Buy college textbooks without breaking your bank
- by Heather Craven on Aug 20th 2007 8:00PM
- Filed under miscellaneous, money
College is full of sticker shocks. There are the expenses of tuition, room and board and transportation; sometimes it seems as though the final cost of textbooks is staggering. Textbooks can range anywhere from $100 to $400 per class, depending on the course. Fortunately, there are a few ways around the extreme costs of books. It takes a bit of effort and creativity, but if the result is saving some money it is well worth it. Following are a few ideas to get around the costs of text books:
- Check out Half.com. This is a great site that offers everything from books to electronic equipment. The prices are great and the service is wonderful. If you need the book right away, Half.com might not be the best option. But you can always borrow a book until yours arrives.
- Split the book with a classmate. This is not always the best option, but if you and your mate are clever about scheduling and keeping up with work this can be an option for you both.
- Check out the book from the library. You must be quick to get this one done since about 3,000 other students have the same idea.
- Talk to your professor. If you are in a situation where you simply can't afford the text, the professor will sometimes have an extra copy or two. When I returned to school after having my son, my teachers were very understanding and willing to lend me the books.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-21-2007 @ 5:37AM
Matthew E said...
I always had better luck finding and buying used copies from other people on Amazon than on Half.com. I believe they now offer the option to pay extra for expedited shipping. It's also worth noting that publishers frequently release new editions of popular textbooks. Sometimes you can find an older edition of the same book for less money if you're willing to take the risk.
Best tip of all for reducing the impact of textbook prices though--sell your books when you're finished with them. Check and see if you might get a better price on Amazon than at your school bookstore.
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8-21-2007 @ 8:42AM
Chad said...
I've found several books for my courses searching the local salvation army/good will stores around the college I attended.
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8-22-2007 @ 11:57AM
Matt A said...
Half.com and Amazon.com are pretty good resources, but that's definitely cutting the list short.
Personally I use http://www.bigwords.com - it's like the Kayak.com of textbooks. It searches all the reliable online sellers, then finds the cheapest possible combination. I saved about $160 this semester using BigWords instead of my campus bookstore.
Not bad, eh?
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8-22-2007 @ 1:12PM
Bella said...
Another good option is to look for ads put out by other students from your college selling their books.
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/
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8-22-2007 @ 8:17PM
Christine said...
Online shopping is definitely much cheaper than buying books from the bookstore, but there is now a much cheaper alternative available to college students! By using BookRenter.com, students can RENT their textbooks instead of buying them! By paying to "borrow" desired books, students save 50% off the standard price and eliminate the hassle of selling their books back and getting almost no money in return.
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