Why Buy from the NCC Bookstore?


Know the facts before you buy!

Despite the perception from national publicity and advertising, college students very often can buy textbooks at their college bookstore at prices as low, and often lower than online.

In a study performed by the National Association of College Stores, findings reveal that texts purchased online are very often not less expensive than those purchased at the college bookstore. (NACS) randomly selected 50 titles and compared prices online and at college bookstores. Of the 44 books that were available from all sources, bookstore prices were actually lowest overall with 38.6% of the texts costing less than online. College bookstore prices fell in the middle for 36.4%, and were highest for 20.5%. It must be noted that the prices used for the comparison do not included any shipping and handling charges incurred for the actual online order, which would alter the results in favor of the college bookstore even further. In addition, with exactly 50% of the titles the online seller would ship anywhere from three to six weeks from the order date. Obviously, this is an unacceptable period of time for most students.

Even if the advertised price of a text is less expensive online than at the college bookstore, students should remember to add shipping and handling so they have the "actual" cost of the book.

In addition to price, students should consider a number of service factors. Is the book being sold the same edition, version, etc. that is being used in class? Will the book be available and shipped in time for class? Are used books available in good condition at lower prices? Is there a cost incurred when returning texts?