Going to college is expensive, and one of the toughest beatings to your wallet will be buying textbooks. Even buying used copies at the bookstore will run up quite a bill. But instead of spending all that money, or skipping the books altogether (which I do not recommend), try this ideas for finding those all-important required textbooks.
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Never buy a new book if you can help it. If you want to buy your books at the campus bookstore make sure you shop early. As soon as you have your class schedule go ahead and visit the bookstore for the best chance of getting used copies. They usually only stock a limited supply of used books, so purchase before they run out.
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Once you know your class schedule try to find someone who is already taking the classes and purchase their books from them. This can work out well for both of you since you can work a deal to pay them more than the bookstore will buy the books back from them, but less than the bookstore would charge you. If you don’t know someone in the class try posting on campus bulletin boards or using networks like facebook and Craig’s list for wanted items.
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Online is the best way to go. Call or visit your campus bookstore to find out the required texts for your classes, make sure you find out the name of the author and the edition since there will be plenty of matches on the internet. Using ebay, amazon.com, half.com, and even books-a-million and Barnes and Noble you can find plenty of used books for very low prices. When you search be sure to read the descriptions to make sure you are getting the correct edition, but it is easy to save literally hundreds of dollars buying your books online.
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If you really just can’t find books to fit in your budget consider sharing with another student. If you know someone in the class this is a viable option, you can split the cost of the book and save. Just make sure to have clear guidelines for sharing the book, you don’t want to be without a book to study the night before an exam.
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Another option for saving money is to buy an older edition of a textbook. It is a good idea to ask your teacher before deciding to do this, but often the books are pretty much the same. You may have to spend a few minutes finding the right page since the numbers may not match up, but if you are in a tight situation this may be your best option. Just make sure it is not a class where there are worksheets or specific homework problems, which could mess you up in class.
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Make sure to sell your books at the end of the semester. You can choose to do this process in reverse by selling to another student for the next semester, selling online or selling back to the bookstore. The bookstore may not offer you as much cash as other buyers, but if you have bought the books at a cheap price to begin with you could end up making money on the buy back!
