More university students are buying second-hand textbooks instead of new ones.
It's not difficult for students to get such books as they are available at bookshops near schools. They also buy textbooks from senior students.
Sun Guantian, a second-year student who studies business, began using second-hand textbooks this term. 'Buying used books helps me save a lot of money,' she said.
'For example, a brand new copy of Marketing Theory costs 68 yuan [HK$79], but a second-hand copy only costs 10 yuan,' she said.
Sun said she found there was a big advantage to using second-hand textbooks, because some had supplementary notes and key points underlined.
Li Biyi, a third-year student at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, also prefers second-hand books. Sometimes she borrows used textbooks from senior students if she thinks that a particular course is not of much interest to her. 'Some books become useless after the final exam. It's a waste of resources if every student buys a new book just for the exam,' she said.
