Comments on: More about the high cost of textbooks http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/ Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:44:28 +0000 http://www.today.com/version-2.3.1 By: stephanieebarr http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-371 stephanieebarr Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:31:06 +0000 http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-371 I still own some of my textbooks. And use 'em. I still own some of my textbooks. And use ‘em.

]]> By: *lynne* http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-370 *lynne* Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:17:31 +0000 http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-370 flit, you said apparently Canada is second to China on piracy? I thought Malaysia was #2! The government supposedly cracked down on the industry, but it's still going strong, it just went more underground is all...! to your question about the overpriced books: it's illegal and a violation of copyright to photocopy a book *and* sell it. I wouldn't be a party to that. Thankfully back when I was a student, I was also on a scholarship and had a book allowance, so buying the textbooks wasn't too big an issue. The real issue was my not selling them back at the end of the semester. I was, and still am, a book lover to the extreme - it's only 2 years ago that I finally got rid of most of these university text books (i graduated almost 14 years ago!) . They had been bought in Illinois, sent to Malaysia's east coast, traveled back with me to Kuala Lumpur, stored in the apartment "attic" for years, then moved to the house I never moved into myself, then finally stored in my parents' "beach house" for a short while before i finally went through all the boxes, hardened my heart, and got rid of all except those with extreme sentimental value :p flit, you said apparently Canada is second to China on piracy? I thought Malaysia was #2! The government supposedly cracked down on the industry, but it’s still going strong, it just went more underground is all…!

to your question about the overpriced books: it’s illegal and a violation of copyright to photocopy a book *and* sell it. I wouldn’t be a party to that. Thankfully back when I was a student, I was also on a scholarship and had a book allowance, so buying the textbooks wasn’t too big an issue.

The real issue was my not selling them back at the end of the semester. I was, and still am, a book lover to the extreme - it’s only 2 years ago that I finally got rid of most of these university text books (i graduated almost 14 years ago!) . They had been bought in Illinois, sent to Malaysia’s east coast, traveled back with me to Kuala Lumpur, stored in the apartment “attic” for years, then moved to the house I never moved into myself, then finally stored in my parents’ “beach house” for a short while before i finally went through all the boxes, hardened my heart, and got rid of all except those with extreme sentimental value :p

]]> By: stephanieebarr http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-369 stephanieebarr Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:44:37 +0000 http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-369 Wow. Unbelievable. I'm sure there's piracy here, too, but you hardly see it (or at least, I hardly see it) except with some stuff of Disney's that's no longer available. And I only knew it was pirated (didn't know it when I bought it) because of the Kanji menu. I didn't mean to get it pirated and, fortunately, Disney put it back out shortly thereafter so I'm all legal now. Anything else I've bought, man, it has the studio's stickers all over it. Wow. Unbelievable. I’m sure there’s piracy here, too, but you hardly see it (or at least, I hardly see it) except with some stuff of Disney’s that’s no longer available. And I only knew it was pirated (didn’t know it when I bought it) because of the Kanji menu. I didn’t mean to get it pirated and, fortunately, Disney put it back out shortly thereafter so I’m all legal now.

Anything else I’ve bought, man, it has the studio’s stickers all over it.

]]> By: flit http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-368 flit Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:04:41 +0000 http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-368 dvds here are most often bought illegally from black market kiosks - 5 or more for $20. so a whole lot of money ain't going towards the movie industry at all any more Canada is, apparently, second only to China for movie piracy dvds here are most often bought illegally from black market kiosks - 5 or more for $20.

so a whole lot of money ain’t going towards the movie industry at all any more

Canada is, apparently, second only to China for movie piracy

]]> By: stephanieebarr http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-367 stephanieebarr Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:19:57 +0000 http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-367 I personally think what greatly reduced the video piracy (at least in the US) is the same thing that killed video rental. Why pay $3 for a rental when I can buy it for $8-$10? I forget to bring it back in time, the fees can add up to more than the movie.When movies cost $100 a pop, a rental store made a lot of sense. Now, with movies at $5-10 apiece and such conveniences as Netflix and streaming downloadables on-line (not to mention the wealth of movies readily available on cable), the incentive to brave the elements for the privlege of renting a movie are hard to justify. Textbooks are different in that the use of them is not discretionary. Students are at the mercy of teachers, institutions and textbook publishers. My point was just that, with media options as varied and serve-yourself as they are today, continually taking advantage of students is bound to backfire as it once did for the movie industry. I personally think what greatly reduced the video piracy (at least in the US) is the same thing that killed video rental. Why pay $3 for a rental when I can buy it for $8-$10? I forget to bring it back in time, the fees can add up to more than the movie.When movies cost $100 a pop, a rental store made a lot of sense. Now, with movies at $5-10 apiece and such conveniences as Netflix and streaming downloadables on-line (not to mention the wealth of movies readily available on cable), the incentive to brave the elements for the privlege of renting a movie are hard to justify.

Textbooks are different in that the use of them is not discretionary. Students are at the mercy of teachers, institutions and textbook publishers. My point was just that, with media options as varied and serve-yourself as they are today, continually taking advantage of students is bound to backfire as it once did for the movie industry.

]]> By: flit http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-363 flit Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:01:02 +0000 http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-363 piracy of movies is anything but a non-issue here... it's HUGE... and it put all of the wee video stores like us out of business ... and a lot of the bigger chains are only still in because they are carrying phones, etc piracy of movies is anything but a non-issue here… it’s HUGE…

and it put all of the wee video stores like us out of business … and a lot of the bigger chains are only still in because they are carrying phones, etc

]]> By: stephanieebarr http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-362 stephanieebarr Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:36:47 +0000 http://maturestudents.today.com/2009/01/10/more-about-the-high-cost-of-textbooks/#comment-362 I think the days where the textbook companies had the scholastic world at their mercy are long gone. I said the same thing about videos when movie companies were bomoaning the high cost of piracy. They dropped their prices (drastically!), and still made a huge profit and piracy became almost a nonissue as a result. In this electronic world, the publishers are going to have to get with the times and offer something of value at a reasonable price or pay the consequences. Not that I condone illegal activities, just acknowledge reality. I think the days where the textbook companies had the scholastic world at their mercy are long gone. I said the same thing about videos when movie companies were bomoaning the high cost of piracy. They dropped their prices (drastically!), and still made a huge profit and piracy became almost a nonissue as a result.

In this electronic world, the publishers are going to have to get with the times and offer something of value at a reasonable price or pay the consequences. Not that I condone illegal activities, just acknowledge reality.

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