Course Materials Guide

The Mizzou Store orders the textbooks requested by your instructors. Our promise to you is that we will have the right books for your classes with as many purchase options as possible. Course materials are expensive… we know. That’s why we are committed to finding lower cost alternatives for you. We offer more used textbooks than almost any other college store in the nation. We also offer digital books and rental options when available.

Lesson 1: U Choose

Lesson 2: Early Bird

Lesson 3: Stay Informed

Lesson 4: Sell Back

Lesson 5: FAQ

Dates to Remember

MAY-JUNE

• Sign up for Early Bird

AUGUST

• Pick up Earlybird Reservations
• Sign up for Sell Back alerts

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER

• Sign up for Earlybird Reservations

DECEMBER

• Sell your books back to University Bookstore

JANUARY

• Pick up Earlybird Reservations

FEBRUARY

• Sign up for Sell Back alerts

APRIL-MAY

• Sell your books back to University Bookstore

Lesson 1: U Choose

Saving money on course materials starts when U Choose to be aware of your options.

USED TEXTBOOKS

You’ll save 25% off new price by choosing USED. A Freshman taking an average 12 hour schedule in Arts & Science can expect to save approximately $125!

DIGITAL BOOKS

For some students choosing DIGITAL is a great alternative to a traditional hard back textbook. Publishers offer them for about 30% less than new price. Not every textbook has a digital option but the number of titles is growing each year.

RENTAL

Often the lowest-cost option, students can choose RENTAL books for an average of 54% less than the new textbook price. More titles are available to rent every semester, so look for the pink stickers on books that have a rental option.

Lesson 2: Early Bird

TEXTBOOK RESERVATION PROGRAM

Early Bird textbook reservations are available every semester both in the store and online! Reservations are filled in the order they’re received, so signing up early gives students the best chance at used and rental textbooks. Sign up before you leave campus, and we’ll pull your books and have them waiting for you when you come back!

The Mizzou Store will be crowded with excited students the closer we get to the first day of class. The best times to pick up during each day is early morning and late evening.

Lesson 3: Stay Informed

Lesson 4: Sell Back

THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT Sell Back

Why sell my books back to the Mizzou Store?

Because we are in the business of providing students the most affordable course materials possible – and the more books you sell us at Sell Back, the more used and rental titles we can offer the following semester. It’s like the circle of life, but with textbooks!

How much do I get?

Every book is different, but we want to pay you as much as possible. When a book is being required again for a class the following semester, and we need copies for our stock, we will pay up to half of the new price of the book to you in cash. Remember that $100 new book that you bought used for $75? If your book is on our list, you’ll get up to $50 back! It’s nice to think that your $100 book ended up costing you just $25.

If the book isn’t being used again at Mizzou, we may still be able to buy it from you. If books are being used on another campus in the US – a wholesaler may still buy it – at around 35% of the new price.

Can I find out how much cash I’ll before I take all my books to the Mizzou Store?

But of course! Visit www.themizzoustore.com, click on “Sell-A-Book,” and check Sell Back prices online. All you need is the book’s ISBN number. You can also sign up for Sell Back Alerts, which will send you e-mail notifications of your books’ values! And we just launched smartphone apps for both Android and iPhone that let you scan your books’ barcodes and then tells you the price in seconds!

Lesson 5: FAQ

Q: How can I save money on textbooks?

A: Sign up for EarlyBird to get first chance at used and rental books. Then shop around! You can compare the prices of your course materials right on our website – we’ll show you our price and the prices of our online competitors.

Another tip is to wait to purchase recommended texts until after you’ve been to class. That way you can check the syllabus and determine then if you want to purchase recommended texts.

Last but not least, before you sell your books back, make sure you won’t need them again for another semester. Some foreign language and science courses use the same book for sequential classes.

Q: What Payment Options Do I Have?

A:The Mizzou Store accepts cash, personal check, student charge, credit card (MC, Visa, Discover, American Express) and Bookstore Gift Cards. A valid photo ID is required for check transactions and a valid Mizzou ID is required for Student Charge.

Student Charge is a privilege that allows students to purchase bookstore items with their Mizzou ID and charge it to their University account. A student may not Student Charge if they are not enrolled for the current semester (if you’re not taking classes during the summer, you can’t Student Charge during the summer semester). A student may charge up to a maximum of $1,000 per semester. Once the limit is reached, another form of payment is needed. Making a payment to your Mizzou bill will not adjust the balance back to $1,000. Students and authorized viewers can see Bookstore charges online in MyZou.

PARENTS, STUDENTS AND FERPA:

Passed by Congress in 1974, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), sometimes called the Buckley Amendment, protects the confidentiality of a student’s educational records. What a student purchases in the Mizzou Store is protected by FERPA. Therefore, a student’s consent is needed in order for our staff to discuss bookstore purchases with a parent or legal guardian. For more information about FERPA release forms, contact the Office of the University Registrar at 573-882-7881 or email: [email protected].

Q:What is Mizzou Media and why do I have a customer course packet?

A: The Mizzou Store’s “Mizzou Media” division works with faculty to produce in-house custom course packets, which are sold along with textbooks. A packet can be less expensive because it reduces the need for multiple required books by incorporating multiple materials in one packet. Sometimes the material in a packet is also part of the MU Library’s online reserves. By working with the library, we have reduced the cost of some packet royalties for materials that are in electronic journal subscriptions.

Q: What are Digital Books?

A: Digital books are the electronic equivalent of a conventional printed book and offer the benefit of portability. Many publishers are beginning to offer digital versions and they can cost up to 30% less than a new textbook. Digital books usually involve purchasing an access code that connects you with a textbook that can be downloaded to a personal computer or can be accessed from the publisher’s website. Most digital books have special features allowing highlighting, notes, and more.

Q: How can I rent textbooks?

A: Some textbooks can be rented instead of purchased. Students typically save 54% off of the new book retail price by renting. Rental titles are marked with a special sticker. Rental is a great option, especially when you are taking General Education courses. When renting a textbook it’s important to remember that you are responsible for returning the book by the due date – usually the last day of the semester – and keeping it in reusable condition. If you don’t return the rental book to the bookstore, you will be charged the full retail cost of the book, so don’t forget!

Q: What is a course bundle?

A: Bundles are packages that contain a textbook along with other course materials that may assist a studentin their studies. These additional course materials may include such items as study guides, CD-ROMs, and pass codes to textbook-companion web sites. Bundles are typically packaged and sold as a single unit and are usually more expensive than a traditional textbook. When all the components in a bundle are used in class bundles can be very useful.

Q: Why are some of my books out of stock?

A: Your instructor may not have submitted a textbook order in time to have the books here for the first day of class. We have ordered them but they aren’t here yet. It’s also possible that the publisher we’ve ordered textbooks from is out of stock and we must wait until they can get more. If we are several weeks into the semester and the shelves are empty, it’s possible that we’ve sold out of the book. Please come to the Textbook Information desk and we can tell you why the book is not on the shelf and if you need to place a special order.

Q: Can I highlight or make notes in my rental books?

A: Much like a used book, you may make notes and highlights in your rental book. But do please remember to keep your books in good condition during the semester. If the cover is ripped or missing, if pages are falling out, if it has become wet, or if your dog used it for a chew toy, chances are you will get to add the book to your personal library.