supplementary materials such as workbooks or cd-roms that did not come with the original package. Most schools can not afford to buy new textbooks every semester (even private schools that usually have a little better funding) so the supplementary materials are lost anyway. Used books "fill in" the lost or damaged books between adoptions. A school could buy those books new, but would it be fair to students for half the class to have brand new books with the supplements and the other half have used books from previous semesters? If a school buys used, then all the students have access to the same materials. If a teacher is worried about missing out by not having the materials I would suggest contacting the publishing company to see about ordering extras. But again, this would cost money and have to be done every semester. Teachers could also go through the supplementary material and choose a few things from it to create exercises that students can do in class every semester.
The rising cost of textbooks is something almost everyone in this country will have to deal with at one point or another. This is a topic we will continue to discuss at some length.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
This article focuses mainly on college textbooks, but the same issues arise in texts for lower grades as well. What does this mean for your average student? It means that publishers are are adding supplemental materials such as software and online access. While these materials are great for a student, the problem lies in the extra cost that is placed on the student or school that is purchasing the books. Often times students do not take advantage of the supplemental materials when they are provided and in many cases the cd-roms that come with the books can only be used on one computer thus eliminating them for future book owners. This is a problem in schools, public schools especially, where books can be used for up to 7 years. Depending on if the school is on semesters, that can be anywhere from 7 to 14 students using any one book.
Here in lies the benefits of used textbooks. Often, a used textbook still contains the original supplemental material because the original owner didn't use it. Used textbook companies can often provide other supplementary materials such as workbooks or cd-roms that did not come with the original package. Most schools can not afford to buy new textbooks every semester (even private schools that usually have a little better funding) so the supplementary materials are lost anyway. Used books "fill in" the lost or damaged books between adoptions. A school could buy those books new, but would it be fair to students for half the class to have brand new books with the supplements and the other half have used books from previous semesters? If a school buys used, then all the students have access to the same materials. If a teacher is worried about missing out by not having the materials I would suggest contacting the publishing company to see about ordering extras. But again, this would cost money and have to be done every semester. Teachers could also go through the supplementary material and choose a few things from it to create exercises that students can do in class every semester.
The rising cost of textbooks is something almost everyone in this country will have to deal with at one point or another. This is a topic we will continue to discuss at some length.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Monday, March 26, 2007
Flashback
This blog is sponsored by Southeastern Textbooks, a used textbook company in Georgia. We started this blog to spread the word about buying used textbooks.
Most people out there know about websites like Amazon and Half.com. Some of you may even know about Alibris, ecampus.com and bookbyte. How much do you know about other used textbook places? Do you know about the companies out there that sell textbooks to your son's or daughter's schools? No? Have you ever thought about where the textbooks come from that students use in school? Many people haven't.
The truth is that the textbooks that your children use come from companies like ours. Companies that provide quality new and used textbooks to schools all over the country. We provide all subjects, kindergarten through twelfth grade to public, private and home schooled children everywhere. We provide an important service to schools, especially those who suffer from budget cuts and crises. By buying used books schools can save more than 50% off the publishers list price and thus use that money in other areas where it is needed.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Most people out there know about websites like Amazon and Half.com. Some of you may even know about Alibris, ecampus.com and bookbyte. How much do you know about other used textbook places? Do you know about the companies out there that sell textbooks to your son's or daughter's schools? No? Have you ever thought about where the textbooks come from that students use in school? Many people haven't.
The truth is that the textbooks that your children use come from companies like ours. Companies that provide quality new and used textbooks to schools all over the country. We provide all subjects, kindergarten through twelfth grade to public, private and home schooled children everywhere. We provide an important service to schools, especially those who suffer from budget cuts and crises. By buying used books schools can save more than 50% off the publishers list price and thus use that money in other areas where it is needed.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Our Year
We are just starting our busy season now. In the spring is when used textbook companies really get started. It is important for used textbook companies to contact the correct person in school district or school. In the spring is when many companies start calling schools to contact the correct person. Usually, schools don't start ordering books until sometime in the summer so it is important to make sure they know the companies name before they start looking for books. In the summer, our roles reverse and schools start calling us. We work very hard all summer to find the books that schools need. Orders are shipped in time for school to start. After the schools have received their books, the season starts to come to a close after invoices are paid.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Monday, March 12, 2007
Recycling Used Books
In a college setting, once a professor stops using a particular book that book looses all it's value to the university. The same goes for k-12 books. Often a school system will require teachers to use a specific book, but on occasion teachers can choose the books they would like to teach with. Once a teacher stops using that particular book, the school no longer wants them and can sell them to companies like ours. In turn, we resell them to schools that are still using them. If the book is too old, and we can not find schools that are still using them we sell them to a recycle unit to be made into something new. Once a book has become "recyclable material" it has pretty much lost all of it's value. Most often this happens to older books that schools simply do not use anymore. Sometimes it happens because of damage to the book that can not be repaired by rebinding. Recycling is important because it keeps prices low and helps our environment.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
Fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
Fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Friday, March 9, 2007
Things that affect the value of used books
The most obvious thing that affects the value of a book is damage. There are many types of damage that are considered in the value of a book. Water damage, highlighting, missing pages, and loose binding are the most common.
