BMC Bookshop Blog
End of semester text notes
November 14, 2018As we hurtle towards the end of the semester, we want to remind you about some textbook policies and upcoming dates.
Many text vendors impose deadlines on book returns, which means we are starting to clear out Fall semester texts. If there's anything that you still need to buy for this semester, please get it soon. Most Fall books will need to be returned in the next two to three weeks, unless we already have a commitment from faculty to reuse the book in the Spring 2019 or Fall 2019 semesters. We hold books here as long as possible, but we are running out of time. You can check current inventory on our website at bookshop.brynmawr.edu/college. Listings on the site will be available through November 30 only.
Book buyback dates are December 17 through December 21. We will buy back MOST titles regardless of where you bought them from. But we guarantee buyback on ALL current semester books with receipt. There is a subset of titles for which we require receipt because there are quantity limitations at our buyback partners. Because there are limits, we reserve these opportunities for folks who purchased here. Also buyback is not limited to current semester books. We partner with MBS, a division of Barnes & Noble, and they're looking for books for all of the campuses that B&N serves, so the buy list is usually about 100,000 titles deep.
For more info on how buyback works -- including details on how we set buyback prices -- please refer to this earlier blog entry: bookshop.brynmawr.edu/guaranteedbuyback
Spring semester book requests are coming into the bookshop now. The list of confirmed book adoptions will be available on our website starting in mid-December.
Fall Break at your BMC Bookshop
October 12, 2018Feed your body and your soul during Fall Break at your BMC Bookshop! Save 20% off all trade (non-text) books and 20% off all non-refrigerated food (everything outside the Pepsi cooler). Savings are good all week, Monday through Saturday, October 15 through October 20. Discount does not combine with any other offer and is only good in-store, but is otherwise unliimited.
Your BMC Bookshop stocks a wide variety of books outside the curriculum, from classics like JANE EYRE to current bestsellers like CRAZY RICH ASIANS, basis for the hit film. We offer books in all categories, fiction and nonfiction, for readers of all ages. Looking for ideas? Check out the PBS Great American Read project at www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/books -- it's a nicely eclectic list.
We also stock plenty of food to help you get through the week.
Hours over break are:
Monday through Friday, October 15 through 19, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday, October 20: 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
The store will be closed on Saturday, October 13
Have a safe and happy break!
Follow Us on Instagram and save 20%!
September 21, 2018
Come into your BMC Bookshop between Monday, September 24, and Friday, September 28, show your phone or computer at the register, and save 20% on any one item when you follow @bmcbookshop on Instagram.
The discount does not apply to textbooks, postage stamps or gift cards, and is only valid in-store. (No web orders.) This discount cannot be combined with any other offer, and cannot be used on already discounted/clearance items.
Be sure to follow our Instagram @bmcbookshop to stay updated with discounts and new items. Watch for our special Instagram discount event coming in October!
Text return deadline is Friday, September 14
September 13, 2018The deadline to return texts for full credit this semester is Friday, September 14. If you’ve changed classes and no longer need a book, bring it back to the bookshop with receipt no later than 5:00 pm Friday for a full refund. No returns without receipt.
Starting Saturday, September 15, all text sales are final — no returns. Hold on to your books and receipts until buyback in December, Monday, 12/17, through Friday, 12/21. We guarantee buyback with receipt.
We keep returns open through the first two weeks of classes because we understand that schedules change. But after Friday, the hard return deadline and the final sale policy are tools that we use to help reduce prices. Returns are costly. If you’re paying by credit card, we’re paying fees not just on purchases, but also on returns. There are also costs in dealing with returned books; sometimes, those inventory management costs can be significant.
More importantly, because the supply of textbooks is not unlimited — less expensive used book inventory has been especially challenging to source this season — we are trying to see that books get into the hands of the students who need them most. If you are holding a book you no longer need, you are tying up a copy that a fellow student might need. Please get it back to the store, and we’ll make it available to others here.
Texts will continue to be available in the store well into the semester. We start hitting return deadlines with some of our suppliers in late October, but we’ll keep most titles here until Thanksgiving.
Tips for first-time text buyers
September 3, 20181) Relax! Your BMC Bookshop has what you need. Come in, grab your books off our shelves and you’re on your way in one fast and easy transaction.
2) We post full listings of required course materials online at bookshop.brynmawr.edu/info-students. From this page, click on the lookup links, and find your classes. You can order online, and we’ll gather your books and have them in a bag, ready for pickup.
