Buyback

    When is Book Buyback?

     The Cobber Bookstore offers three types of Book Buybacks.  The Semester 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. You may receive up to 50 percent of what was paid for the text.

       The Daily Buyback is offered most days the store is open.  You will receive cash for your books based on the National demand and want list price.

        The No Hassle Online Buyback is located on the SELL button of the Cobber Bookstore home page.  Follow the instruction, mail in your books and a check will be mailed to you from Nebraska Book Company.  The Cobber Bookstore is not responsible for transactions while using the No Hassle Online Buyback.

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 do not 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 our list 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 until we reach are demand for the upcoming semester. 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 ask 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 campus security and to the bookstore.