Q & A

Textbook Buyback

Do you buy back textbooks?

• We buy back textbooks which we can resell. We cannot resell a textbook which is not in resaleable condition.

When is a textbook not in resaleable condition?

• Binding is weak and close to coming apart.
• Pages are missing or separating from the binding.
• Pages are damp, rippled, or stuck together.
• Pages or binding show evidence of mildew.
• Highlighting, underlining, or cribbing makes the text difficult to read.
• Cribbing is evident in a language workbook.
• Writing is evident in a study guide.
• A book might not be resaleable without an original insert, such as a CD-ROM. If resaleable without the insert, such a book probably has a lower buyback value without the insert.

When do you buy back textbooks?

• We buy back throughout the year: Back-to-School Buyback, Daily Buyback, Early Buyback, and Final Exams Week Buyback.
• Textbook Buyback Calendar

When is the best time to sell back?

• While a book has retail buyback value, you should sell it back at the earliest opportunity. Only at Daily Buyback are there no books with retail buyback value. If a book has no retail buyback value, it might have a retail buyback value at a later date. Keep in mind that the book could have zero buyback at a later date.

How do you determine the buyback value of my book?

• Your book has retail buyback value if we need the book for resale to Cal Poly students in the next academic term. A book has no retail buyback value until an instructor (or a department) gives us a class book list that includes the book. A book also has no retail buyback value if we already have the quantity we need for the expected sales.
• Your book has wholesale buyback value if a used textbook wholesaler wants the book to resell to other college and university bookstores. The wholesaler sets the wholesale buyback price, usually lower than the retail buyback price, based on a book’s nationwide demand. We pay the wholesale buyback price only if a book has no retail buyback price.
• If a book has no resale value, it has zero buyback value. If you leave the book with us for recycling, we give you a $1 Musty Buck coupon.

Do you set buyback quotas?

• There is a retail buyback quota (or budget) for every book with retail buyback value. Sales expectations and stock levels are factors in setting buyback quotas. Example: 45 is probably the retail buyback quota if we expect to sell 50 copies and already have 5 copies on hand.
• There is seldom a wholesale buyback quota.

How am I paid for the books I sell back?

• We pay 100% of the total buyback price in cash. We pay 110% of the total buyback price if you allow us to deposit the entire payment to your Campus Express Club account. If you have no account, the deposit opens your account.