Best places to buy textbooks for college?

[luvtheduck]

My son will be starting college in the fall and I am hoping to find places that sell textbooks at a decent price. Our school told a friend that books can run approximately $500 a semester. I would assume that they are talking about new books from their bookstore. I made notes in the past (from this website) about places that sell and even rent used textbooks, but of course I can't find my list. I know there are a lot of people on this board that are familar with this and probably in the same situation. It would be a big help if you could list the places that you have used and also where do you sell them after the semester is over. Thanks for the help.

 

[juliana_sd]

Amazon is great for used textbooks. You just have to be careful to get the right edition since some of them are updated frequently. You can sell them back there too.

If it's a new edition, you might be out of luck. I had books that I had to buy new that were over $100 each. and this was 10 years ago.

 

[jackie101]

half.com is great

 

[sameyeyam]

Check with your college bookstore and find out when their USED book sale starts. Go on the day it starts to get the best selection. Here's how our's works:

Example:
New Book - $100
Used Book - $60
Buy the used book for $60.
They will buy back used book for half of new price at end of class - $50.
End cost to you - $10.

Note: They will normally only buy back the book for 50% of new price if the book will be used the following semester. If it is not going to be used the next semester, they might give you $5 for the book, then they will ship it to another college to sell that will be using it.

 

[zurgswife]

I've also used

http://www.campusbooks.com/

http://www.cheapesttextbooks.com/?utm_source=0&utm_medium=0&gclid=CKi3x86xqZQCFQm0HgodeW1qtQ

http://www.textbooks.com/?KEYWORD_K...nshu=kw27732&gclid=CNTC8dWxqZQCFQNHFQodejwPtg

most important thing is know the exact edition or the ISBN number

 

[crisi]

International editions (which are paperback) are usually cheaper as well, but again - you have to be careful. Sometimes the international editions will scramble the homework problems or other stuff - when the instructor says "do problems 3, 7, 11, 14, 19, 20 and 21 - if you use the international edition you may end up doing the wrong problems.

Also, you need to be aware with used textbooks. I usually bought mine new - I bought one old one that had been previously used by an idiot - highlighted throughout - and highlighted things that weren't important. Wrote "answers" in the margins - and got most of them wrong.

If you can find a student who just finished the class, and the editions are the same, that is often the best bet - the selling student gets more than the bookstore would pay, the buying student pays less. There are usually bulletian boards with books for sale.

(Personally, I'd suck it up and buy the current real edition new - I saw too many students who were messed up by buying the international edition or buying a used textbook previously owned by a moron. College is too much an investment in time and money to ditz with in this way.)

 

[BostonTink85]

go to www.directtextbooks.com and type in the ISBN number or title or author and it will give you a list of all the sites that have that book for sale both new and used. This way you can compare all the prices and pick the cheapest one! I use it all the time and it works great. Don't buy new if you can ever avoid it....the prices are insanely priced up and it's the bookstore making alllll the money - there is no reason for a new text book to cost $185 when you can get a used one for $50, SUCH a waste of money.

Also...you can sometimes end up making some money if you buy it used and sell it back to the bookstore as if it was new (they usually give you 50% of what the new one sells for if it doesn't have a "used" sticker on it).

 

[Cindy B]

Even used textbooks can run $500-700 per semester. I just graduated in May and my last semester I had 7 classes and about 16 books for these 7 classes. One class had 5 books! Even with used books, it was over $700 for my books. Thankfully, I had a small scholarship that paid for most of it but I did have some cash outlay!

ETA: Some classes require an online subscription or CD's. These online subscriptions are tied in with an access code that either the professor gives out or the text has in the front/back cover. If these access codes are used by another person, that is useless to you. Some classes the online subscription is just for a reading, but some classes they are used for tests, quizzes, projects, etc.

Also, I have had great luck with international editions. Last semester, my book store wanted over $125 USED for a textbook. I bought it--but also ordered a used international off of Ebay. I compared the texts side by side, chapters, pages and pictures-- it was the exact same book for over $75 savings! I only paid about $40 for the one on Ebay.

 

[nataliela]

I always went through my schedule and looked at what books I think I would use again for refrence....If I knew I was never going to use it again (like 17th cent. poetry book) I would rent it for like 25% of a new/used purchase.
If I felt I would use it again, I would try to buy a used book online (I like amazon)

I also budget $100 per class per semester. Its usually a little less, but its easy to plan this way

The university book store will have the highest markup compared to other stores....One of my classes had a used book for $150....USED! I bought it online for $80 and will put it back for sale after the semester.

One more thing! MY school had a terrible buy back policy....They gave hardly anything back for buy backs.

