Page 5- The Michigan Daily - Friday, May 15, 1987 -
Book buy-back angers students
By LISA POLLAK
Although many students com -
plain they get cheated when trying
to sell their course books back,
campus bookstore managers claim
they are not trying to swindle stu -
dents out of their money.
Despite complaints, bookstores
have increased their revenue on used
books by about twenty percent
from last year at Barnes and Noble,
along with an uspecified amount at
Ulrich's. Both managers attribute
the increase to the new market cre -
ated when University Cellar book -
store closed last winter.
LSA junior Tammi Waldshan,
however, thinks she was "ripped
off" when she went to sell her
books back.
"I bought in a lot of books, es -
pecially from my history class,"
said Waldshan, who approximated
that she received about thirty dollars
for one hundred dollars worth of
books. "I complained because I
didn't think they payed me
enough," she said.
Irv Scheel, textbook manager at
Ulrich's, said bookstores do not try
to "cheat" students. Both Ulrich's
and Barnes and Noble offer students
"up to fifty percent" for texts that
will be used again the following
term.
Students receive considerably
less money when the text is no
longer needed. In such cases, the
bookstores will pay only the text's
fixed price on the wholesale market.
"Sure we want to buy as many
used copies of a text from students
as we can," said Scheel, "but I also
can get my used books from whole -
salers." Scheel offers students the
same price charged by his whole-
saler, the Nebraska Book Service.
"My only advantage buying
from students is not paying the
postage when I order from the
wholesaler," Scheel added. Of the
1,800 copies of the popular Thom -
as Calculus Book that Ulrich's will
stock in the fall, only 500 used
copies will have been purchased
from students. Scheel will order an
additional 960 used copies.
Barnes and Noble uses virtually
the same policy, according to Jerry
Maloney, general manager. He re-
lies on the wholesale prices used by
Missouri Book Services to deter -
mine how much to pay students for
books that are not on professors,
booklists.
"We know students get angry,"
Maloney said. "But these wholesale
prices depend on how strong the
need for the book is nationally. A
book doesn't have an intrinsic value
- it's price depends on how much
of an opportunity you have to sell
it again." Like Scheel, Maloney
estimates that about forty percent of
his used book inventory comes
from wholesalers.
The stores claim it does not mat -
ter how "used" a book actually is
when a student tries to sell it - the
wholesale value remains the same.
And a book has to be in "pretty bad
shape" to be turned down, Scheel
said, "with ripped off covers and a
lot of missing pages."
Even though Ulrich's and Barnes
and Noble use different wholesale
guides, the offered prices will pro -
bably remain the same because of
national standards, said Scheel.
Maloney suggests that "if stu -
dents want to speculate a bit," they
can try to make a larger profit off
used books by waiting an extra
term to see if a "fixed price" book
will be used for a class again. If the
book does appear on a class list, the
student can eventually earn up to
fifty percent of its value.
But this gamble can backfire if
the publisher issues a new edition,
which usually occurs after three or
four years after a text's publishing
date. "And for old editions, we pay
nothing," said Maloney.
Doily Photo by JOHN MurSO
A new Ulrich's Bookstore will open at the former University Cellar
location on East Liberty Stiet. Paul Rossed will be the general manager
of the store.
Michigan Daily Michigan Daily
SPORTS ARTS
763-0376 763-0379
The Calendar
of The University of Michigan
The calendar combines meeting, lecture workshop and con-
ference announcements with other events happening each week
on campus. It is based on The University Record calendar, andt
is open to all Universitt sponsored groups and organizations
recognized by the Michigan Student Assemhly. Items must be
submitted in writing byS p.tit. the Tuesda before puhlication.
Address all intfrtat on to: Julie A. Brown, publications
assistant, Untversitt Rectrt, s412 Maynard St. Asterisk (*)
dlentttet et'ents tttwtiht atltmisttttn is charged.
WEDNESDAY
May 20
MONDAY
May 18
CEW--Job Seekers Support Group, 9:30 am-noon, & Job Hunt Club (8
wks), noon-1:30 pm, 350 Thayer. 763-7080..
Gay Liberation--Lesbian-Gay Male Community Open House, 8:30 pm,
Canterbury House, 218 N Divison. 665-0606,763-4185.
Senate Assembly--Mtg, 3:15 pm, Rackham Amph.
TUESDAY
May 19
*U-M-Flint--Film, Harold & Maud, 7 pm, Univ Ctr Kiva. 762-3431.
*Cont Legal Ed--Course, "Building a Law Firm forthe 80s & Beyond,"
9 am-4:30 pm, Hill Aud. Regis: 764-8350.