3) If you see that a book is listed as “recommended” or “suggested” — such as the book for BIOL B110 or the study guide for CHEM B211 — it’s our recommendation that you go to class first before buying the book. Look at your syllabus and hear what your professor has to say before you buy.
4) For most everything, you’re fine buying either new or used. But if your class is using an access code – most intro languages use online materials for which you need to purchase an access code -- you have to buy new. Never buy a used bundle.
5) Buy your book here or buy your books elsewhere – it’s your choice. But please don’t do both. Supplies of used books are limited here and online too, which means that if you keep buying multiple copies hoping to trade down to a less expensive one, you are tying up copies that your fellow students might need. You’re also driving up the cost of books for everyone because stores (ours included) pay credit card fees on purchases and returns.
Other questions? We’re here to help. Stop in and see us or email us at bookshop@brynmawr.edu.
The page was updated on January 29, 2021.
Why we don't rent books here
August 31, 2018One of the choices that you face if you’re shopping elsewhere for your books is a decision about whether to rent or buy. Your BMC Bookshop does not offer a rental option. Here, you buy your books and then we guarantee buyback at the end of the semester.
We think our system makes sense for several reasons:
1) At the beginning of the semester, how will you know whether these are books you’ll want to keep? You should make the keep/discard decision after you’ve taken the course and after you've read a book, not before. We hope that during your time here at Bryn Mawr, you’ll encounter many books that you’ll cherish forever. (We still have books from our college days on our shelves!)
2) Many books used in classes here span multiple semesters. Most rental programs are structured for a single semester, which means that you might have to pay multiple times to rent the same book. The calculus book for MATH B101 is also used in B102 and B201, so if you’re continuing in calculus that’s a triple rental charge.
3) Rental program buyout charges vary considerably, but they can be steep. One vendor is asking three times the rental fee to allow you to keep you book, and their rental fees aren’t cheap in the first place. In our system, you’re not risking a bad surprise when you decide it’s a book you want.
4) We have to admit that we would have trouble running a strong rental program here. Bryn Mawr classes and books change frequently; we generally don’t re-use books here the way other schools do. A rental program depends on re-use: the more often a book is re-used, the faster a vendor can recover the cost of the book. For most adopted titles, we can be competitive on purchase price -- more competitive than most folk think -- but we don't have the same opportunities in setting rental prices. So, yes, there are a few cases where rental from other vendors is an attractive, inexpensive option.
Our buyback guarantee applies to all “regular” books purchased here. The guarantee does not apply to loose-leaf and bundled books (though we are sometimes able to buy back some of these titles). Also, we cannot buy back access codes, coursepacks/readers or workbooks. Books must come back in sellable condition with no water damage and no loose pages. Remember that the guarantee only applies in the semester that you purchased the book.
The final question that we’re always asked about guaranteed buyback is how much will I get if I sell back my book? For more on pricing, please visit this earlier blog entry: bookshop.brynmawr.edu/buyback-details
This page was updated on October 5, 2021.
Last Call for Spring Buyback
May 17, 2018The final day for book buyback for this season is Friday, May 18. The store will be open 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Please remember that we will buy back MOST titles regardless of where you bought them from, even if it's Amazon. But we guarantee buyback on ALL current semester books with receipt. There is a subset of titles for which we require receipt because there are quantity limitations at our buyback partners. Because there are limits, we reserve these opportunities for folks who purchased here. Also buyback is not limited to current semester books. We partner with MBS, a division of Barnes & Noble, and they're looking for books for all of the campuses that B&N serves. This semester's buy list is over 80,000 titles deep.
For more info on how buyback works -- including details on how we set buyback prices -- please refer to this earlier blog entry: bookshop.brynmawr.edu/guaranteedbuyback
Saturday Is Independent Bookstore Day!
April 26, 2018
Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day this Saturday, April 28, at your BMC Bookshop. We are proud to be a part of this one-day nationwide party that recognizes the resurgance of independent stores. We're very much a part of the movement, having shucked off chainstore management and returned to independence here just three years ago.
“Consumers control the marketplace by deciding where to spend their money. If what a bookstore offers matters to you, then shop at a bookstore. If you feel that the experience of reading a book is valuable, then read the book. This is how we change the world: we grab hold of it. We change ourselves.”
