$130 for 1 stupid textbook vent!

[bballmom56]

I have used half.com very successfully as well as textbooks.com. Textbooks.com has a guaranteed buy back program for many of their titles (new and used) with a guarantee of about 1/2 back when you return it in good condition. But I found I actually make out better reselling it on half.com.

By the way, a used copy of DS's book at textbooks.com is cheaper than their eBook version. So I don't know if eBooks are going to be the great savings that we think.

I am done with ebay for textbooks - I kept getting outbid at the end . So after 6 tries for the same title, I hopped over to half.com found a good deal and ordered it immediately.

 

[mvazul]

Mhmm. I just bought my book for Italian 3 yesterday... $99 USED. Luckily it's the book for Italian 4 as well... But my work book/lab book was $67. THAT stung. I rented my other 4 books for my 3 journalism classes on Chegg for about $109, though, so that wasn't bad.

Unfortunately, I had to buy my French book/bundle new. There was one girl in my class that had an older version. The professor let her use it, but she was constantly confused, because she couldn't find what we were working on. Thankfully, this semester, I am using books from my cousin. She had almost exactly the same classes last semester that I am taking this time around. It has saved me a ton of money!

 

[golfgal]

You can't write in them but you can actually highlight. They just request no "excessive" highlighting, like every other line! For what you save this isn't a problem for us.

That is good to know. I didn't know about this site until this thread then when I saw about not writing in them I figured that wasn't a good option for DS but if you can highlight the books, GREAT!!

 

[jme829]

I had to check out their website as DD has a friend at River Falls and she was paying a lot more. The $6375 is just for tuition but you add in living costs and a meal plan and it is double that-just a heads up on that. That puts it in line with many of the schools in the area-still on the low side though so that is nice. Also, the prices listed are 2009 prices--DS's school went up $3000 from '09 to '10 so chances are UW River Falls will go up as well.

OH I realize that. But dd will commute and live at home (her choice and we're in Hudson, so only 8 miles from UWRF) so no meal plan-not required for commuters; or board for us.

And just to correct my own info...according to the brochure she got at orientation this week, the tuition is actually $6792 for this year which includes text book rental, student health services, new student registration fee and student activity fee (whatever that all is lol). Again I realize it will go up by fall 2011, but considering what I have seen at some of the other univ around her (for example,GLobe is around $25k and so is Hamline-I didn't even bother to check UM or UW-Madison..way to cost prohibitive for us..) it's a bargain nonetheless!! lol

 

[jme829]

That is good to know. I didn't know about this site until this thread then when I saw about not writing in them I figured that wasn't a good option for DS but if you can highlight the books, GREAT!!

Thats the same for DD...even though her textbooks will be "free" they can't write in them or destroy them...they're treated just like library books. They have to be returned at the end of the semester within a week or so .

 

[DizBelle]

For those looking to purchase new or used, check out www.fetchbook.info. It searches multiple online sources for books.

 

[love2disney]

I just picked up my books for next semester and all of the codes I found on here have expired but I found bff40bbc to get 8% off, its not much depending on how much you spend but it negated the shipping charge for me

 

[disfan07]

My books for spring are:

Introductory Chem: $275
Political Science: $85
Human Sexuality: $115
Health Education: $82
Social Psychology: $115

Total: $740 w/tax for USED books (except my lab book for chem is new...it has to be)

My book for my 5 week film class was $110

Its ridiculous.

 

[korzmom]

my ds freshman bought a physics book it was 219 and then his friend said he got it at barnes and noble.com for 48 so ds took it back smae day and came home and ordered it for 48 at barnes and noble..what a savings..and it was in better shape than the new one from the bookstore at campus. my dd got all hers from half.com there has got to be some changes at these colleges it seems almost illegal what they charge these kids at the bookstores.

 

[browneyes106]

I'm in school right now part-time for my MBA. I almost went to law school this year but I decided against it. A friend of mine is attending right now she paid almost $700 for her books. Last semester I paid $200 for two books. This semester it was a bit cheaper I paid $275 for three books. It wasn't too bad. But I agree with everyone on this list that is venting textbooks are overpriced.

 

[browneyes106]

I feel your pain, we just paid $900 for books for my DH as he is attending a community college. I about cried. Luckily his Chemistry teacher told the class the books are so expensive to return them and go get the used older edition so that saved us $150, other wise it would have been over $1000 dollars for books.

Some community colleges are known to markup prices for textbooks. I attended a community college during my first year out of high school and during the second semester a friend of mine who attended a 4-year-old college the previous semester enrolled at the community college I was attending and she told me that textbooks at her previous school were usually $20-$40 at their bookstore.

 

[golfgal]

OH I realize that. But dd will commute and live at home (her choice and we're in Hudson, so only 8 miles from UWRF) so no meal plan-not required for commuters; or board for us.

And just to correct my own info...according to the brochure she got at orientation this week, the tuition is actually $6792 for this year which includes text book rental, student health services, new student registration fee and student activity fee (whatever that all is lol). Again I realize it will go up by fall 2011, but considering what I have seen at some of the other univ around her (for example,GLobe is around $25k and so is Hamline-I didn't even bother to check UM or UW-Madison..way to cost prohibitive for us..) it's a bargain nonetheless!! lol

Don't exclude the private schools as they have a LOT of money to give in aid/grants/scholarships, etc.--except Globe--that isn't a real college . I am in the camp that all kids should go away to college, at least for a year and live in the dorms so I look at the total costs of everything. I don't know of a single person around her that has paid for 100% of their college in cash-everyone I know gets some kind of aid. If your DD has good grades, like 3.75 or better, chances are she could get close to a free ride, if not a free ride at most of the private schools around here. Just something to think about.

DS17 doesn't have great grades and he already has about 1/4th of his total costs covered from some scholarships he automatically qualified for at his school.

 

[stacy347]

We rented from bookrenters.com last semester and this semester used chegg. As long as we can find the books, we'll be renting. It saved us A LOT!!

I can't thank you enough for this info! I just got one of the books that DD needs for $19.34 vs. the $130 (new) or $92 (used) that the bookstore wanted. What a lifesaver.