Buying new textbooks won't bring down prices

Editor,

It has long been debated that textbook prices are too high. I believe they are overpriced, but to say that not buying used textbooks will help bring the overall price of new textbooks down is ludicrous.

In a country of big businesses, hasn't anyone noticed that the price of a product does not go down even when the cost of producing a product goes down? Does anyone wonder where that money goes? The money goes to the big businesses that make the product, obviously. The publishers of textbooks are obviously out to make a profit, and buying new textbooks will not lower prices - it will simply give more money to the publishers. To say that buying new textbooks will lower the overall prices is simply incorrect. Buying new books will only give the publishers more money.

In addition to giving more money to the publishers for overpriced textbooks, buying new books does not save trees by recycling, save gas used in transporting those books or save money on a college student's already stretched budget. Buying used books is much more environmentally friendly than buying new - so when possible, it is better. Buying used books saves trees that would be used to make new books, not to mention that buying used quite often means that some money is saved for other things, like, you know, eating.

I don't know about anyone else, but paying half the price for a $200 book simply because it is used makes a big difference in my budget. And I like trees. I'll continue to buy used books as often as possible. It is simply better.

Aubrey Blair-Pattison

UNM student