― Ann Patchett, bestselling author and co-owner of Parnassus Books
Your BMC Bookshop will be open 11:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, and we have some fun exclusive IBD merchandise, including:
- Flash fiction from great short story writers
- A book club journal including quirky recommended reading lists
- A Utility Pouch featuring a Colson Whitehead quote
- Signed copies of REDLANDS, Volume 1
We also have some great giveways:
Get your choice of one giveaway just for coming into the store on Saturday. Get one additional giveaway free with any book purchase -- buy one book, get one more giveaway, buy two books, get two more giveaways, buy three ... you get the idea. (Yes, that is a Harry Potter iron-on patch -- a cool IBD exclusive.)
Exclusive merchandise and giveaways are in limited quantities -- some very limited. Come in early on Saturday! Don't miss out!
Finally, come in, snap a pic and send a Seussagram!
See you on Saturday!
Last call for Spring texts!
April 18, 2018At this point in the semester, we have to send back much of what's left in our text department. We hold books as long as we can, but we have vendor deadlines and other processing issues that dictate the timeline. If there are Spring semester texts that you still need, please come get this as soon as possible.
There are still lots of books on our shelves! You can check stock at bookshop.brynmawr.edu/college. Spring semester listings will stay live until next Wednesday, April 25.
Book buyback dates are May 7 through May 18, weekdays only, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, in the Bookshop. Please check back for details, which will be posted here soon.
Please remember that we will buy back MOST titles regardless of where you bought them from, even if it's Amazon. But we guarantee buyback on ALL current semester books with receipt. There is a subset of titles for which we require receipt because there are quantity limitations at our buyback partners. Because there are limits, we reserve these opportunities for folks who purchased here. Also buyback is not limited to current semester books. We partner with MBS, a division of Barnes & Noble, and they're looking for books for all of the campuses that B&N serves, so the buy list is usually over 100,000 titles deep.
For more info on how buyback works -- including details on how we set buyback prices -- please refer to this earlier blog entry: bookshop.brynmawr.edu/guaranteedbuyback
Friday the 13th Savings!
April 12, 2018Save 13% off your BMC Bookshop purchase, Friday, April 13, all day.
In store only. Does not combine with any other discount. Excludes only food, health & beauty and textbooks -- all other departments are included in the sale.
Book Buyback begins on Monday...
December 14, 2017
... but we'll be doing early buyback on Friday, December 15, 9:00 am to noon ONLY and Saturday, December 16, 1:30 to 4:00 pm ONLY, to accomodate folks leaving early.
Book buyback officially opens on Monday morning, December 18, at 10:00 am.
Click here for an earlier blog entry on buyback pricing, and click here for more general end-of-semester textbook info.
Please remember that we can take most books regardless of where you bought them. There's a small group of 150 or so titles where your BMC Bookshop receipt is required, so bring those receipts along to be sure. But the full buy list is over 115,000 titles long. We partner with MBS, a division of Barnes & Noble, so in addition to what faculty have asked us to buy for future semesters here, we are also buying for every campus that MBS and B&N serve.
Happy Holidays!
End of semester textbook notes
November 21, 2017As we hurtle towards the end of the semester, we wanted to remind you about some textbook policies and upcoming dates.
Text vendors impose deadlines on book returns, which means we are starting to clear out Fall semester texts. If there's anything that you still need to buy for this semester, please get it soon. Most all Fall books will need to be returned no later than the first few days of December, unless we already have a commitment from faculty to reuse the book in the Spring 2018 or Fall 2018 semesters. We hold books here as long as possible, but we're running out of rope here. You can check current inventory on our website at bookshop.brynmawr.edu/college. Listings on the site will be available through November 30 only.
Book buyback dates are December 18 through December 22, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, in the Bookshop. We are setting up dates for buyback at GSSWSR, and we are also looking at the possibility of an early buyback session for folks leaving before finals week. Please check back for details, which will be posted here soon.
Please remember that we will buy back MOST titles regardless of where you bought them from, even if it's Amazon. But we guarantee buyback on ALL current semester books with receipt. There is a subset of titles for which we require receipt because there are quantity limitations at our buyback partners. Because there are limits, we reserve these opportunities for folks who purchased here. Also buyback is not limited to current semester books. We partner with MBS, a division of Barnes & Noble, and they're looking for books for all of the campuses that B&N serves, so the buy list is usually over 100,000 titles deep.