Water damage tends to be the most common. How many times have you seen a student use their textbook as an umbrella or as a coaster for their drink? So many books that come from schools have sticky rings on the covers from leaky cokes. Everyone knows what happens to paper when it gets wet. When a textbook gets wet the pages stick together, the cover warps and changes shape and the book basically becomes unusable. If the damage is not too bad, sometimes the book can still be used but lets face it, who wants to read a book with smudged wrinkly pages?
Highlighting is another common problem with books. A college textbook losses little value when it is highlighted, but a k-12 textbook losses most of it's value when highlighted. Public schools frown on students writing in their books and do no like buying books that have been highlighted or written in. Missing pages is also a large issue. If a book is missing a page it automatically losses all of it's value.
After several years of being shoved into lockers and bookbags, the binding on hardback books loosens. The pages pull away from the cover and sometimes the cover comes off completely. If the pages start to pull away a book can often be fixed with a some hot glue to hold the spine in place. If the cover has come off completely, the book can be rebound with a new cover.
To summarize:
Damage to the cover can often be fixed with a little glue or some cleaner and a paper towel. Damage to the pages can not be fixed. A little highlighting can take a book down from a Like New quality to a Very Good Quality. Always make sure to watch for missing pages.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Water damage tends to be the most common. How many times have you seen a student use their textbook as an umbrella or as a coaster for their drink? So many books that come from schools have sticky rings on the covers from leaky cokes. Everyone knows what happens to paper when it gets wet. When a textbook gets wet the pages stick together, the cover warps and changes shape and the book basically becomes unusable. If the damage is not too bad, sometimes the book can still be used but lets face it, who wants to read a book with smudged wrinkly pages?
Highlighting is another common problem with books. A college textbook losses little value when it is highlighted, but a k-12 textbook losses most of it's value when highlighted. Public schools frown on students writing in their books and do no like buying books that have been highlighted or written in. Missing pages is also a large issue. If a book is missing a page it automatically losses all of it's value.
After several years of being shoved into lockers and bookbags, the binding on hardback books loosens. The pages pull away from the cover and sometimes the cover comes off completely. If the pages start to pull away a book can often be fixed with a some hot glue to hold the spine in place. If the cover has come off completely, the book can be rebound with a new cover.
To summarize:
Damage to the cover can often be fixed with a little glue or some cleaner and a paper towel. Damage to the pages can not be fixed. A little highlighting can take a book down from a Like New quality to a Very Good Quality. Always make sure to watch for missing pages.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Thursday, March 8, 2007
State or National Editions
Often, when buying used textbooks online books are described as a North Carolina edition, or a Texas edition. Many people avoid buying these, not knowing how the book may differ from the national edition. A state edition book was created by the publishers to cater to specific states. It is also a way for them to control the resale of such books. A state edition is exactly the same as a national edition with one exception. There is a small section in the front of a state edition book that applies the concepts in the book to the local area. For example, if it is a biology book the section in the front may talk about the biology of the local animals of that particular state. Many school systems require schools to use state editions of specific books. The states you tend to see this happening the most with are North Carolina, New York, Texas and California. Once the schools stop using these books it is hard to resell them because schools in other states don't want a state edition that is not their own.
Buying these books is no different than buying a national edition. If you don't mind the extra section in the front, the rest of the book is exactly the same. You may even learn something from the extra material. Publishers say there is a major difference to avoid resale that they do not profit from. Don't be afraid to buy state editions!
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Buying these books is no different than buying a national edition. If you don't mind the extra section in the front, the rest of the book is exactly the same. You may even learn something from the extra material. Publishers say there is a major difference to avoid resale that they do not profit from. Don't be afraid to buy state editions!
