Buying textbooks doesn’t have to empty a student’s wallet.

Jody Boardman, general manager of the Village Commons Bookstore, said she receives complaints about textbook prices, and some student employees moan and groan because of the cost.

“I’m annoyed, because I have a disabled family and money is tight, so I don’t have a lot of extra money to spend on a book I’m only using once,” said Jose Agueros, junior health and human services major. “This upsets me a great deal and it’s unfair you pay a lot of money for a book and if it’s not bought back you’re stuck with it.”

There are ways to get cheaper textbooks: Boardman said students can buy used books, which are about 75 percent the cost of new books, or they can rent books, which costs about half the price of buying them.

Agueros said he has heard students complain and he suggests they look on Amazon for cheaper prices.

Jacob Bell, College of DuPage third-year pharmacy student, always buys online or used to save money.

Hannah Holland, freshman medical laboratory sciences major, said if people know other students, they should ask for cheap books, or look online at websites Chegg, Skyo and Amazon.

“Students should always be given the option of selling their books back,” said Holland, a Skyo user.

Boardman said textbook prices are set by the publisher, and the VCB offers students the opportunity to sell some books back.

“Typically returns are accepted a week after classes start,” Boardman said. “The store buys back all year round, but the best time is at the end of the semester, which is when teacher’s orders are due.”

The VCB accepts paperback returns, but not loose leaf.

“We are there to serve students the best way we can and try to get the most rental prices to benefit students and help them,” said Boardman.

Michael Halla, Elmhurst College senior business management major, believes the school or government should make a cap on how much a book can cost to help students save money.

Others have cost-saving ideas, too.

“What I want to see is more electronic books where you can use computers to access the textbooks because it saves on paper and ink,” Bell said. “This would lower material, shipping and storage cost.”