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For Americans, Imported Textbooks Can Be Cheaper

Posted by timothy on from the this-trumps-capitalism-how-exactly dept.

mblase writes "The NYTimes has an article (free reg required, someone'll post the Google link any minute now) about how the Internet has trumped capitalism yet again -- the very same college textbooks used in the United States sell for half price, or less, in England. One sophomore imported 30 biology books this fall and sold them outside his classroom for less than the campus-bookstore price, netting a $1,200 profit." Wait 'til they shuffle the problem sets.

4 of 678 comments (clear)

  1. I've purchased textbooks from other countries by muon1183 · · Score: 4, Informative

    This semester, I purchased several of my books online from sellers in other countries. One of the books, which came from Hong Kong, arrived the morning after I had purchased it. I purchased the book for less than 1/3 of the US price, and the seller was still making enough profit to be able to overnight the textbook to me. If this isn't a sure sign of an overpriced book, then I don't know what is.

    --

    There's no sig like SIGSEG
  2. college bookstores are the problem by markov_chain · · Score: 4, Informative

    A textbook was selling for $120 at my local college bookstore. This was the list price! I bet they would charge more if the list price let them. Anyway, I got the same book on Amazon for $60, free shipping, which was in the US. So it's not the foreign books that are cheaper-- the markup happens in the college bookstore.

    --
    Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
  3. 17 USC 102 by yerricde · · Score: 4, Informative

    Pedantic. Do s/1201/602/g and it becomes correct. U.S. copyright law, 17 USC 602, bans commercial importation of copies of copyrighted works into the United States without the copyright holder's permission.

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    Will I retire or break 10K?
  4. To heck with England. Look at Indian prices!!! by Xthlc · · Score: 4, Informative

    I was curious, so I did a bit of searching. And proceeded to be flabbergasted.

    American publishing houses seem to operate secondary arms in India specifically for English-language technology books.

    Check this out:

    Introduction to Algorithms, 2nd ed: $79.95

    Introduction to Algorithms, 2nd ed: $5.73

    The C Programming Language [K&R]: $40.00

    The C Programming Language [K&R]: $2.10

    Design Patterns: $54.99

    Design Patterns: $7.11

    Granted, you have to wait a while for them. And there's probably tariffs that you have to pay. But still, I know where my next book purchase is coming from. :)