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Friday, March 2, 2007
Buying used online
Hopefully many people are familiar with buying items online through websites such as Half.com, Amazon and E-Bay. Used book sales are a huge part of this trend. All of these sites, and others offer used books from private sellers at a fraction of what you would pay at the bookstore for a new book. Many school systems in this country are requiring their students to locate and purchase their own books, not to mention the thousands of home schooled children in the U.S. Buying used books online is often the only way for these families to get the materials their children need. This is evident by the large increase in our online sales at the beginning of the school year. We also sell quite a few at the beginning of the spring semester as well.
For those of you who are not familiar with buying used online, here is a brief overview. First, make sure you have the title, author's name, date published, publisher and the ISBN of the book you are looking for. The ISBN is a set of numbers, usually ten digits long, that identifies that specific edition of that specific book. It's kind of like a social security number for a book. It is located on the back of the book above the bar code, and on the back of the title page. For example the ISBN number for Prentice Hall Biology 2002 is 013050730x. If there were 10,000 Prentice Hall Biology books printed in 2002, they would all have that same ISBN. The next edition printed in 2003 would have a different ISBN. Teacher's editions and state editions also have different ISBNs. It is much easier to search for a book with the ISBN number. If you try just searching Prentice Hall Biology on Amazon you would get three+ pages of matching books. If you do not have the book's ISBN, make sure you have the author's name and the year the book was published. Often one book by the same author is printed several times in several editions. Make sure the year is correct so your student or child doesn't run into problems where his page numbers don't quite match up or the math problems are a little different.
It's better to Google search for websites to buy used books, rather than Google the actual book. If you do this, your top hits will probably be for the publishing company. Once you have chosen a site to buy from, it's a simple process to find the book. Most websites have a basic book search engine where you can enter the title or ISBN. If you have the ISBN you will almost always be directed to the correct book. If you do not have the ISBN, sreach by Title and author then go through the list and find the correct year. Once you have found the correct book, you can then look through the sellers and choose the quality of book you would like to purchase. Book qualities on most websites are New, Like New, Very Good, Good and Acceptable. Once you have found the quality you like at a price you are willing to pay, check the feedback of the person who is selling the book. Sites like Amazon, E-bay and Half.com use feedback as a way to rate sellers and buyers and to make sure they are abiding by the websites standards. Make sure they don't have a lot of negative feedback. Also keep an eye out for feedback that involves issues with shipping or refunds. You don't want to order a book from a seller that is slow with shipping or refunds. Most websites have a standard amount of time in which a seller has to ship an item.
After you have done all this, you can now buy your book. This usually involves entering your information and a credit card to pay with. If you already have an account with that website, that information will already be there. Choose a shipping method, usually standard or expedited. Standard mail is usually United States Post Office (USPS) media mail and expedited is usually USPS priority mail. Many sellers choose to ship with other carriers, but most use basic USPS shipping. When you order remember: media mail can take up to 14 business days to arrive and priority up to 4. Before you order make sure you know exactly how long you have until you will need your book and choose a shipping method accordingly. Many times customers choose media mail and don't realize how long it can actually take. This also becomes an issue if you live far from the seller you are buying from. If you live in California and order from us in Georgia, you can guarantee it will take those 14 business days. Keep all this in mind when ordering.
Suggested sites: Amazon, Half.com, E-Bay, Campusbooks.com, Alibris, eCampus.com. Some of these sell both lower grades and college texts and some focus only on college texts.
www.southeastertextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
For those of you who are not familiar with buying used online, here is a brief overview. First, make sure you have the title, author's name, date published, publisher and the ISBN of the book you are looking for. The ISBN is a set of numbers, usually ten digits long, that identifies that specific edition of that specific book. It's kind of like a social security number for a book. It is located on the back of the book above the bar code, and on the back of the title page. For example the ISBN number for Prentice Hall Biology 2002 is 013050730x. If there were 10,000 Prentice Hall Biology books printed in 2002, they would all have that same ISBN. The next edition printed in 2003 would have a different ISBN. Teacher's editions and state editions also have different ISBNs. It is much easier to search for a book with the ISBN number. If you try just searching Prentice Hall Biology on Amazon you would get three+ pages of matching books. If you do not have the book's ISBN, make sure you have the author's name and the year the book was published. Often one book by the same author is printed several times in several editions. Make sure the year is correct so your student or child doesn't run into problems where his page numbers don't quite match up or the math problems are a little different.