 

[MrsPete]

Here's the techniques I used when I was in college -- of course, we didn't have the internet back then, so I'm sure better methods can be incorporated:

Knowing that used books were limited, I'd go to the book store as soon as possible and I'd buy as many used books as I could. Then I'd search the bulletin boards for an individual selling that same book cheaper. I'd also refrain from writing in the books or removing any plastic wrap until AFTER the first class (sometimes the professor changed his mind about books, or sometimes a mistake was made, or sometimes I decided to drop the class). IF I found the books cheaper, I returned them to the bookstore. If not, I had the advantage of having bought the cheapest book.

Sometimes I shared books with dorm friends; this, of course, is not the most convenient method, but when the book costs $75 and you're paying your own way . . . well, you make do, take turns, and stay up late sometimes.

Sometimes I checked books out of the library, renewed them as often as possible, and just expected to pay some fines. It was still less than buying the books. This was especially useful in English classes.

For English classes, I was able to buy novels at the mall less expensively than I could buy them at the college bookstore.

I loved it when the professor put the books into the library's reading-room, which meant you could check out the book, but you could not remove it from the room -- you had to do all your reading right then, right there. Usually professors did this only when they'd required multiple books for a certain class, and they only required 1-2 chapters of each book to be read. Sometimes I xeroxed those chapters; sometimes friends xeroxed them and I shared.

At the end of the semester, I never sold my books back to the bookstore. It went something like this: You'd buy the book for $75. They'd buy it back from you for $4.50, and they'd sell it as a used book for $60. These numbers are NOT exaggerated. I hope that the advent of the internet has forced them to be more fair in their buy-back prices.

Obviously, this was NOT A DEAL, so I did what everyone else did: I'd put up signs offering my used books for sale; everyone on campus searched high and low for these used books, and we usually sold them for about 50% of the new price.

 

[mountdew1]

Most campus bookstores will guarantee that the books they have for sale are the ones that the professor has required. There may be more that are needed, and not all classes may be available, but what they have is good. If not, they take it back. Typically they won't let you return books after a certain point without a drop slip. Check your receipt and/or posted signed for specific details. Local non-school run bookstores may have slightly cheaper new books, but tend to have a much smaller used selection. Most of the cost of a new book is handed down by the publisher with not much wiggle room for a brick and mortar store. That is the only way to be sure you get the right books. Get there early for the best used selection, and as a PP said, don't mangle the books. You will get more back if they are in good shape than if you scribbled all over them.
You can usually find decent deals for new/used books posted on the walls all over campus. People who used the book last year will sell it for less than the bookstore, because it is significantly more than they would have gotten back.
Amazon and Half.com are usually good resources too. HOWEVER, you need to be very careful to make sure you get the right edition. Many math and computer books get bootlegged over in Asia in Paperback form when they were only legally published in hard cover. Editing may be sloppy at best, and if you are told to read a certain set of pages, your copy may have different material in those sections due to formatting. However, you usually can luck out and find decent deals. If you know someone else in the same class, you may be able to get away with buying an older copy, just make sure to check that any in book assignments are the same. I.E. 2+4 in 1st edition, but 2+5 in second.
A few thoughts - keep in mind what books you are buying. You are much more likely to keep books in your major than other classes. So you may benefit by having a new hard cover copy that will last you 20-30 years instead of a used and abused copy that dies 2 years in. English classes, definitely check local libraries, and if you live within driving distance to school, possibly have your parents check out the books at the local library, then meet half way for dinner and pass the books on to the student as the college library may likely be checked out/reserved. Failing that, definitely buy them on Amazon/B&N instead of at the campus store and save a bundle.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

half.com is great

that is who I use as well most of the time. I usually send my DD into the school book store to get the ISBN off the book then go onto half.com..

 

[a1970model]

**Sorry my hyperlinks don't work... not enough posts yet.

I'm almost done with graduate school, so I've definitely had some experience in this department! Plus, I'm getting ready to hunt down books for my daughter next semester... here's some tips:

1. Once you have a class list, go into the college's bookstore and find out what books are needed for each class. The books are usually organized there by class numbers. Make your own book list. (Sometimes, you can email the professors through the school's website and ask directly what books will be required for the classes. I've always found them to be very helpful. This could be beneficial if your child is going away to college and you can't just go browse the bookstore.)

2. Once you have a list of books, hit the internet. Go to allbookstores.com and search for the books. You'll get a comprehensive list of where the new/used book is selling across the internet with prices, to include shipping. (This site includes all on-line bookstores, including half.com, ebay.com, etc.) I have always been able to get the cheapest price this way.

3. Do it now! As you get closer to the semester, more people will be looking for books and you could pay more. Most people aren't looking on eBay right now for that book they'll need this fall!

