Faststart – Second Verse, Same as the First.

Listen very carefully..

Ok, apparently this is SUPER important information. I was not aware at just how in depth this ignorance ran but I have been proven wrong. Step out of the line-up at the Bookstore. Please! For the love of…!

Believe it or not folks but, well, the bookstore is not the only place to get textbooks. Heck, it’s one of the WORST places to get your textbooks (Sorry UBC – you try your best but you can’t be the best at EVERYTHING).

Reasons, and the list is long, why you “might” want to “consider” getting your books elsewhere.

1. The line-ups. If commerce students have taught us anything, it is that Time is Money!

2. The prices. Sooo, yeah. I don’t like to be belligerent, but when I see the price tags of my second year Psychology books, Its a good thing the closest longsword is in the AnSo building! Seriously!

Example A: You pay $160 for a textbook. 4 months later, you sell aforementioned textbook at the Bookstore for $80. They then sell it used for $130. It’s a painful truth, I know. Do you need a minute? *Pats you gingerly on the shoulder*.
Evidence B: $160 for a TEXTBOOK! Its paper people! I know, I know, super genius professors write them (Don’t even get me started on professors that constantly renew their textbooks forcing us to pay oodles just to ensure we have the Newest edition).

You know what, I am going to stop this right here and now, cause I think we both know how carried away I can get. Anyways, UBC Bookstore. Your alternative?

www.abebooks.com

Thats it! Honestly, you should have started a few weeks ago but at least you know for next time. Grab your ISBN numbers from your “My Booklist” from the SSC (under Courses) and check out the savings! Even after paying $20 for shipping, I am STILL saving $100 on some of my more expensive text books! As Canadians, you might need to click on details about sending as not all providers of textbooks on abebooks.com send to Canada but you were going to be spending hours in the line up at the Bookstore anyways right? No matter what, I know you are going to love me for this information.

And the moral of the story is? Check out your options before forkin’ out huge amounts of dough…

Your gifts and cards of appreciation can be sent to:

miranda.abild@gmail.com

🙂

Fast Start? Fast mistake!

Ok, I am going to get this off of my chest for one final time, and you all can consider yourselves lucky that you weren’t one of the first to hear this.

So I sign-up for Faststart….. Faststart is supposed to be this way of getting all your books, without waiting in the line-up; they can even be delivered to your door. BUT don’t let these promises fool you! I’m guessing that this is a new system so they may eventually work out the kinks, and kinks there were. For me anyways. So consider yourselves warned!

They reel you in with promises of ease and delight. I ordered my books, added that I would prefer Used books and inputted my address as I do not live on campus. I am then notifies that my books will be arriving on one of 3 days…. between the hours of 8AM and 8PM….. and that they will be unable to notify me on what day they are coming! This would be managable if I had a roommate at the time, or even friends(!) but I am then forced to put a sign on my door whenever i am gone, that my landlord can take my books (so far the only person in my complex that i have exchanged words with). So…. i go away Friday evening, no books have arrived.

Now, I have to go to the bookstore anyway (located very accessibly on University Blvd.) and not only do i have to go there…. I have to stand in line! You see, i know myself well enough to know my patience level… and when regarding line-ups… it is not high! So, instead of being all prepared and having my books ahead of time as the mature, responsible person I am would prefer, I am now getting my books the day before classes… instead of enjoying the Carneval.

Oh wait… it gets better! Once I finally get my box o’books I see what I feared the most.

6/14

Thats right folks, a big 6/14 is written on the side of the box. This means that out of 14 books that I needed to start this year, I have 6 AND they have given me the one I specifically asked that they NOT give me as I had already purchased it. Great… 9 more books to go and the line-ups have got to be as long as the Great Wall.

So… the long on the short of it is that I have had NO benefit from Faststart what-so-ever. I could have gone a couple of weeks before school, when i was bored, and made sure i had all my books but no… they recommended Faststart.

But I have made a discovery that I would like to share with you all.

www.amazon.ca

Remember this. Add it to your favorites because there are a number of your books that can be purchased here (especially English books, etc.) and they will end up costing you about half of the cost from even getting a used book from the Student Bookstore and this is because sometimes you can get perfectly readable copies for $0.01! This means $3.95 for shipping and handling and the book cost you only $4 and some planning!

Sweet sweet frugality.