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Be Careful of Stickers and Tape on Textbooks

Look out for textbooks with tape and stickers on them. This could hint that there are problems with the textbook. Here are some examples of things tape would be covering up.


  1. Scratch marks and deformities.
  2. Alternate ISBNs. This would occur because the book was originally supposed to be packaged with an access code, and packaged books with access codes have different ISBNs than just the book.
  3. Instructor’s edition. This would mean that the book would come with some more in-depth explanations of content, in order to provide the instructors with a better ability to teach. Could also possibly hurt your ability to resell.
  4. Free or not for sale editions. This is one of the biggest things to look out for, because it seriously hurts your ability to resell.

In conclusion, be wary of books with tape on them, because it could hurt your ability to resell your books.