Why are college textbooks so expensive?? And why do professors tell students to purchase the books only to never use them? Even worse some professors need students to buy online materials that are not available at the bookstore where their scholarship can be used.
Now students have even paid a fortune for some online lectures even though they have real teachers that are supposed to give the lectures and information themselves. On top of that, you have wasted your money on the online stuff only to never see it again because it expires, unlike a hardcover textbook. Finally, you have paid to stress yourself out on online homework that grades you on incorrect responses due at midnight.
On the off chance that you get a good textbook from the store, at the end of the semester, you now need to consider if it's a viable option to sell your book back to the store. The reasoning for this is that they literally give you $5 back for a $100 book so is it really worth it? Maybe not.