It's better to Google search for websites to buy used books, rather than Google the actual book. If you do this, your top hits will probably be for the publishing company. Once you have chosen a site to buy from, it's a simple process to find the book. Most websites have a basic book search engine where you can enter the title or ISBN. If you have the ISBN you will almost always be directed to the correct book. If you do not have the ISBN, sreach by Title and author then go through the list and find the correct year. Once you have found the correct book, you can then look through the sellers and choose the quality of book you would like to purchase. Book qualities on most websites are New, Like New, Very Good, Good and Acceptable. Once you have found the quality you like at a price you are willing to pay, check the feedback of the person who is selling the book. Sites like Amazon, E-bay and Half.com use feedback as a way to rate sellers and buyers and to make sure they are abiding by the websites standards. Make sure they don't have a lot of negative feedback. Also keep an eye out for feedback that involves issues with shipping or refunds. You don't want to order a book from a seller that is slow with shipping or refunds. Most websites have a standard amount of time in which a seller has to ship an item.
After you have done all this, you can now buy your book. This usually involves entering your information and a credit card to pay with. If you already have an account with that website, that information will already be there. Choose a shipping method, usually standard or expedited. Standard mail is usually United States Post Office (USPS) media mail and expedited is usually USPS priority mail. Many sellers choose to ship with other carriers, but most use basic USPS shipping. When you order remember: media mail can take up to 14 business days to arrive and priority up to 4. Before you order make sure you know exactly how long you have until you will need your book and choose a shipping method accordingly. Many times customers choose media mail and don't realize how long it can actually take. This also becomes an issue if you live far from the seller you are buying from. If you live in California and order from us in Georgia, you can guarantee it will take those 14 business days. Keep all this in mind when ordering.
Suggested sites: Amazon, Half.com, E-Bay, Campusbooks.com, Alibris, eCampus.com. Some of these sell both lower grades and college texts and some focus only on college texts.
www.southeastertextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Rebound books
Have you ever seen a book listed on Amazon or Half.com with a description that says new cover or rebound or rebind? These are words you hear a lot in the used textbook industry. It is no secret (or is it?) that textbooks used in grades k-12 have tougher covers and binding than college books and regular bookstore books. This is because textbooks go through a great deal of wear and tear at the hands of your average middle school/high school student. Sometimes the only difference between a basic college text and an advanced high school version of the same book is the cover and binding. The books have the same material, but the high school book is built for rough handling.
Sometimes schools have stacks of books that are still good books, the pages are clean and the content up to date, but the cover has started to come apart. In cases like this schools can choose to have those books rebound. They are taken to a bindery and the bindery takes the books apart and puts new covers on them. This is a low cost, effective way to make books last. The pages of the book are trimmed a little every time they are rebound, so we recommend that it only be done once. By the time you need a second binding it's probably time to upgrade to a newer edition with up to date content anyway.
How do you tell if a book has been rebound? They usually have a white edge around the corners of the covers. If you see one listed for sale, do not be afraid to buy it. They are exactly the same book, just with a new cover. Often they sell for a better price as well.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Sometimes schools have stacks of books that are still good books, the pages are clean and the content up to date, but the cover has started to come apart. In cases like this schools can choose to have those books rebound. They are taken to a bindery and the bindery takes the books apart and puts new covers on them. This is a low cost, effective way to make books last. The pages of the book are trimmed a little every time they are rebound, so we recommend that it only be done once. By the time you need a second binding it's probably time to upgrade to a newer edition with up to date content anyway.
How do you tell if a book has been rebound? They usually have a white edge around the corners of the covers. If you see one listed for sale, do not be afraid to buy it. They are exactly the same book, just with a new cover. Often they sell for a better price as well.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
fax: 866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Monday, February 26, 2007
Textbook Adoption Cycles
In the public school system schools order books in what we call adoption cycles. These cycles range anywhere from 4 to 7 years. Adoption cycles can be tricky, so I will do my best to explain them. For example: In Georgia, new books are adopted for the whole state every 7 years. So if we begin in 2000, lets say Georgia adopted science books. That means that the whole state, with the exception of a few counties, adopted all new science books for all grade levels. They bought, and paid full price, for new books from the publishers. These books will be used until the next science adoption in 2007. In 2001, Georgia may have adopted new social studies books. These books would be used until the next social studies adoption in 2008. In 2002 math would be adopted and used until 2009, and so on and so forth. A new subject is adopted every year, and used for 7 years. In many states the adoption cycle is mandated and controlled by the state board of education. They choose when specific books are to be adopted and each county in the state has to abide by the cycle they have made. There are a few instances where this does not happen. In Georgia for example, a few of the larger counties are a year behind. This does not cause too much of a problem because each county or school district controls their own budget.