For more info on how buyback works -- including details on how we set buyback prices -- please refer to this earlier blog entry: bookshop.brynmawr.edu/guaranteedbuyback
Spring semester book requests are coming into the bookshop now. Most books won't arrive here until the first few days of January, but the list of confirmed book adoptions (such as it is, at this early date) can be found at: bookshop.brynmawr.edu/college
November 17 is Black Friday at your BMC Bookshop
November 15, 2017
Your BMC Bookshop celebrates Black Friday with savings throughout the store on Friday, November 17, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
You know us as the go-to place for BMC imprinted gifts and clothing, along with all the textbooks you need for your classes. But we also offer lots of great gifts and books beyond the curriculum, something for everyone on your list -- and for you too.
During our big Black Friday sale, take 20% off over 400 non-imprinted gifts and all 1200 plus trade (non-text) titles in the store.
What's on sale? Well owls, of course:
And more owls:
These leather owls:
And these very cool Steampunk owls:
Even our very popular line of owl tapestry bags are on sale:
Take 20% off these elegant literary infinity scarves from Litographs:
And the rest of the great Litographs line, including these tattoos:
Take care of elbow grease and your cat for 20% less:
Enjoy some fun and games:
We've sold 60 Shakespeare buttons and 17 Austen buttons since October 25. Janeites, you can catch up tomorrow for 20% less:
And don't forget savings on over 1200 trade book titles beyond the curriculum:
Friday, November 17, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm -- in store only.
In addition to all these one day specials, we're also offering additional savings on clearance clothing, in store and online: 75% off existing clearance apparel (https://bookshop.brynmawr.edu/category/clearance-75) and a new group of clothing at 40% off (https://bookshop.brynmawr.edu/category/clearance-40).
What does "guaranteed buyback" mean?
September 1, 2017Your BMC Bookshop stocks and sells all books requested by faculty for all classes. If you decide at the end of the semester you don’t want to keep a current semester book, we will buy it back from you during finals week.
We guarantee buyback on all current semester "real" books that we sell -- any book sold individually under its own ISBN. The guarantee does not cover workbooks, bundles, access codes and loose-leaf course materials, though we do buy back some books that were included in bundles and the occasional loose-leaf title (depending on market conditions).
Buyback prices vary considerably. We do not use a fixed percentage of original retail prices. Each title is individually priced based on market value. We obtain bids from multiple vendors, and we offer the highest prices we can based on the bids that we receive. We also pay a premium for books that faculty commit to using again here at Bryn Mawr.
In practice, during the 2016 to 2017 academic year, the middle 50% of titles were priced between about 7% and 26% of the original new copy retail price. The lowest price was about 5%. The highest price was about 46%. What that means is that for a middle 50% title that originally sold for $20 new, we paid between $1.50 and $5.50. One thing to keep in mind is that the amount you get at buyback is the same whether you bought the book new or used. So for that book that cost $20 new, our used price might have been $14 — 70% of new is our default price for used (though there are a number of titles at less than 70%). If you paid $14 and you get back about $5, your percentage back is 35%, not 26%. (Prices have generally crept up since we first ran these calculations in 2016-2017.)
Books must come back in sellable condition: bindings intact and no water damage.
We understand that buyback prices are never as high as you’d like them to be. We get the disappointment. But we work hard to pay as much as we can given the constraints of the market, and we try to share price data with you as best we can.
(What really disappoints us is the idea that we’re allowing the market to set “values” for books — as if the Invisible Hand is more qualified than, say, philosophers are to price Plato. The market is amoral and knows nothing of intrinsic value. It knows only supply and demand. But the market is also where we all inevitably go to exchange money for things, so we are stuck with its rulings on price. When we say “value” throughout this post, what we are really talking about is price. And the quip about people who know the price of everything but the value of nothing runs through our heads every time we think about buyback. We aspire not to be that person, but here we are.)
Most importantly, we are confident that in virtually every case, we are offering as much or more than any other retailer will for your books. Usually, the only way to get more for your book is to sell it directly to another student online or here at Bryn Mawr; that can be effective, but it can also be a pain. Because no other single retailer will guarantee to buy ALL of the books used here at Bryn Mawr, there’s no easier way to get cash for your books than buyback at your BMC Bookshop. Just as we offer one-stop shopping at the beginning of the semester, we offer one-stop sellback at the end of the semester.
We will buy back books regardless of where you purchased them, so please bring in books that you bought online or from other students.
The guarantee only applies within the current semester — i.e. books you purchase here in August/September for Fall will definitely be bought back during finals week in December. Books purchased in January for Spring will definitely be bought back during finals in May. Your books might still have a value in subsequent semesters, so it’s always worthwhile checking with us even if you’re past the guarantee period. We are always happy to scan older books in our system to see if we're able to buy them.
This page was updated on May 10, 2023.