W. P. Carey Business Textbooks — Save Hundreds Every Semester
W. P. Carey textbooks add up fast. Here's how ASU business students cut their textbook costs using used copies, older editions, and smart timing.
Business School Textbooks Shouldn't Cost More Than a Business
W. P. Carey is one of the top-ranked business schools in the country, and the textbook prices sometimes feel like the professors are testing your financial literacy right from day one. Kotler's Marketing Management, Horngren's Accounting, Ross's Corporate Finance — these are $200-300 new, and most of them barely change between editions.
If you hang out in McCord Hall between classes, it doesn't take long to hear about textbook swaps. Here's how to make them work for you.
Start with ASU List
ASU List is the free ASU-specific marketplace where students buy and sell directly. Business textbooks are some of the most listed items on the platform — ACC 231, MGT 300, FIN 300, SCM 300 all come up regularly. Search by course number and you'll often find what you need.
The advantage over Amazon is that you're dealing with someone who took the same class, possibly with the same professor, and knows exactly what's relevant.
The McCord Hall Lounge Trick
If you're in McCord Hall regularly, check the student lounges and the boards near the advising center. Students leave books there, post Venmo-handle flyers, or just ask around. It's informal but effective — especially a week before classes start.
Joining the W. P. Carey student organization GroupMe or Discord channels for your concentration also helps. Finance, supply chain, marketing — each has their own network and textbook sharing happens organically.
Edition Creep Is Real, and Publishers Know It
Here's what publishing companies do: they release a new edition every 2–3 years, shuffle some chapters, update a few case studies, add some online homework codes, and charge full price again. For most W. P. Carey courses, the edition that's "required" is one or two newer than what you actually need.
Check with a student who took the class last semester. Ask what edition they used and whether the professor cared. Most of the time, last edition is fine. Horngren's Accounting 17th vs. 16th edition: nearly identical for core concepts.
One exception: if the course uses an online homework platform tied to the textbook (like MyLab or Connect), you may need a current access code. Buy the used book and the access code separately — still cheaper than new.
Course-Specific Shortcuts
ACC 231 and ACC 232: These are taken by almost every business student. High supply of used copies. Grab from ASU List or Facebook Marketplace. Older editions work fine if the professor doesn't require online homework.
MGT 300: Often uses cases and articles posted on Canvas rather than a heavy textbook. Wait to see the syllabus before buying anything.
FIN 300 / FIN 421: Ross's Fundamentals of Corporate Finance — expensive new, widely available used. The math doesn't change between editions.
MKT 300: Kotler's Marketing Management is the standard. Buy used, previous edition. Same frameworks, slightly different case examples.
SCM 300: Supply chain management textbooks vary more by professor. Email them before the semester and ask which edition is truly required.
The Access Code Problem
This is the real gotcha in business textbooks: online homework platforms. McGraw-Hill Connect, Pearson MyLab, Cengage MindTap — publishers bundle access codes with new books and sell them separately for $60–120.
A used book without an access code is fine if your professor uses the platform for optional practice only. If it's required for graded homework, you need the code. Buy the used book, buy the code separately from the publisher's website (sometimes cheaper than the bundled new book), and you still come out ahead.
Selling at the Right Time
List your W. P. Carey textbooks on ASU List the week before finals, not after. Demand is highest from students who procrastinated on buying their books and are suddenly panicking. You have more leverage right before finals than right after — by the time finals are over, the next semester's buyers aren't in a rush yet.
Business textbooks hold value well because the program is large and courses are high-enrollment. If you bought used and sell used, your net cost for the semester can be $20–40 per book instead of $200.
Ready to buy or sell?
Join thousands of ASU students on the marketplace built for Sun Devils.