A Room of One's Own carries a range of new and used course materials for a variety of classes from UW-Madison and Madison College! Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions.
How do I find your store?
We are just a few blocks from campus! We are just off of State St. at 315 W. Gorham St. If you can't find us, just give us a call at 608-257-7888 and we can help. Also note our hours: Mon-Sat 10-8 and Sun 12-5.
When should I stop in to buy my books?
The best time to come in is the week before classes begin. By then, we usually have had time to get most course orders from your professors, order the books (including used copies), and have then checked in and ready to go on the textbook shelves.
Should I order my course books online?
You can order them online, but we recommend you stop by the store instead. We offer used copies of as many course books as we can get, and these books are only available on a first-come, first-served basis in our store--they are not listed online. If you decide you'd rather order online, please choose the 'pay online with credit card' option--we only hold course materials if they are already paid for out of fairness.
What if I want to return books for a full refund?
In general, we do not take course books back for a full refund. The only exception is if you drop a class--if you do drop a class and need a refund, bring the books back in their original condition along with the receipt and a copy of your new course grid within the first 2 weeks of the semester. We cannot offer a refund unless all of these conditions are met.
Can I sell books back to you after the semester is over?
We do happily buy books in between semesters! The buyback period starts the week of finals and goes up until the day BEFORE classes begin the next semester. We aren't able to take every book, but we do buy back for ourselves and for a national wholesale company, so we encourage you to check (even if you didn't buy the book from us originally). In general, your best bet is to come in right before the next semester starts--by then, most instructors have told us which books they are using that coming year, so we are able to offer a little more for those titles. You don't need a receipt or anything but an ID to sell books. We cannot buy back looseleaf editions of coursebooks or iClickers.
