Consider the market for a specific used textbook. The quantity of books that students are willing to buy at various prices is as follows: at $15, 100 books; at $12, 150 books; at $10, 200 books. The quantity of books that current owners are willing to sell is: at $15, 250 books; at $12, 150 books; at $10, 100 books. The market-clearing price, where the quantity buyers want equals the quantity sellers offer, is $12. If a campus bookstore sets a fixed price of $10 for this textbook, what will be the outcome in the market?

Analysis of a Price Cap in the Used Textbook Market

University Bookstore's Textbook Consignment Program

In the market for a specific second-hand textbook, the price at which the number of books students want to buy equals the number of books students want to sell is $50. If the current selling price is set at $40, this will result in an excess supply (a surplus) of textbooks.

Explaining a Shortage in the Used Textbook Market

Consider a market for a specific second-hand textbook where the price that balances the quantity buyers want with the quantity sellers offer is $30. Match each of the following potential market prices with the resulting market condition.

In the market for used chemistry textbooks, the price that balances the number of books students wish to buy with the number of books current owners are willing to sell is $60. If a university bookstore sets a fixed price of $45 for these books, the quantity demanded will exceed the quantity supplied. This market imbalance is known as a(n) ________.

A university bookstore decides to sell a popular second-hand textbook at a price significantly below the level where the number of buyers and sellers would naturally agree. Arrange the following market outcomes in the logical sequence in which they would occur.

Consider the market for a specific used textbook, with the following quantities demanded and supplied at different prices:

• At a price of $20, students want to buy 50 books, and owners want to sell 150.
• At a price of $15, students want to buy 100 books, and owners want to sell 100.
• At a price of $10, students want to buy 150 books, and owners want to sell 50.

If a local regulation mandates that the price cannot exceed $10, what is the magnitude of the resulting market imbalance?

Evaluating Solutions to a Textbook Shortage

Consider the market for a specific used textbook, represented by the supply and demand schedule below. If a student-run book exchange program mandates that the price for this textbook cannot exceed $6, what will be the resulting condition in the market?

University Bookstore Price Policy

Analyzing a Textbook Shortage

True or False: If a university administration imposes a rule that second-hand textbooks cannot be sold for more than $5, and the natural market-clearing price is $8, this policy will result in more students successfully purchasing a textbook than if the market were allowed to operate freely.

Consequences of a Price Cap in the Textbook Market

Consider the market for a specific used textbook, represented by the supply and demand schedule below. Match each potential market price to the resulting market condition.

In the market for a specific used textbook, the quantity demanded at a price of $5 is 100 books, while the quantity supplied at that same price is 40 books. This situation results in an excess demand, or shortage, of ______ books.

Consider a market for used textbooks where the supply curve is upward sloping and the demand curve is downward sloping. The two curves intersect at a market-clearing price of $8, where 70 books are exchanged. If a university regulation sets a maximum price of $6 for these textbooks, the quantity supplied at this price is 50 books, and the quantity demanded is 90 books. Which of the following statements most accurately analyzes the situation in the market at the price of $6?

A university administration sets a maximum price for a specific second-hand textbook. This maximum price is below the level where the number of books students want to buy would naturally equal the number of books other students want to sell. Arrange the following market outcomes in the logical order they would occur.

Evaluating a Textbook Price Cap Policy