tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post4275637328418413040..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: Creepy Book Buyer GuyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-26566811229014616332013-03-26T09:12:10.324-04:002013-03-26T09:12:10.324-04:00What's more annoying is that I still am gettin...What's more annoying is that I still am getting new editions of a textbook we no longer use, for a course I haven't taught in years.<br /><br />What such a book represents, to me, is the possibility of dinner out with my S.O.introvert.profhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09042783611716432247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-18556568617395469452013-03-25T22:23:12.872-04:002013-03-25T22:23:12.872-04:00Glad to know this prompted you to actively partici...Glad to know this prompted you to actively participate. :)The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-64568128190697106232013-03-25T22:20:49.391-04:002013-03-25T22:20:49.391-04:00I wonder if I'd feel less guilty if I got more...I wonder if I'd feel less guilty if I got more money... :)The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-38913797712107600652013-03-25T18:28:49.199-04:002013-03-25T18:28:49.199-04:00really? I didn't know that. thanks...really? I didn't know that. thanks...Middle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046076243513948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-43614273688359221142013-03-25T17:54:01.966-04:002013-03-25T17:54:01.966-04:00Most introductory textbooks are interchangeable wi...Most introductory textbooks are interchangeable with regard to the basic concepts, so they can be helpful to students even if you don't adopt them. Please consider donating them to your campus or local military veterans' center because the G.I. Bill doesn't cover textbooks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02906546940408742913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-53100536690970492742013-03-25T16:36:37.146-04:002013-03-25T16:36:37.146-04:00I kind of feel sorry for the office door-to-door b...I kind of feel sorry for the office door-to-door book buyers. They are doing what they can in a market that Amazon and other online sites are taking over. OTOH, if you especially don't like them, you could call campus security since the buyers are trespassing. They won't get arrested, just hassled, and I doubt they would bother you again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-37071847542381277752013-03-25T16:08:51.651-04:002013-03-25T16:08:51.651-04:00That was supposed to appear in response to Defunct...That was supposed to appear in response to Defunct Adjunct below, who mentioned that publisher by name. Stupid blogger/ google chrome.<br /><br />I am interested in the alternative options, too. Many books are not accepted by recycling centers because of the glue, so I'm looking into donating some old ones to art collectives who work with found objects.Ana Thyrosishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381573932405845715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-19379463872875567842013-03-25T16:03:25.983-04:002013-03-25T16:03:25.983-04:00With very rare exceptions, I don't use textboo...With very rare exceptions, I don't use textbooks (I'm in a field that allows for this; mostly we read articles from the library databases, which the students retrieve themselves, and I write handouts and create assignments that make them figure out various things about how writing in their disciplines works for themselves. Some of them really hate the latter part). This cuts down Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-78619337159683246132013-03-25T16:00:15.856-04:002013-03-25T16:00:15.856-04:00I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one both...I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one bothered by these guys (and I do mean guys in the plural--we've got at least 5 book buyers who pop up at least once a month). I wonder why they are not beholden to university trespassing regulations. Why are they allowed to solicit for their private businesses on university property?<br /><br />It's sort of amusing that THIS topic is what Ana Thyrosishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381573932405845715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-69093362590009355412013-03-25T15:55:30.662-04:002013-03-25T15:55:30.662-04:00We've had problems with thefts of examination ...We've had problems with thefts of examination copies from the faculty mailboxes, but I don't think we ever identified the culprit. The office staff keep those packages locked up until called for these days. Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-49620477239922469052013-03-25T15:51:19.851-04:002013-03-25T15:51:19.851-04:00Cengage in particular can tea-party off. They send...Cengage in particular can tea-party off. They send unsolicited copies of a particular textbook to my colleagues, but when *I* -- the only one who teaches the course which uses said textbook -- need it for a real, live class, I have to jump through the hoops on their website to beg for a copy.Ana Thyrosishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381573932405845715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-18733976751821821222013-03-25T15:33:16.681-04:002013-03-25T15:33:16.681-04:00My Creepy Book Buyer Guy has come by my office man...My Creepy Book Buyer Guy has come by my office many times over the years despite the fact that I always say "No." Recently he had the nerve to ask me, "Why don't you want to sell your books?" to which I responded, "Why don't you get a real job? You know, one that doesn't involve lurking in hallways and salivating?" I know, that was rude of me, and The Naughty Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234624349205271144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-65610645095924944872013-03-25T14:50:31.355-04:002013-03-25T14:50:31.355-04:00I use extra textbooks to put on reserve at the lib...I use extra textbooks to put on reserve at the library so the students can't use the excuse that they don't have a textbook...but as for stuff I'm sent but don't need...