<p>Hello! Hello! Back by popular demand, it's me again.</p>
<p>I have some concerns regarding books. Now, we all know that the campus bookstore seeks to screw you over by charging you <em>way</em> too much for a book that you may not even need.</p>
<p>So my question to you all, as an incoming freshman, is "what's the correct way to handle this situation?" </p>
<p>Do I buy books online beforehand? If so, how do I know which books and where to find them? Do I wait until the first day of class to see if the prof actually requires them? If so, how can I work around buying them for oodles of cash from the bookstore?</p>
<p>Any sort of help you can offer me is appreciated. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>(PS: If you're in Madison now, tell whoever's mugging our running back to cut it out. Nobody wins with that sort of garbage going on.)</p>
<p>University Book Store (UBS) does not seek to ‘screw you over’. You have many options when purchasing textbooks.</p>
<p>UBS clearly lists which books the professor requires versus which books UBS merely recommends.</p>
<p>You can use the ‘compare’ function on the UBS website to look at price options among various book sellers including Amazon and Half Price Books to see if they are lower or higher than University Book Store.</p>
<p>[University</a> Book Store](<a href=“http://compare.uwbookstore.com/]University”>http://compare.uwbookstore.com/)</p>
<p>Yes you can send your money to some drop box in Seattle or support the store that has supported the UW and its students for generations.</p>
<p>lol barrons tuition is already expensive enough give me a break</p>
<p>UBS prices are actually in line with online bookstores. The compare function on the UBS website is helpful. In checking my books for the fall semester UBS was least expensive in all but one class, and they were $4 more…so not worth using a mail order place. Keep in mind, if you do use the traditional online guys, their return policy is not nearly as “forgiving” as UBS. Also, because UW-Madison starts after Labor Day, most of the rentals and good condition used books are gone by the time you’ll want to order from the online guys.</p>
<p>@mike1213 Sounds like UW-Eau Claire is the place for you. Books are included in tuition fees!</p>
<p>Well Mike, don’t cry when there are no more local shops and jobs when you just need something. Be glad you saved a few bucks.</p>
<p>Ignore barrons on this issue. University bookstore is a business like any other, just because it has “University” in its name does not mean it is sacred or a better choice than other options. If it fails there would be another option. Browns was its nearby competitor in my day and there are other local stores with some items currently. Buy where you get what you need, when you need it and at the best price.</p>
<p>Consider availability of the proper edition of materials needed, ability to return them and other factors. As with everything else, by second semester you will know a lot more about buying textbooks et al.</p>