What is a counterfeit textbook?

They are produced illegally, and students sometimes inadvertently buy them.

We don’t buy counterfeit textbooks.

When a student is done with their counterfeit book, they might want to sell it back to websites like ours.  We don’t accept them, and we use strict criteria to catch them with publisher approved training. 

How do we know what’s counterfeit? 

In 2019, we signed and implemented anti-counterfeit best practices. These practices are designed to eliminate counterfeit textbooks from the textbook industry. For more information on what criteria we use to review your books, please visit Stop Counterfeit Textbooks.

And here are some quick tips to help you avoid this trap:

1. Binding
   1. The glue can be a different color and unevenly distributed. This will make the book look poorly made. This counterfeit binding glue will also smell different from an authentic book.
2. Paper
   1. A counterfeit book will have cheaper paper. It won’t have the glossy appearance. It’s also very thin. Sometimes the words or images bleed through the other side of the page.
3. Size
   1. Counterfeit books are often smaller because the counterfeiter is hoping to use less paper.
4. Cover
   1. The cover art is often of a lower quality, the name of the author and the title are not vertically centered on the binding, and the writing may be pixelated. Illustrations inside counterfeit books may be black-and-white or blurry.
   2. For authentic books, text on the spine is nearly always centered in the middle of the spine. If the text on the spine is closer to the front or back cover, this may indicate a counterfeit book.
5. Copyright Mark
   1. In an authentic copy, a copyright mark will be on the cover or title page, like this ©. In counterfeits, you find a black dot without the “c” in the middle. Or you won’t find the copyright page at all!

Compare your book to classmates’ books or an image online to see if it might be counterfeit.

Remember, if you send a counterfeitcopy to us, we will NOT pay money for your book. And we cannot send it back to you.  If you suspect that you may have a counterfeitbook, please contact us so we can help you handle the book appropriately.