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Textbook Trader

Western Associated Students Bookstore
501 High Street
Bellingham, WA
98225
Phone: 360-650-3655
Fax: 360-650-2888
Contact Us

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Faculty Info

 TEXTBOOK REQUISITION DUE DATES:

 Textbook Requisitions may be submitted via web form, campus mail, email, fax or by phone:
  • Textbook Requisitions Web Form: Textbook Requisition Web Form
      *NOTE: Correct default email address appears on the form. Use "tab" key to move through fields.

  • Campus Mail: AS Bookstore, MS-9104
  • Textbook Department email: Textdept@wwu.edu
  • Textbook Department fax: 650-2888
  • Textbook Department customer service phone number: 650-3970

 Please submit Textbook Requisitions as soon as possible
    Timely submissions results in:
  • Lower prices for students.
  • Timely notification of fulfillment issues.
  • Better service.
  • Student & faculty satisfaction.

 FACULTY CENTER NETWORK
  • Providing textbooks research tools & support
  • This site provides book information, links to publisher websites, lists of institutions using titles and more.
  • Click the link below, register, and these resources are available to you whenever you need them.

Frequently Asked Questions
[−] | [+]  
 1) When are requisitions due?
 
  • When are requisitions due?
    • Due four times per year although we will accept an order for a future term or the full school year. May 15 - FALL, Oct. 15 - WINTER, Jan. 15 - SPRING, and Apr. 15 - SUMMER.
 2) Why are requisitions due so early?
 
  • Why are requisitions due so early?
    • Our requisition due dates are in line with other universities on the quarter system primarily to ensure adequate delivery, printing, and recovery times as well as the ability to offer students the best possible price for their books during Buy Back.
 3) Tell me more about Student Buy Back.
 
  • Tell me more about Student Buy Back.
    • We conduct Student Buy Back for a number of reasons. It enables us to purchase books that are readily available without freight costs, offer lower prices to students, build a stronger partnership with our student customers. We are also able to make the copies from buy back available sooner than many titles order through traditional channels.
 4) Why don't you order from Amazon and other popular web sites?
 
  • Why don't you order from Amazon and other popular web sites?
    • Purchases through Amazon and many other listing or auction sites do not guarantee delivery times, quantity, condition, retail pricing or returnability. These sites are actually brokering purchases from other retail outlets or individual sellers. The listing of a given title on the web does not necessarily guarantee availability or that the particular title is "in print".
 5) How do you decide how many copies to order?
 
  • How do you decide how many copies to order?
    • Several factors affect ordering, but the primary considerations are: sales history, availability and delivery (is text readily available and in print, has text been used in multiple terms on campus, will text be ordered from vendor outside the U.S., etc.), and print status (is text a print on demand, custom title, nearing release of new edition), and price.
 6) How many books do you sell?
 
  • How many books do you sell?
    • Approximately, 2,800 titles are available each term. "Sell-Through" is different for each course and is easily affected by price, used book availability, and whether a given title is required, optional, or bundled with additional items. the National Association of College Stores surveys indicate that 68% of college students purchase some or all of their course materials, though we suspect purchase percentages are between 70-75% on average here at Western. Those sales come primarily through our store, but are increasingly going online and elsewhere. If you are interested in sales history for your course(s), please contact the Textbook Department. We will be happy to provide you with the information.
 7) What happens to books that do not sell?
 
  • What happens to books that do not sell?
    • In many cases we are able to return unsold copies to vendors. We are bound by the particular vendor's policies in terms of quantity available to return, restocking fees, and length of time allowable. A few examples: import titles or broken bundles are non-returnable, custom title returns are limited to 10% of the original purchase (10 out of 100 may be returned) in most cases, and publishers that apply restocking fees may charge $10 for a given text, but credit the bookstore only $8 when the title is returned.
 8) How do you price books?
 
  • How do you price books?
    • Part of our mission is to provide students with the best possible pricing. Textbooks are priced based on an agreement made many years ago with The Associated Students. We maintain a margin on new course materials that incorporates a 10% discount for students everyday. Used course materials are priced 25% below the “new” price. Students at Western enjoy some of the lowest prices in the country. NOTE: prices quoted by a publisher's rep should be verified. In many cases, the quoted price will likely be the price that the bookstore is charged rather than the retail price that students will be charged.
 9) What about bundles?
 
  • What about bundles?
    • Publishers are more frequently offering several items bundled together in order to provide materials specifically requested by faculty, sell more copies by reducing competition from other publishers and used book availability, promote advances in technology that may aid in study habits and learning, or to reduce their own inventory. These bundles may be very useful in some cases and a real value to students. We are frequently told by students that many additional texts, CD's, Web Access Codes/Cards, Study Guides, and etc. are not necessary for the successful completion of a given class. If you are planning to require a bundle for your course, please indicate which materials are required or optional for the course. If all materials are not required, we may be able to provide the individual pieces at a lower price to the students. Recently, Washington State passed legislation requiring that efforts be made to reduce textbook pricing for students and breaking bundles may be a very successful method. We are currently reviewing the legislation and will provide more details as they become available.
10) How does Buy Back work?
 
  • How does Buy Back work?
    • Buy back offered at the end of each term provides the best possible pricing for students. We offer the customer 50% of the "new" purchase price of a text whether their copy is new or used. Ex: A student selling Text A that sold for $100 as a new or $75 as a used copy in Fall will receive $50 if we have not filled our quota for that particular title. In the event that we have purchased as many copies as we expect to sell, the student will be offered the "wholesale" price as determined by vendors on the national market. Wholesale prices range from 5% to 30% of the publisher's list price and are based on supply and demand.
11) How do I contact a publisher's representative or order a desk copy?
 
  • How do I contact a publisher's representative or order a desk copy?
    • We send copies of Instructional Resources for Faculty (a directory of publishers compiled by the National Association of College Stores) to departments as they become available each year. Publishers do not permit bookstores to order desk copies, so this guide provides contact information for you to order. We also maintain a list of local/regional publisher representative's phone numbers and email addresses. We expect to make the list available through our website very soon. If you have need assistance in contacting a publisher or would like a copy of the resource guide for yourself, please contact the Textbook Department.
12) What is the Textbook Department's role in providing Student Manuals?
 
  • What is the Textbook Department's role in providing Student Manuals?
    • The Textbook Department provides shelf space for copyright protected and other copied materials assembled by the Copyright Services Office to be sold to students for their convenience. We have the available space and ability to collect payment for these items in a manner consistent with the needs of publishers, copyright law, and the Copyright Services Office. The Copyright Services Office is responsible for researching sources, requesting/obtaining permission, production, pricing, and communicating status with faculty and departments. The Bookstore's standard markup is applied only to the production cost of the manuals and typically represents approximately 3% of the total retail price to students.
13) Can I use an old edition in my course?
 
  • Can I use an old edition in my course?
    • Yes. If you would like to use an older edition of a text, please indicate this on your Textbook Requisition. We will happily attempt to locate copies for your course. While we are unable to guarantee the availability, we do find that in many cases, more than enough copies available.

 Please contact our staff if you need any assistance:

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