Hence the price to "rent" a book for a semester is about $50 for a $100 book." (Varian, 2005) This means that some author's books, if there is a sure demand for them on the resale market, can benefit from a more accessible second hand book market, where before students would simply share books with one another, or photocopy the necessary pages, despite the inconvenience, because of the textbook's great expense.
Thus, there are a number of critical factors that come into play when evaluating the impact of second-hand shopping upon an industry, in this case the book and publishing industry online as well as in the real or non-virtual world. First of all, what is the current state of the industry overall? Second of all, what is the perceived difference in the eye of the consumer between the value of the second hand and new materials? Thirdly, what is the resale value of the materials, and how might the existence of such an online forum actually contribute rather than deter sales?
Appendix Survey
Question
How frequently do you buy books online?
A very frequently 2 somewhat frequently 3 never/not at all
Question
How often, if you do buy books, do you buy used books online?
A very frequently 2 somewhat frequently 3 never/not at all
Question
How often, if you do buy books, do you buy new books online?
A very frequently 2 somewhat frequently 3 never/not at all
Question
Sometimes I was going to buy a new book, then found a used version online and bought it instead at a cheaper price.
A very frequently 2 somewhat frequently 3 never/not at all
Question 5 prefer new to used books.
A very frequently 2 somewhat frequently 3 never/not at all
Question 6 buy textbooks...
Smith & Rahul Telang. "Internet Exchanges for Used Books." Study by the Carnegie Mellon Institute. Retrieved 28 Jul 2005 at ssrn.com/abstract=584401.
Varian, Hal. (28 Jul 2005) "Reading Between the Lines of Used Book Sales." The New York Times. Retrieved 28 Jul 2005 at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/28/technology/28scene.html?pagewanted=print
