Seven Ways to Save on College Textbooks
Submitted by Randy on Sat, 08/23/2008 - 19:55.
Tagged: Education
- Textbook Rental – Instead of purchasing a book that you will use for a semester or two and then selling it back for a fraction of what you paid, Chegg and BookRenter.com provide books on rental-basis. The services claim that you can save 75-80% off of the cost of purchasing textbooks.
- Look for Paperbook or International Editions – Some publishes create paperback and/or international editions that are essentially the same as the hardback version, but are less expensive.
- Search for the Lowest Price – In addition to large book sites like Amazon, Half.com, and Alibris.com; check meta-search sites such as BigWords and CampusI.com. These meta-search engines hit multiple sites simultaneously and can help you quickly identify low-price options.
- See About Using Earlier Editions – Often, the changes between editions are minor. If the textbook you need is unusually expensive or is difficult to find, then ask your professor if it is okay to use a previous edition.
- Check Your Library – Frequently, college libraries keep current copies of textbooks available for short-term loan. If a textbook is going to be used infrequently, then check with your library to see if it can be reserved when you need it.
- Check University Forums – If your school has online forums or a place where goods can be posted for sale, then check and see if the textbooks you need are available for purchase. By negotiating a private-party sale or trade, you can cut out the middle-man and potentially get a very good deal.
- Time Your Sales – Frequently, you can make the most money by selling your textbooks on your own. If you choose to do so, then you can maximize the number of potential buyers by selling your books when it’s top of mind for them. Therefore, consider selling just prior to the start of the semester.
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How To Save Money On College Textbooks
These are great solutions to this problems. I can add one more: to save money on textbooks, you can just ask older students to sell the textbooks they used last year. Surely, it wouldn't cost much.
Go to a college that doesn't
Go to a college that doesn't charge for textbooks (directly) like: www.uwplatt.edu. At the beginning of the semester you check-out the books on your list and then you just return them during finals week! I never spent a dime on textbooks.