How to Use the Bookstore
What It Is
The Portland State Bookstore sells most of the books for the courses you’ll take at PSU. It will also buy 
backyour used textbooks at the end of the term for a percentage of the original price. The bookstore also offers non-textbooks, computer software, art and school supplies, PSU apparel, and more. Becoming a member of the bookstore is free, and with your membership you can receive discounts on non-textbooks and school supplies. You can see the bookstore’s website by clicking here: www.portlandstatebooks.com.
How to Use It
- Use the PSU bookstore website to order your books.
- Apply for the PSU textbook scholarship.
- Swap your old textbooks for the ones you need now through the "book exchange" program.
- Research the return and “buy back” policy.
Where It Is
The Portland State Bookstore is located at 1715 SW 5th Avenue, Portland, 97201. The main phone number is (503) 226-2631. To buy textbooks online go to http://www.portlandstatebookstore.com and click “BUY” on the textbooks tab at the top of the page. For general questions, e-mail bookstore at mailto:mdority@psubookstore.com. If you are ordering your books online and have questions, e-mail mailto:support@psubookstore.com.
Strategies for Success
Below you will find tips that successful students have used to effectively buy their books from the PSU bookstore and save money in the process. The bookstore website also lets you look up the books you need for your courses before you go to the bookstore. You can usually find out the books you need at least a month before classes begin.
Use the PSU Bookstore Website to Order Your Books
The PSU bookstore makes it easier for you to buy your textbooks by selling them online. They’re sent to your home for a small fee, so include this expense in your school-supply budget. Be sure to have the basic information, such as department, course, and section number, for each class when you go to the website. If you don’t see your class listed, contact the online help staff at the bookstore or your professor. If your professor sees an e-mail from you asking about books for the class, you’ll come across as a motivated student!
Apply for the PSU Textbook Scholarship
Textbooks can be one of the most expensive supplies for school. To help reduce your costs, the PSU Bookstore offers a book scholarship that is awarded to thirty to sixty students per term for $250–750. These are usually offered spring and summer terms and can be used to purchase textbooks and supplies. The awards are based on financial need as determined by the FAFSA and a statement of financial need. Apply early so you’re sure to be one of the first in line for the book scholarship. If your application is at the top of the bunch, you’ll get noticed first and may be more likely to be remembered than those applications that are stuck in the middle.
Swap Your Old Textbooks for the Ones You Need Now with Other PSU Students
Some textbooks can cost up to $250—for one book! There’s a way to help with the wallet-squeeze that the high price of textbooks can cause. The PSU bookstore offers a way to swap your old textbooks with another PSU student for the ones that you need. You can save money by giving the books that you don’t need anymore to another student in exchange for the books you need for your classes for the new term.
By entering the title or author of the book you want on the bookstore website, you can see if any students at PSU currently have the book that you’re looking for. You’ll need to create an online account in order to find the books you’re looking for and to find the other students that have the books you want.
Use the PSU Bookstore’s Book Buyback Program to Save Money
So what do you do when you get to the end of the term and you have a bunch of books that you can’t use? You can sell your books back to the PSU bookstore at the end of each term for a percentage of the original cost. This percentage may be low, but when you’re a student who’s trying to make rent every month, every dollar counts, right? You can go to the PSU bookstore website for quotes on how much money you can expect to get back for each book you plan sell back to the bookstore.
Another option is to sell your books online—you’ll send them to the bookstore through the mail. This option is only available when the bookstore is not currently buying books in the store. (The bookstore offers in-store buybacks periodically throughout the year.) You’ll get a check in the mail after your books arrive and are verified. If your book will be used in the upcoming term, you may even get a better price than during the in-store buyback.
Coming Soon