Buyback

The Campus Bookstore offers competitive buyback pricing! Prices may change without notice when you bring your book in. Prices are never guaranteed; use this as a reference only.

This link allows you to search our entire database by the book ISBN. This includes the textbooks we are buying for our store and all wholesale books being purchased.

Click HERE to Search ENTIRE DATABASE by ISBN

What is buyback?

The Campus Bookstore will pay Michigan Tech students money for books that they do not want to keep for future reference. This service is offered on a daily basis at the back window of the store and at additional residence hall locations during finals week.

Why should I sell my book back to The Campus Bookstore?

Not only will you get cash for your unwanted books, but selling your books to our on-campus locations will help other Michigan Tech students reduce their costs by providing a larger selection of used books. Having a large supply of used books is the most important way we can help you to reduce the costs of your textbooks. During finals week The Campus Bookstore gives away $500 in free textbooks, just for selling us your books! Each day during finals one student's buyback receipt is randomly drawn to win $100 in used books for the following semester. Winner's will be notified by email and will be given further information on redemption.

How much will I get for my books?

If we have received the order from the instructor that your book will be used again in the next semester and we are not overstocked, we will pay you 50% of the new retail price, whether you purchased it new or used. We will purchase books during finals week from students before we order used books from anywhere else, giving our students the best opportunity to sell back books.

If the book has not been adopted for next semester, or we are overstocked, we may still purchase your book at a national wholesale price - the price that a used books wholesaler will pay us for the book. Their price is normally 0-35% of the new retail price and is based on national supply and demand. Each semester we sell large quantities of books for which we have no immediate need to used book wholesalers. In turn, we are able to purchase even larger quantities of used books that we do need from these wholesalers.

All books must be in sellable condition including binding in good condition, no torn or missing pages, no water damage and no excessive highlighting (if you would not buy it from our shelves, probably nobody else would either). If extra items, such as CDs, are missing, the price may be less.

What if I do not have my receipt or did not buy my books from The Campus Bookstore?

You do not need to have a receipt to sell your books to us. All you need is your Tech ID. You must come in person, prices cannot be given over the phone, and unfortunately, we cannot process buybacks through the mail.

Why do I see books on the shelves that I was told had little or no value?

We still receive textbook orders during and after buyback, so we may find out after the main buyback that a book will be used for a class. We must then purchase these used books from wholesalers. Also, the quantity we purchase is based on current or estimated enrollments which can change.

I just used this book, why does it have no value already?

The wholesale value of your books is affected by several things. If the publisher has printed or is going to print a new edition of the book, the value of the current edition decreases. The wholesaler may be overstocked on a certain book or may not have a high demand for it.

When is the best time to sell my books back?

We buy books all year long at the buyback window in the back of the store. However, the best prices are offered during finals week and a week or two before. This is when we are purchasing books at up to half price for the following semester. During the remainder of the year, we will buy books at the prices set by the wholesale companies.

If I know that the class my book was used for is only offered in this one semester each year, should I wait until the end of next semester to sell it?

That is tricky. To have a chance to receive the best price, you should wait until the last couple weeks of the semester before the book is used. However, there is always the possibility of a new edition being published leaving your book with no value or the class using a different book next year anyway.

What can I do with my books that have no value?

Textbooks can be recycled in the bins throughout the Memorial Union Building or you can list your book on the Classifieds page of the Bookstore website.