Collegiate Times

Alumnus Chris Pokrana and graduate student Tyrell McElroy compare prices Monday at the Virginia Tech Bookstore.

Students face the debate every semester over whether it's really cheaper and more efficient to buy textbooks online or at one of the Virginia Tech bookstores.

 The latter provide convenience, as they are located within a mile or two of students and usually have the books that Tech students need. However, Web sites claim to be cheaper.

"(Buying textbooks at the bookstore) was easier than hunting around on Amazon or eBay," said Owen Puffenberger, freshman computer science major.

"I didn't think ahead to order (my textbooks) online," said Allison Lewis, sophomore human nutrition foods and exercise major.

Although online resources require additional planning to receive books on time and may leave students with less than the exact edition, they often have significantly cheaper prices. Among the constantly growing list of Web sites that boast such prices are Amazon, eBay, half.com, and Barnes & Noble. Hunting through the various sites to compare prices is another step students take when ordering books online.

Comparison Web sites have been around since the inception of the Internet, a way for users to compare prices of online products to find the best rates and prices. With the increase in textbook prices forcing many students to share books, hunt through libraries, and even nix buying the book altogether, these Web sites have found a new market for the college student looking for the cheapest textbook.

Created in 2001, Bigwords.com sells nothing from its site. Instead, this web tool shows the customer which book-selling site would provide him or her with the least expensive books. New, used, international and electronic textbooks are covered, and the user can narrow down his or her search by excluding some of these categories. Although the site specializes in textbooks, it also compares prices for DVDs, music and games.

"I think the reason that it is so successful and that students like it so much and talk about it so much is because we're a totally unbiased resource for just being able to save the most money on books," said Jeff Sherwood, creator and CEO of Bigwords.

On average, the prices Bigwords finds are 16 to 45 percent cheaper than other retail stores, saving students an average of $132 per order.

"Bigwords is like having all of half.com and all of Amazon.com and all of 20 other Web sites all in one place," Sherwood said. "If you think about it, if you have to buy three, four or five books, one's going to be cheapest at one place, and another one's going to be cheaper someplace else. So, by using Bigwords.com, we just sort through all that information for you and you save the most money."

Jerry Diffell, manager of Tech Bookstore, said that he is very aware of bookstore textbooks' expensive rates and believes that his bookstore loses business to sites such as Bigwords.

"You try and be competitive with every place, but unfortunately, when the publisher sets the price and students are swamping against each other, the bookstore might come out short," Diffell said.

He added that business has changed significantly due to the Internet, but Tech Bookstore is changing with the industry by buying and selling books online everyday.

Steve Glosh, assistant director for Virginia Tech Services, said the University Bookstore hasn't lost a lot of business to textbook retail Web sites in recent years.

"I think the opportunity for Web site price comparisons has been out there for many years," Glosh said. "Students were taking advantage of that from the inception of that opportunity."

Glosh said that the University Bookstore has fair prices, good return policies and ample stock of titles when students need them. Since online textbook retailers often revolve around peer-to-peer exchanges, books' availability may be limited.

Also, Virginia Tech Services, Inc., which owns the University Bookstore, Volume Two Bookstore, Dietrich General Store and other retailers on or near campus, returns its earnings back to Tech for student scholarships and other student-related purposes.

"At Virginia Tech, you have a huge benefit from buying books here, because not only do we do a discount, but then we turn around and give our money to the university for student purposes," Glosh said. "So, it's a very unique and very positive mission that we have on campus."

Many students consider only their bank accounts when deciding between the college bookstore and online option. It will often come down to a comparison between prices online and in-store, but convenience will also play a role in students' decisions.