Med Ctr--Mastectomy Disc Grp, noon-1:15 pm, Rm 2A235, 2nd Level,
Univ Hosp. 763-9953.
Mus Art--Art Breaks, "From Seedtime to Harvest," 12;10 pm.
*Rec Sports--Bike Repair Clinic, 8 pm, Conf Rm, N Camp Rec Bldg.
764-3967.
*AAFC--Allegro Non Troppo, 7:30 pm; Milestones of Animation &
Fantastic Planet, 8:45 pm, MLB 3.
*Cont Med Ed--Course (3 days), "Computed Tomography & Magnetic
Resonance Imaging," 7:30 am-Fri 5:30 pm, Towsley Ctr. 763-1400.
Psych--Paul M Fis Mom Leo Ser, A Treisman, "Features & Objects,"
4:15 pm, Hal Aud. 747-4948.
*U-M-Flint--See May 19.
*Human Resource Devp--Workshop (10 weeks), "The Weight
Watchers at WorkhProgram," 5 pm, 1111 Kipke Dr. 764-7410.
*M-CARE Hith Ctr--Sem, J Wible-Kant, "Topics on Menopause,"7
pm,2200 Green Rd. Regis. 763-7485.
Med Ctr--Conferences: "Psychopharmacology of Anorexia Nervosa &
Bulimia," 10:30 am-noon, CAPH Aud, & "Eating Disorders
Psychotherapy Research," 2:30-4 pm, Conf Rm, Ment Hlth Res Inst.
764-9527.
*Soc Work--Symposium (through June 3), "New Directions in Social
Work Practice: Applications of Computers, Planning Concepts &
Research," Mich League. 764-5331.
Turner Geriatric Clin--Alzheimer's Family Support Grp, R White,
"Neuropsychological Testing As It Is Used to Assess the Cognitive
Functioning of Persons with Alzheimer's Disease or a Related
Disorder," 10 am-noon, 1010 Wall. 764-2556.
WCBN (88.3 FM)--Prog, "All Things Reconsidered," 6:30 pm. 763-
3500.
THURSDAY
May 21
*AAFC--Alien, 7:30 pm, & Aliens, 9:30 pm, MLB 3.
Career Ping & Plcmt--Lec, "The Job Search," 3:10-4:30 pm, 3200
SAB, 764-7460.
Psych--Paul M Fitts Mem Lee Ser, A Treisman, "In Search of the Visual
Alphabet," 4:15 pm, Hale Aud. 747-4948.
*Mich League--Am Heritage Night, Michigan, 4:30-7:30 pm, The
League Buffet.
Mus Art--See May 19.
*Turner Geriatric Clin--Course, R Cole, "Is Japan Really Producing
Higher Quality than the U.S.?" & N Diamond, 'The Changing Chinese
Family," 10 am-noon, 1010 Wall. 764-2556.
FRIDAY
May 22
*. 'AFC--Alien, 7:30 pm, & Aliens, 9:30 pm, Nat Sci.
Psych--Paul M Fitts Mem Leo Ser, A Treisman, "Attention & Perceptual
Experience," 4:15 pm, Hale Aud. 747-4948.
Gay Liberation--Coffee House, 8 pm, Guild House, 802 Monroe, 763-
4186.
*Cont Legal Ed--Courses, "Building a Criminal Law Practice," 9 am-5
pm, Holidome-Holiday Inn, 764-4444, & Webers Inn, 769-2500.
SATURDAY
May 23
*AAFC--They Might Be Giants, 7:30 pm, & The Seven Per-Cent
Solution, 9:10 pm, MLB 3.
*Exhibit Mus--Workshop (ages 7-14), "Bird-Watching Field Trip," 9-
10:30 am, 1109 Geddes. Regis: 764-0478. See May 16.
Stu Woodshop--Safety class for new shop users, Sess I, 9-11 am, SAB,
763-4025.
SUNDAY
May 24
Zen Buddhist Temple--Meditation Svc, 5-7 pm, 1214 Packard. 761-
6520.
*Exhibit Mus--Feature show, The Universe Game, 2 & 3:15 pm, 1109
Geddes. 764-0478.
*Gay Liberation --Positive Identity Day Conf, E Noble, 9:30 am,
Marygrove Conf Ctr, Detroit. 869-5105, 763-4186.
Mus Art--See May 17.
*Rec Sports--Canoe trip on Huron River (instruction provided), 10 am-6
pm. Regis: 764-3967.
Stu Woodshop--See May 17. Safety class for new shop users, 11 am-1
pm, SAB. 763-4025.