Although a recent survey commissioned by popular auction Web site eBay claims a large percentage of college students shop online for class textbooks, at least one area bookstore is recording increased sales.

“Actually, our used book sales are up,” said Rita Phillips, assistant manager of University Book Store. “This is great considering ISU admissions are down.”

In July, eBay commissioned Survey.com to question 500 college students between the ages of 19 and 25 about their online textbook-purchasing habits, according to the Survey.com Web site.

According to the site, 65 percent of students surveyed believed textbooks are “very expensive,” and 43 percent have avoided purchasing a required textbook due to financial constraints.

However, Phillips said retailers aren’t responsible for the high costs.

“The publishing company drives the prices of textbooks,” Phillips said. “[A new textbook] is our least-margined item in the store.” Half of the respondents said they’d purchased a textbook online, and 29 percent had sold textbooks online, according to survey results.

A fall 2003 survey conducted by another organization yielded different results than eBay’s survey.

Laura Nakoneczny, director of public relations for the National Association of College Stores, said a survey completed by her organization claims only 14 percent of students purchase at least one of their textbooks online. Nakoneczny said this number includes students who purchase books from Web sites of local businesses.

The University Book Store and the privately owned Campus Book Store have Web sites where students can purchase textbooks and accessories that can be picked up at the store locations.

Floyd Ballein, owner of Campus Book Store, declined to comment for this article.

Phillips said there are advantages for buying textbooks locally.

“If people buy them [online], they’re going to have to go back to the individual they bought [the textbooks] from,” Phillips said. “[Students] have asked me for a refund for something they bought from Half.com because the book changed, and I can’t refund them.”

Phillips said about 40 book requirements have changed this semester alone. She said instructor changes, which may happen as late as one week before classes start, are a chief cause.

“Obviously, we have the two-week return policy so if [students] have the wrong book, they can return it to us,” Phillips said.

Phillips said another incentive to buy locally is a tax break.

“The sales tax on your textbooks is refundable,” Phillips said.

Phillips said she is trying to keep textbook prices low by stocking as many used books as possible and by talking to book publishers.

“We continue to work with publishers to really challenge them to keep the prices down,” she said.