10 May, 2006
Cost of Casebooks in Law School
The cost of casebooks in law school is not insignificant. Depending on who is estimating, a person could spend from $300-$700 on new textbooks from the campus bookstore each semester for the first year of law school.
As an incoming student you should be aware of options that make it possible to reduce those costs.
My Experience
In my first year of law school I did what most first year students do to buy my casebooks. Read more below...
Before 1L, I went to the campus bookstore and buy an expensive new casebook or a slightly discounted used book.
At the end of the semester
I went back to the bookstore and sold the same books back to the
bookstore for either half of what the bookstore can sell the book for
if the books are going to be used next semeseter or for barely anything
if the books were not going to be used next semester at my school.
Advice
I learned this school year that buying a law school casebook from the
bookstore and/or buying a it new is absolutely unnecessary.
I have probably spent less than $100 in total this school year on casebooks by using this system:
- Buy the book used from an online source, preferably from another law student. I use Amazon Marketplace (find the book you want and follow the "used & new" link) or Half.com.
These are sites that allow sellers to set their own price on their used
merchandise. I usually have little trouble finding the books I need and
so far everyone I have bought from has been forthcoming with the
condition of the book and the shipping. For an example of how much you
can save look at Dukeminier's Property casebook on amazon..It can be bought new for $100. Now look at the used options for the same casebook on Amazon market place.
Here, I would find a book being sold by someone who has sold before
with a description that says the book is in decent shape and is the
current addition.
- After semester, sell that same book at at a similar price. The cliche "eliminate the middleman" is applicable here. There is no reason to sell books back to the bookstore at half the price at which the bookstore will sell the same book.Amazon marketplace and half.com let the seller decide the price with the knowledge of the price at which other people are selling identical books. Most of the time the market for a specific used book will not changed over the course of a semester so a seller can sell that book for the same or a little less as long as the book has not been the recipient of extreme wear and tear and as long as a new edition of the book has not been published.
This
system can take more time than simply buying and selling from the
campus bookstore. But to me it is worth it to save so much money as my
loans continue to climb.
Do not buy new and do not buy from your
bookstore if you want to save money. Find out what books will be used a
few weeks before the start of classes and buy them online directly from
another student.
Links
Article about textbooks
Updated: Futher discussion of casebooks on the Pre-Law Blog here.
Hi William,
I really appreciate the comments.
I understand that many law students believe a few bucks is insignificant when most already have an extreme amount of debt. However, it is because of this debt that I personally feel I must save a few bucks whenever I can.
Also, I have not found that Chicago-Kent's bookstore's used books are in any better shape, physically or in the amount of writing/underlining, than those which I purchase online. Like I said, most of the online descriptions I have found from users are accurate and reflect the price for which I buy it.
As far as this quote: "These books can be valuable to you throughout your life as a student and an attorney."
My question is how? A serious question as I am still in law school and I have yet to practice as an attorney. I'm not sure what value a casebook has in real life. I know I have never felt the need to go back to a casebook and look something up in a later class.
Students don't study for the bar with casebooks, do they? How often do lawyers use casebooks after law school? If the answers to those questions are no and not often/never then shouldn't a financially responsible student who has a large amount of debt sell the casebook while the casebook is still the current edition? That is unless the student is not worried about money and would like to decorate his/her office to prove he/she read all of these fancy books in law school.
Thanks again for the comments!
Posted by Austin 22 May 2006, 11:21I think you should add two things:
1) You may not want to sell back your case-books. These books can be valuable to you throughout your life as a student and an attorney. The cases in these books are fundamental, and can be quite informative. Do you really need those extra dollars when you've invested countless hours into studying your case-book?
2) Be careful about the used books you buy. I personally don't like books that are written in throughout, as I feel that they interfere with what I may wish to add as my own personal notes, and oft-times people get things wrong. Buying your books used on-line doesn't allow you to flip through the book, and look to see how marked up it is. I'd recommned buying used books from the bookstore if you don't like books that have notes written throughout. What is a few bucks really at this point?
Posted by William M. 16 May 2006, 18:43Hey, I agree with you about cutting out the middle man and I recently launched a site that attempts to promote awareness of alternative ways to sell and buy textbooks online. It especially promotes using text exchanges and cutting out the middle man, check it out at http://www.textbookpower.com and let me know what you think.
Posted by R. Kennedy 14 May 2006, 14:46