Competition from online textbook sales hasn't daunted local business owners, who say profits are as high as ever.

Textbook sales from Web sites like Amazon.com picked up a few years ago, but more and more students are dissatisfied with purchases from these sites, general manager of Got Used Bookstore, 206 E. College Ave., Matthew Alford, said.

Textbooks purchased online can arrive late, damaged or in the wrong edition, forcing the students to come to the bookstore for a new book anyway, Alford said.

"We're seeing a lot of students who are having a bad experience online, because you're leaving it in someone else's hands to get you the right book on time," he said.

The Penn State Bookstore in the HUB-Robeson Center has seen a significant increase in its own online textbook sales -- which is currently run by Barnes & Noble -- despite these drawbacks, said Steve Falke, Barnes & Noble College Booksellers at Penn State regional director.

"More and more students utilized our own online business because they know who we are and where problems can be resolved," Falke said.

It is difficult to tell if online sales have impacted the amount of profit from textbooks sold in the Penn State Bookstore, he added.

Although profits increased significantly in the past week, Falke said this is because of increased enrollment.

"Enrollments are up this year, so surely you never know what you never had," he said.

Alford said publishers are one of the reasons textbooks are getting more expensive every year.

"I wish we could shine a light on these publishers. We have to pay so much more from the publisher, but we do the best we can in order to keep the cost down," he said.

Although online textbook sale Web sites may have affected some bookstores' business, the impact on students and other book buyers is positive because they create other options and help stimulate competition, said Elle Rengarajan, director of marketing for Swapsimple.com -- an online textbook and
merchandise trading site.

"I don't think its going to put the local bookstores out of business, I think it's just going to make them offer people a deal, and that's a good thing," Rengarajan said.

"Once they have competition, they'll be more fair with the students."

The problem the textbook industry has with keeping cost down is in the buy-back rate -- bookstores are ripping students off on used textbooks, Rengarajan said.

The textbook industry is at least a billion-dollar business annually, she said, and the used textbook market earns close to half a billion dollars per year.

"They take advantage of the fact that students are transient, and they don't always take the time to explore their options," Rengarajan said.

The convenience of getting a book at the local bookstore -- knowing you have the right book on time for class assignments -- offsets the appeal of buying your textbooks online, said John Lindo, the general manager of Student Book Store, 330 E. College Ave.

"[Online textbook Web sites] are competitive, but it's not a huge factor," Lindo said.