Textbooks at Low, Low Prices

Whether you RENT or BUY your textbooks, you'll save money by shopping at Jack Backers. We work hard to keep our prices low, and this can add up to big savings for you. How do we do it? We are locally owned by SFA alumni. We don't have the high overhead costs associated with the big bookstore chains. This means we can operate more efficiently, and we pass these cost savings directly to our customers.

Textbook Reserves

We guarantee our textbook prices are the lowest in town, but we don't stop there. When you reserve your textbooks, we'll take $20 off your purchase of $200 or more!*

Reserving your textbooks is easy. Simply submit your class schedule by completing the online form, specifying your preference of rental, used or new books. Approximately two weeks before the semester begins, we will pull your books and e-mail you a purchase confirmation. Your books are then available for pick-up at your convenience. When you come to the store to pick up your books, there's no waiting in check-out lines...you are in and out of the store in a matter of minutes.

Reserve Your Spring 2012 Textbooks Now

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Renting Vs. Buying

Jack Backers was one of the first local bookstores to offer students the option of renting their textbooks. Renting is not always the best option for every student, but it does provide another option to help students tackle the rising cost of higher education.

The first thing you need to know about renting is that it does not ALWAYS save you money. While you may spend less money up front, at the end of the semester you will not receive any money back. In fact, if you don't return the rented textbooks by the due date, you will be charged late fees, and in some instances, the full purchase price of the book. Also, if the book is damaged or stolen you will be charged the full purchase price of the book.

Many times, buying a USED textbook is a better deal because you can sell it back at the end of the semester. However, USED textbooks are not always available, and that's when RENTING may be beneficial. Most of the time, RENTING will save you 50% off the purchase price of a NEW book.

Buying Your Textbooks with Financial Aid

When using a scholarship, grant or loan to purchase your books, you can request a "book loan" from SFA. In the simplest terms, this is a cash advance on your financial aid. Applying for a book loan is easy. Log in to your MySFA account and look for "Book Loan" under the Services tab. By completing the online form, you may be eligible to receive $500 for the purchase of books and supplies. Funds are usually available the next business day at Commercial Bank of Texas located inside the Student Center. Be sure to take your student ID with you when picking up your funds. The loan is automatically repaid when your scholarship, grant or loan funding is credited to your account.

What Is Required to Rent Textbooks?

When renting textboks, you need a valid driver's license and credit card. The credit card serves as a deposit on the rented textbooks. If you don't return the book by the due date, your credit card may be charged for the purchase price of the book plus the late fee. We will make every reasonable effort to contact you for return of the books before charging your credit card.

eBooks

We offer eBooks for purchase when they are available. However, at this time only a few titles are available in eBook format. It is also important to note than in our experience, students prefer traditional textbooks over eBooks. We believe there are several reasons why traditional textbooks remain the preferred choice among students. First, students tell us they prefer highlighting and taking notes using a traditional textbook. They find it easier to use and study.

Secondly, traditional textbooks may be sold back to a bookstore at the end of the semester. eBooks usually cost about the same as a USED textbook, but cannot be sold back to a store at the end of the semester. eBooks are limited to the original user, and many titles "expire" after 180 days.