4. Sometimes, you can get away with a previous edition for a book. Once, there was a $90 difference between the current edition and the previous edition. I checked the text's website and found that the only changes seem to be a reorganization of about three chapters. I bought the cheaper edition and didn't have any problems. It's a risk... but sometimes it pays off.

5. Check with paperbackswap.com for the books. I've found some texts at that website before and they didn't cost me anything!

6. Never underestimate eBay. I had a class once where I plunked down $75 for a book on British politics at the univ. bookstore. The 19-year-old kid sitting in front of me walked in the next day with an identical copy that he found on eBay for $2. Oh, the lessons we can learn from the young.

Good luck! You're smart to jump on it now!

 

[decaff38]

I have done the book shopping for 2 kids for 4 years. Most often it is $500.00 per semester for NEW books. I go to the book store or online to the college site( sometimes they have the info I need) and find the ISBN numbers, title, author, edition, and copyright date. I then go on to the internet to :

bigwords.com, half.com., amazon.com, bestbookbuy.com or just do a google search.

and look for the books I need. Usually I have gotten them for half the price of the new. Then I sell them back on the half.com or amazon.com and it usually costs about 125.00 a semester. We have had good experiences overall. I was nervous about an international edition but it was exactly the same with a paper cover. My daughter has also borrowed books from friends that had taken the classes and paid them 25.00. They loved it. I then would offer to sell their books for them. I am in the process of getting the books for fall semester for each daughter. The Freshman's books are about 480.00 new. So far I have the total down to 210.00. I do expect it to go lower. The nice thing will be that her books will be moved right into her dorm room with all her other things in Aug. If you really do run into a problem you can buy the new one on line ( Barnes and Noble ) or at the bookstore on campus. Best of luck for you!!! It is really a treasure hunt some times.

 

[mrsboz]

Subscribing. . . . thanks for the GREAT ideas!

 

[luvtheduck]

Thanks so much for all of the help. I will look at the college's website and get all of the pertinent information for each course and go from there. I knew people on this board would have the answers I needed. Thanks again.

 

[torinsmom]

I used to check some of my textbooks out at the library. I also bought the previous edition, if the professor said that would work. Usually there have only been a few changes anyway. That can save you 75%. I also shared books with friends. Whatever it takes to save some money, you can bet I did it! LOL

Marsha

 

[pipermae]

Check with your college bookstore and find out when their USED book sale starts. Go on the day it starts to get the best selection. Here's how our's works:

Example:
New Book - $100
Used Book - $60
Buy the used book for $60.
They will buy back used book for half of new price at end of class - $50.
End cost to you - $10.

Note: They will normally only buy back the book for 50% of new price if the book will be used the following semester. If it is not going to be used the next semester, they might give you $5 for the book, then they will ship it to another college to sell that will be using it.

Wow, I want to go wherever you go/went. If I buy a used and they use it the next semester, they still only give me $5. The most I've ever gotten back for a book is probably $20 for my psych. book. And I spend between $500-$600 a semester. Hopefully I'll never have to spend more than that.

Maybe it just depends on where you go. I use places like half.com, amazon.com, & abebooks. It's harder to find certain books depending on the major. Some of the time you have to buy it at the school because one of the professors or teachers there wrote it, so be sure to double check.

 

[dsanner106]

Wow, I want to go wherever you go/went. If I buy a used and they use it the next semester, they still only give me $5. The most I've ever gotten back for a book is probably $20 for my psych. book. And I spend between $500-$600 a semester. Hopefully I'll never have to spend more than that.

Maybe it just depends on where you go. I use places like half.com, amazon.com, & abebooks. It's harder to find certain books depending on the major. Some of the time you have to buy it at the school because one of the professors or teachers there wrote it, so be sure to double check.



It doesn't matter so much where you go as when you get to the buyback. Nearly every college store follows the same formula.

100.00 New book
75. 00 Used book (25 percent off)

50.00 buyback price no matter whether you bought new or used.(1/2 of new)

The bookstore sets a limit on how many they buy at half based on enrollment for the next term. Once the limit is reached, the computer switches to purchase the book for wholesale companies like Barnes and Noble and others. They pay the national value of the book based on age, supply and demand, and condition. The bookstore ships your book off and is re-imbursed the amount paid to you. The bookstore generally loses money on textbooks or makes very little profit, this is why the majority of college stores have not been able to survive and are leased to Barnes or another company, ask the next time you are in your bookstore who actually owns the store. Yes, this formula means your friend on monday perhaps gets 50.00 for you math book and on wednesday you get 10.00. Your book is destined for a box, not the shelf.

 

[BostonTink85]

Our bookstore, like many others in our area, is run by Barnes and Noble. For the buyback, they always do 50% of whatever you bought it for. So if you bought a used book for $50, at the end of the semester you'd get $25, not half the price of the new.