Introduction to Data Mining ISBN: 9780321321367 - - You have options. Here's how to decide

Ok, so you need the book "Introduction to Data Mining with ISBN: 9780321321367. The cheapest you can find this at the IU bookstore is $61.50 to rent a used copy. This means that at the end of the semester you'll return the book and be out a total of $61.50. Most people probably stop there and make that decision, but with a little more investigation you can save a lot of money. There are a couple of other roads you can travel down. I'm going to tell you how to decide where to get this book and how to get it for the best deal.


So now I want to introduce you to a new concept. I'm kicking myself for doing this, because this buying strategy causes professional book sellers like myself a world of headaches. But I care about the cash in your pocketbooks, or change purses, or wallets, or purple felt Crown Royal bags under your mattresses. So here it is. You can sometimes buy an alternate edition of the book you need at a much lower cost. There are some benefits and drawbacks to doing this. The big obvious benefit is that you're going to pay a lot less, usually about 20-30% of the cost of the regular edition. But there are also some drawbacks. First of all, the edition you're buying is available at a lower cost, but it's also less valuable in general. This means that if you want to sell back your book at the end of the semester, the bookstore won't take it. No online buyback company is going to accept it, and if you sell it on Amazon or Ebay, you'll want to explain that it's an alternate edition and list it under the appropriate ISBN number. There are a few different types of alternate editions available depending on the specific book you need. There could be a loose leaf version, and international version, an e-book version, a very similar older version, or an identical paperback version.


So let's break it down, and figure out the best way to get "Introduction to Data Mining" in your backpack, or side satchel, or bike basket, or whatever.


Alright, here are the prices available from the IU bookstore and the corresponding prices I found online:


Rent Used: 61.50 - Cheapest Rental Price
Rent New: 138.35 - Cheapest Rental Price
Buy used: 122.95 - Amazon Buy Used: 106.72
Buy New: 153.70 - Amazon Buy New: 125.13


The estimated national buyback price of this book at the end of the semester will likely be around $39.03.

This means the cheapest rental option would be from IU bookstore at 61.50, and the cheapest buying option would be from Amazon Used for 106.72 (- 39.03 sell back price) = 67.69

Ok, now let's think about alternate editions. Your regular book Introduction to Data Mining was published in May 2005. It has since been reprinted in 2013 and 2016 in an economy version that the publishers sell overseas. This means the paper is a little less quality and the images are probably printed in black and white. The content should be the same, however. Bookstores do not sell this version in the United States, but student do resell their books online, so you can find them at Amazon and often times on Ebay. You can find this version at the following prices:

International Edition printed in 2013: Amazon New- 20.64

Just to be safe, we'll assume you can't recoup any money selling back this international version. That means your final cost will be $20.64, and you get to keep the book for future reference. This saves you $40.86 over renting from the bookstore, and you get to keep the book!

You can see all your buying choices here

Until next time!
Brittany