Campus Bookstores

This is something that has always made me mad with college, the fact that you have to pay an arm and a leg for a book that if you don't get, you would fail the course. Walking around campus you can't help but notice the tag lines in many windows guaranteeing the "Lowest Text Book Prices." This is such a false statement on so many different levels. The fact that they are false advertising, makes me mad, but the fact that every book store has that same slogan posted tells me that not all of them can be true. I know that the text book industry on a college campus is highly competitive so the need for advertisement is key, but is it truly that competitive. I would say that the competition between the stores themselves is huge, but aren't they all making a profit? They all over price the books, because when you try and sell a $100 book back, you get maybe $1o, if you haven't marked in it at all. And don't even try to return a book, if you don't have a receipt or the week leeway time you have is up, sorry, but you are out of luck. The bookstores are a necessity, yes, but why do they feel the need to rip broke college students off?
I have found that internet book sites are a great help in decreasing the price. They usually have a much better price to offer and different levels: like if you wanted a crappier book with the binding falling apart, they have that to offer for a much lower price than one marked just like new. Sometimes i am so pleased with using the internet, but what about all these shipping prices and if you need a book for the next class, is it really even an advantage to use the internet? All of these things i ask myself when trying to find the "best deal" for a book that is required, but half the time the teacher never uses it. These campus bookstores all individually act as a monopoly because they know that the consumer, us college students, have to buy the books and there is really no way of getting around it. Together, they aren't a monopoly, but its safe to say that they are in a collusion together to try and screw us. I know price fixing is definitely illegal, but how can we not think that when they all, within a $10 give or take, charge the same price. The profit that these stores make is honestly unbelievable. They have a huge margin of profit, because it costs them nothing to purchase and buyback the books. I guess, i can suck it up and deal with the prices but i will always get mad when its time to buy.