<br /><br /><i>ATTENTION EVERYONE: TRADE YOUR UNWANTED TEXTS TO AMAZON FOR GIFT CARDS.</i> <br /><br />You'll get far more for each book than any bookbuyer is willing to give you. If you they think they can StellafromSparksburghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17584701718285662953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-82606227526505752332013-03-25T14:32:28.711-04:002013-03-25T14:32:28.711-04:00Yes! Thanks to the mods for this great graphic!Yes! Thanks to the mods for this great graphic!The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-26588459994991421262013-03-25T14:30:52.048-04:002013-03-25T14:30:52.048-04:00"It is worth noting, too, that in the United ..."It is worth noting, too, that in the United States anything that is sent to you unsolicited is yours to keep..." I didn't know that. All of their notes and bright stickers on the books IMPLY that it's illegal to sell them. That, combined with Creepy Book Buyer Guy's demeanor, led me to believe I would be hounded by the Feds for doing so.The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-4473897174433098812013-03-25T14:28:49.104-04:002013-03-25T14:28:49.104-04:00Our school library doesn't want our old books;...Our school library doesn't want our old books; we've asked. The county library doesn't want them, either because they're not books that move on the shelves much. But yours might be different. I did have some luck in driving several boxes of readers to a high school in an underprivileged area to a colleague who contacted me asking for extra copies, but I already had that connectionThe Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-83728459944023488982013-03-25T14:25:49.012-04:002013-03-25T14:25:49.012-04:00We, too, have free book areas that students raid a...We, too, have free book areas that students raid at the beginning of the year, and then ignore. And, like you, we've made trips to the recycling center on campus. There are only SO MANY old textbooks one can hold in one department. Only ONE hoarder complained and wept when we carted off multiple moldy anthologies from 1968-1980. The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-68268141469001967362013-03-25T14:23:47.574-04:002013-03-25T14:23:47.574-04:00Oh, I haven't had that happen yet, as far as I...Oh, I haven't had that happen yet, as far as I know. That's just smarmy (such pimps!).The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-41958226169115188132013-03-25T12:33:53.902-04:002013-03-25T12:33:53.902-04:00My policy on this is basically identical to Beaker...My policy on this is basically identical to Beaker Ben's. I will never sell a book that I have specifically requested from a publisher, but I feel no compunction whatsoever about selling one that has been sent to me unsolicited.<br /><br />I teach a freshman survey course for which multiple publishers produce a large variety of different textbooks. This semester alone, I received five Defunct Adjuncthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12954331373226016090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-41735885449806626092013-03-25T12:13:24.613-04:002013-03-25T12:13:24.613-04:00This is actually an incredibly useful post for me ...This is actually an incredibly useful post for me - as soon as we let the word out that we're changing the textbook to a 2000+ 1st year course (that's $200K in sales right there) we were inundated with evaluation copies of textbooks, some from publishers and textbooks we'd never heard of, and some from publishers who already sent us evaluation copies last year, and the year before Prof Poopieheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00997969128824319914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-27528652533527883232013-03-25T11:23:36.195-04:002013-03-25T11:23:36.195-04:00We are lucky enough to have a dedicated student lo...We are lucky enough to have a dedicated student lounge/work area. Those of us who have extra, or older editions, usually donate them to the students by depositing them in that area. (Yes, I know, students are then able to haul them off THEMSELVES and sell them, but it is rather touching to see how rarely that actually happens.)<br /><br />We also have donated money received to scholarship fundsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-61894786521875272802013-03-25T10:45:32.094-04:002013-03-25T10:45:32.094-04:00At our college, we've had rumors that Creepy B...At our college, we've had rumors that Creepy Book Buyer Gal has actually been sneaking into unlocked offices and helping herself. How's that for making you feel grubby?Three Sigmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10822893039310439770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-88263851956093796132013-03-25T09:11:34.358-04:002013-03-25T09:11:34.358-04:00The image for this post made even an emotionless r...The image for this post made even an emotionless robot like myself smile.Profbot 5000https://www.blogger.com/profile/09327810074678735042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-65647756742125973362013-03-25T09:04:47.455-04:002013-03-25T09:04:47.455-04:00If it's a book I did not request and can't...If it's a book I did not request and can't use then I'll sell it. Otherwise I keep it or try to find someone who wants it. Middle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046076243513948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-31711338766447357852013-03-25T08:59:23.550-04:002013-03-25T08:59:23.550-04:00I can't get worked up over the selling of book...I can't get worked up over the selling of books. My office is overflowing with books. My colleagues' offices are stuffed with books. And in the mailroom every few weeks the boxes of unrequested examination copies get piled up for distribution. We have a "take one!" shelf in the department office on which the unwanted cast-offs are piled, higher and higher with each passing monthMGouldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06622881128973328194noreply@blogger.com