Textbooks

When will used and new textbooks be available in the bookstore for the upcoming semester?
Your first semester textbooks start arriving at the bookstore as early as May with the majority of used books arriving in June and July.  The website opens for online purchasing mid to late July.  When books arrive they are placed on the shelves and labeled with green shelf tags. Used books are located with the new books and are marked with yellow “used” stickers.  The used book price is twenty-five percent less than the new price.

Every effort is made to have used books available whenever possible.  Often if used books are not available it is because:
  • The book is in a new edition.
  • It is value packaged with required supplementary material at a better price than a used book/new supplement would cost.
  • The book was not yet selected for use here on campus at the time of our buyback.
  • It is an obscure title not readily available on the used book market.
Second semester books begin to arrive around the Thanksgiving break and are placed on the shelf with blue shelf tags. The website opens after buyback is completed. A portion of used books for second semester are not available until after the December Buyback has been completed. Summer school books begin to arrive in April and are placed on the shelves with yellow shelf tags. Used books for Summer school are not available until after the year end buyback.

What will my books cost?
Your total textbook costs could range from $400 to $700 per semester depending on what courses you are taking.  Your first semester book expense may be especially high because of language or science packages but keep in mind that they will be used the entire year.

Because the cost of your elementary and high school textbooks were in most cases hidden in the total tax dollars your parents paid, paying cash for textbooks will be a new experience for you. You will discover, as thousands of college students before you, that textbooks are expensive. They are costly to write, to publish, to support with ancillary materials, to ship, to sell, and an ever growing body of knowledge gives most textbooks a shortened period of usability. The prices of books are established by textbook publishers, not by the bookstore.

Your textbooks are a valuable yet small percentage of the total cost of your education. Your professors have carefully selected the most current and appropriate textbooks for your courses. It is up to you to make good use of them.

How can I find my textbooks for each class?
Your textbooks are arranged on the shelves in alphabetical order by department and in numerical order within the department starting at the bottom. A shelf tag will be located under each book indicating the term, CRN number, professor’s name, author, title, and whether the book is required or optional. A departmental booklist hangs at the beginning of each department and a complete printed booklist and class schedule are located at the back of the store along with two computers with access to the textbook list on our web site and access to the registrar’s office where you can log in to get your class schedule.

If any doubt exists that a book is correct for your class, seek assistance from our staff or go to class to get your syllabus before you buy the book. We recommend that you wait until you have been instructed in class on the use of optional books before you purchase them.

What if there is no book on the shelf for my class?
  • If there is no book and no shelf tag it is likely that no book is required for the class or your professor has not yet made a textbook selection for the class.
  • If there is a shelf tag but no book and it is before the new semester has started the chances are the shipment has not yet arrived.
  • If classes have begun and there is no message on the shelf tag concerning the status of the book please ask our staff. 

If you need a book and there are none left on the shelf please fill out a textbook special order form located at the textbook window. We will make every effort to get the book for you as quickly as possible. During the first four class days of each semester or block there is no additional charge for placing a special order for a textbook. Prepayment is required on all special order textbook orders after the first four class days of each semester or block has passed. We will notify you when the book arrives via email and set your textbook at the cash register counter for you to pick up.

Why does the bookstore sometimes run low on select book titles?
Your professors provide the bookstore with estimated enrollment figures at the time they place their book orders. The bookstore uses that information plus the pre-registration numbers from the Registrar’s office to determine the quantity to order. Sometimes when classes begin the enrollment increases way beyond the initial projections. There are many varied reasons that we may run out of a particular book but it is important not to assume that the book has been re-ordered simply because the shelf is empty. It is best to inquire.

What is the Textbook Return policy?
You have the first FOUR class days of each semester or block to return current semester textbooks. You must have your cash register receipt.  If you have written or highlighted in your book or it is not in absolutely new resalable condition, twenty five percent will be deducted from the new price. Shrink wrapped textbooks and bundled textbooks are not returnable once opened. Custom textbooks, internet codes, transmitters and all other access codes and sealed materials are not returnable if accessed or opened.

Why only the first FOUR class days for full returns?
The deadline was set at the first four days of the semester or block so you would have some time to catch your breath and sort out your textbook needs but still get the books back to the bookstore as quickly as possible to give other students the opportunity to buy them, especially used copies. Without a deadline it is easy to procrastinate, particularly with books that were charged.

Also, in some classes where a number of small paperbacks are being used, some books are already completed within the first four days of class. If you are buying your books after the four day deadline has passed please keep in mind that they cannot be returned!  Go to class first and be sure that you need the books you are purchasing.

Why do I need my receipt?
You must have your cash register receipt. The main reason we require a receipt is for your protection. You would not want someone to take your new textbooks and return them to the bookstore for a cash refund without a receipt. Also, when you return a book, we need to know what method of payment was used since we do not return cash for books purchased on your ID charge, Cobber Cash, or bank cards.  And finally, we need to know that the book was purchased at the bookstore during the current semester and not at some earlier time.

