About Textbooks
- How & Where to Buy Your Textbooks
- Buying and Selling Used Books
- Textbook Ordering
- Textbook Prices
- Textbook Returns
How & Where to Buy Your Textbooks
The Bookstore carries the books for the courses offered at each VIU campus (Nanaimo, Cowichan, Powell River or Parksville) at that location only. Or, you can purchase your books online and they will be sent to you, with additional shipping charges.
You can pay for your books using cash, cheque, debit, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express at any of our store locations.
Our online store offers secure credit card transactions only.
Buying & Selling Used Books
Used books are a less expensive alternative for students (25% less than new). Students who buy new & used books can, in many cases, sell them back to the bookstore. We buy used books for courses offered at VIU, and also for other campus stores across Canada. The bookstore offers Used Book Buybacks every Friday, in addition to our week-long buys every semester. Watch the web page for upcoming dates.
Textbook Ordering
VIU instructors determine which textbooks will be used each semester, and place their orders with the bookstore. The bookstore then orders the books from the publishers as quickly as possible. We try to have all the textbooks in stock a few weeks before classes begin, so that students can shop early and avoid line-ups at the beginning of the semester.
Textbook Pricing
Textbooks are, in many cases, expensive books. This is due to the specialized nature of the content, the cost of publishing, and the cost of freight. We try to keep prices low, and to offer alternatives, including as many used books as possible. See below for price comparisons between new and used books.
| New Textbook | Used Textbook | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $100 | Price | $75 |
| HST | $12 | HST | $9 |
| Total | $112 | Total | $84 |
| Buyback Return | -$50 | Buyback Return | -$50 |
| Total Cost of Book | $62 | Total Cost of Book | $34.00 |
Textbook Returns
Textbooks can be returned with a receipt, two weeks from the date of purchase. Check out our Refund Policy for conditions.