In the mean time students are lugging these books around, spilling their cokes on them, using them as umbrellas in the rain and writing all over them. Not to mention the basic wear and tear from being shoved in lockers and backpacks. With all of this going on it is hard to believe that a book could last for 7 years, right? Well, most of them don't. This is where a used book company comes in. Yes, the school could order the books new again from the publisher but why waste that kind of money for a new class set? Schools buy used because the bulk of their textbook budget goes to buying those new books on the adoption cycle. So don't feel bad for the book publishers, they are still getting over 80% of the schools budgeted book money. In counties where they don't have a huge budget, used textbook buying can save them a lot and they can take that extra money and put it into another area. There have been counties that have been able to save art and music programs because of used textbook buying. Used textbook companies "fill in" what the schools need between adoptions.
There are a few exceptions to this process. Some states, like New Jersey, do not have state wide adoption cycles. Each county or school district decides when to buy new books. These counties may choose to buy only used textbooks. When a new adoption comes around, they may buy the edition from the year before or two years before. Many subjects don't change drastically over the course of a few years so ordering older editions may be beneficial. Our biggest selling grammar and composition book was published in 1989! If you have children in school, it would be beneficial for you to find out if the state has an adoption cycle and what year they are on.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
In the mean time students are lugging these books around, spilling their cokes on them, using them as umbrellas in the rain and writing all over them. Not to mention the basic wear and tear from being shoved in lockers and backpacks. With all of this going on it is hard to believe that a book could last for 7 years, right? Well, most of them don't. This is where a used book company comes in. Yes, the school could order the books new again from the publisher but why waste that kind of money for a new class set? Schools buy used because the bulk of their textbook budget goes to buying those new books on the adoption cycle. So don't feel bad for the book publishers, they are still getting over 80% of the schools budgeted book money. In counties where they don't have a huge budget, used textbook buying can save them a lot and they can take that extra money and put it into another area. There have been counties that have been able to save art and music programs because of used textbook buying. Used textbook companies "fill in" what the schools need between adoptions.
There are a few exceptions to this process. Some states, like New Jersey, do not have state wide adoption cycles. Each county or school district decides when to buy new books. These counties may choose to buy only used textbooks. When a new adoption comes around, they may buy the edition from the year before or two years before. Many subjects don't change drastically over the course of a few years so ordering older editions may be beneficial. Our biggest selling grammar and composition book was published in 1989! If you have children in school, it would be beneficial for you to find out if the state has an adoption cycle and what year they are on.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Mondays
It's always hard getting up on a Monday isn't it?
Anyway, on to today's textbook information. There has been a lot of talk lately about the rising costs of textbooks, especially college textbooks. While we don't expressly carry college texts we do understand the plight of the average college student. The inflation rate of textbooks has well surpassed the national inflation rate. In an article on MSNBC.com, dated Aug. of 2005, the prices of textbooks have risen at more than twice the rate of inflation. Textbook prices have increased by 186 percent since 1986. You can read the article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8963920/
This article focuses mainly on college textbooks, but the same issues arise in texts for lower grades as well. What does this mean for your average student? It means that publishers are are adding supplemental materials such as software and online access. While these materials are great for a student, the problem lies in the extra cost that is placed on the student or school that is purchasing the books. Often times students do not take advantage of the supplemental materials when they are provided and in many cases the cd-roms that come with the books can only be used on one computer thus eliminating them for future book owners. This is a problem in schools, public schools especially, where books can be used for up to 7 years. Depending on if the school is on semesters, that can be anywhere from 7 to 14 students using any one book.
