Fair Prices for Buyback and Textbook Purchases

We the students of Loyola Marymount University are appalled and disappointed at the Bookstore for overcharging textbooks and giving low prices for buyback during Finals Week. With this outrage, we believe that we have been exploited and taken advantage of because textbooks are important to finish our education. Therefore, we believe that the bookstore capitalizes on our need and proceeds to overprice the textbooks. This puts many students at a disadvantage because not everyone is able to pay anywhere from $400 to $500 for textbooks. For many students, coming up with $400-$500 can be difficult. Many students have to resort to checking out books from the library or share with other students that were able to afford the book. Students should never have to worry about if they cannot afford books and resort to alternatives that can hinder their education experience.
With buyback, we believe that process is also exploited. When a student pays over $300 for books, they should expect to have at least 30\% of the cost from buyback. A student recently turned used buyback for a book that cost $58 used and after buyback only received $19. The book was in very good condition but the buyback price does not reflect its condition. This leads to another point where the condition of the book is not taken into account. On the Bookstores Website, it states that price is based on the condition of the book; if the book is bad condition then the price is lowered. No one in the bookstore staff has enforced and rather there is already set price in the computer database. That is false advertising and the students are deceived. We understand that Follett Bookstore is a monopoly in Loyola Marymount University but that does not merit an excuse to take advantage of its students and customers. The actions of the bookstore do not display economic justice on which this university teaches to its students. With that, this is very shameful on the universitys accord.
We write this petition to bring these actions to your attention. This has to stop and the proper people are reprimanded. In addition, we, the students want to be treated fairly by not being exploited. Finally, we want to the book store to charge fair prices for both buyback and purchasing textbooks.

Thank you for considering this matter.