How are textbooks different from other merchandise sold in the bookstore?

  • Textbooks are usually required purchases chosen by your professors.
  • They are priced at approximately half the usual mark up of other items carried in the store which doesn’t leave much room for extra expenses associated with handling them.
  • Textbooks can be sold back at the end of the semester for as much as approximately half of the price you paid.

When is Book Buyback?
Book buyback is held at the front of the store during the last four days of first and second semester. You will need to bring your ID to sell books.

How does the buyback work?
The buyback is one way for you to recycle your books on this campus and on other campuses around the country. The bookstore works through a used book wholesaler to conduct the buy. You may bring in any books you don’t wish to keep. When you sign in and show us your ID you are assigned a number that is written into each of the books you are selling. Then the buyer scans your books, totals their value and pays you cash for them. Usually the buyer will give you the total for all of the books but you can request a price breakdown and decide to sell books on an individual basis.

Books on the store’s booklist for next semester are worth approximately half of the price you paid and are resold here at seventy-five percent of the new price. Amounts paid for books not on the bookstore’s booklist come from the wholesaler’s buying guide and are based on nationwide demand. These books are shipped to the used book company’s warehouse and resold to other college bookstores throughout the country.

The Cobber Bookstore, in turn, places orders each semester with used book wholesaler’s for books not previously used on this campus, to provide a more vast selection of used titles for you.  Most textbooks remain current editions for only two to three years from their latest publication date so if a textbook is not one you would wish to keep for your professional or personal library it is best to recycle it as soon as possible.

How much will I get for my books?
Books that have been requested by the faculty for the next semester will be on our buyback book list at approximately half of the price you paid. Books not being used here next semester will have values ranging from ten to thirty percent of the price you paid depending on their resale value across the country.

The following are some variables that could affect what you will receive for your books:

  • The bookstore will have acquired as many copies of a book as are needed here so the book is moved from the Cobber Bookstore’s buyback book list to the wholesale list to be shipped off campus.
  • The book has no monetary value because the publisher is releasing a new edition.
  • Wholesaler’s warehouse is overstocked.
  • Subject matter of the book is too specialized so nationwide demand for that particular title is low.

Why do I need to sign my name and show my ID?
For your protection we require all students selling books to sign their names and show their ID’s. If any books have been reported stolen we can check them against the books coming in and trace the seller through the number assigned to those books. Please keep your books in a secure place, especially during buyback season, and if any are stolen report it immediately to campus security and the bookstore. 

What about buying my textbooks online?
The Cobber Bookstore website includes store information, policies, catalogs, and textbook listings by course. Many students prefer to come to the bookstore to pick out their textbooks but you can purchase them online using your Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover.  We are also able to extend ID charging privileges, for textbook purchases only, to online orders with in store pick up. For First semester the bookstore’s online textbook ordering service opens mid to late July and closes approximately one week prior to students arriving on campus.

For Second semester the bookstore’s online textbook ordering service opens a few days after First Semester’s Book Buyback concludes and depending on the calendar, closes approximately a few days prior to New Year’s Eve.
Visit the textbook section of our website for exact dates!

Considerable attention has been given in recent years to national online only businesses that sell college textbooks over the internet.  They are targeting students by making claims of substantial discounts.  As we have searched online we find that some books are indeed available at a lower price but often our prices are as low or lower than the online bookseller, especially if you factor in the availability of used copies, the shipping and handling charges, and the fact that some of the textbooks you are required to have are value-bundled with additional materials you will need.

Here are some things to consider if you wish to purchase your textbooks from national online companies:

  • Will you get the correct edition or packaged set chosen by your professor for your class?  Some books are now specifically customized for your particular class.
  • Will the books be shipped to you in time for class?
  • If you decide to not take the class after ordering your books would you be able to return your textbooks?  What about ordering your new textbooks in a timely manner?
  • The Cobber Bookstore was established to meet the specific needs of Concordia College by providing all of the appropriate course materials and related services to our students, faculty and staff.
  • We have a knowledgeable staff.  They are familiar with the campus, know the faculty, and have worked in cooperation with them to acquire the appropriate materials.
  • We have systems in place to accept ID charging which includes financial aid and scholarships, Cobber Cash debit accounts, personal checks, and credit cards.
  • Earnings from the Cobber Bookstore are applied to the operational expenses of the college.  All bookstore revenue stays on campus!
  • We supply used books whenever possible and you can select in person the condition of the book.
  • We supply quick and easy exchanges and returns. (See returns policy)
  • We have a staff willing to go beyond normal customer service in assisting students and parents in the transition to college life.

Information For:

current students
faculty and staff		 parents
alumni		 high school students
admitted students