Here in lies the benefits of used textbooks. Often, a used textbook still contains the original supplemental material because the original owner didn't use it. Used textbook companies can often provide other supplementary materials such as workbooks or cd-roms that did not come with the original package. Most schools can not afford to buy new textbooks every semester (even private schools that usually have a little better funding) so the supplementary materials are lost anyway. Used books "fill in" the lost or damaged books between adoptions. A school could buy those books new, but would it be fair to students for half the class to have brand new books with the supplements and the other half have used books from previous semesters? If a school buys used, then all the students have access to the same materials. If a teacher is worried about missing out by not having the materials I would suggest contacting the publishing company to see about ordering extras. But again, this would cost money and have to be done every semester. Teachers could also go through the supplementary material and choose a few things from it to create exercises that students can do in class every semester.
The rising cost of textbooks is something almost everyone in this country will have to deal with at one point or another. This is a topic we will continue to discuss at some length.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Anyway, on to today's textbook information. There has been a lot of talk lately about the rising costs of textbooks, especially college textbooks. While we don't expressly carry college texts we do understand the plight of the average college student. The inflation rate of textbooks has well surpassed the national inflation rate. In an article on MSNBC.com, dated Aug. of 2005, the prices of textbooks have risen at more than twice the rate of inflation. Textbook prices have increased by 186 percent since 1986. You can read the article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8963920/
This article focuses mainly on college textbooks, but the same issues arise in texts for lower grades as well. What does this mean for your average student? It means that publishers are are adding supplemental materials such as software and online access. While these materials are great for a student, the problem lies in the extra cost that is placed on the student or school that is purchasing the books. Often times students do not take advantage of the supplemental materials when they are provided and in many cases the cd-roms that come with the books can only be used on one computer thus eliminating them for future book owners. This is a problem in schools, public schools especially, where books can be used for up to 7 years. Depending on if the school is on semesters, that can be anywhere from 7 to 14 students using any one book.
Here in lies the benefits of used textbooks. Often, a used textbook still contains the original supplemental material because the original owner didn't use it. Used textbook companies can often provide other supplementary materials such as workbooks or cd-roms that did not come with the original package. Most schools can not afford to buy new textbooks every semester (even private schools that usually have a little better funding) so the supplementary materials are lost anyway. Used books "fill in" the lost or damaged books between adoptions. A school could buy those books new, but would it be fair to students for half the class to have brand new books with the supplements and the other half have used books from previous semesters? If a school buys used, then all the students have access to the same materials. If a teacher is worried about missing out by not having the materials I would suggest contacting the publishing company to see about ordering extras. But again, this would cost money and have to be done every semester. Teachers could also go through the supplementary material and choose a few things from it to create exercises that students can do in class every semester.
The rising cost of textbooks is something almost everyone in this country will have to deal with at one point or another. This is a topic we will continue to discuss at some length.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
866-952-6657
k12@southeasterntextbooks.com
Friday, February 23, 2007
Introduction
This blog is sponsored by Southeastern Textbooks, a used textbook company in Georgia. We started this blog to spread the word about buying used textbooks.
Most people out there know about websites like Amazon and Half.com. Some of you may even know about Alibris, ecampus.com and bookbyte. How much do you know about other used textbook places? Do you know about the companies out there that sell textbooks to your son's or daughter's schools? No? Have you ever thought about where the textbooks come from that students use in school? Many people haven't.
The truth is that the textbooks that your children use come from companies like ours. Companies that provide quality new and used textbooks to schools all over the country. We provide all subjects, kindergarten through twelfth grade to public, private and home schooled children everywhere. We provide an important service to schools, especially those who suffer from budget cuts and crises. By buying used books schools can save more than 50% off the publishers list price and thus use that money in other areas where it is needed.
Want to learn more? Check back for updates on saving taxes by buying used, how used textbooks are good for the economy and how used books help improve your children's school system.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
Fax 866-952-6657
Most people out there know about websites like Amazon and Half.com. Some of you may even know about Alibris, ecampus.com and bookbyte. How much do you know about other used textbook places? Do you know about the companies out there that sell textbooks to your son's or daughter's schools? No? Have you ever thought about where the textbooks come from that students use in school? Many people haven't.
The truth is that the textbooks that your children use come from companies like ours. Companies that provide quality new and used textbooks to schools all over the country. We provide all subjects, kindergarten through twelfth grade to public, private and home schooled children everywhere. We provide an important service to schools, especially those who suffer from budget cuts and crises. By buying used books schools can save more than 50% off the publishers list price and thus use that money in other areas where it is needed.
Want to learn more? Check back for updates on saving taxes by buying used, how used textbooks are good for the economy and how used books help improve your children's school system.
www.southeasterntextbooks.com
866-872-6657
Fax 866-952-6657
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