Best places to buy textbooks for college?

[fortheboys]

I buy all my textbooks online (I've used most of the sources already mentioned and they are all excellent) - last term I had 3 classes, and the books would have cost almost $400. I got them all online for $48 total including shipping. I almost always buy older editions, but prior to doing so, I e-mail the prof. to see if that is OK. 99% of the time they don't care. Also, if the book has software or a pin for online access, ask the prof if you will need it. I've found that none of my profs use the software! Also, there are several companies online that will buyback your books, but be prepared to wait a few months for a check! They offer alot more than the booksstore does, and they prepay your shipping!

 

[englishteacha]

If you decide to buy from the bookstore, go 2 weeks or so before classes start. I was able to buy just about all my books used, even the ones for my major. Once classes start, the bookstore is a zoo! In some cases, I bought the books, then sauntered to the used bookstore downtown to see if they had it cheaper. I bought novels for my English classes there for $1 each. I found a very battered one that was crazy expensive new for $1 at the used bookstore, and I didn't feel bad about writing in it or highlighting. (It has a colorful picture on the cover, and the previous owner drew a handlebar mustache on the person. Admittedly, my classmates thought my copy was a bit silly, but they all had their pretty bookstore books and were very uncomfortable writing/highlighting in them!)

 

[pipermae]

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.

Maybe I should stop keeping my books to study and return them on the first day. Haha.

 

[japajsm]

I have a few suggestions:

You can also try Craigs List for your area.

Also, as a few others have said, you need to go early if you plan on buying used books from the college book store because the supply is limited. You can get some used books that are in excellent condition. Just take a few minutes to check on the condition of the book - look for excessive highlighting, answers, torn pages, make sure that there is a cd if one there is supposed to be one, etc.

Check Border's to see if they have any of the books that he will need. They often have 20%, 25%, 30%, etc. coupons that you can use. Check online to see the availability in the stores around you before going.

Hopes this helps. Good luck.

 

[tinkerbell615]

I used to be able to go to the college website and get the books with the ISBN #s to purchase DSs books online at half.com or amazon. But... about two years ago, I guess the school got wise to that game and stopped putting the ISBN #s on their site. Now they list the name, author and edition and I search for them that way. A little more work but it usually pays off.

I also agree that selling them online nets you back the most money for your used book. DS has done it a couple of times, but should start doing it again as he has tons of books from previous classes in his closet right now. I will tell you that he called me once and I thought he was kidding when he told me that he sold a used book back to the college bookstore that we paid about $50.00 for and they gave him .90. Not Kidding!!! They gave him ninety cents. He has never sold another book back to the bookstore. I would rather they sit in the closet and he keep them for his future reference than to sell them back to the school at such a loss!

 

[hellow]

I don't appear to be having as much luck....

Of the 3 books my daughter needs (freshman this year), one of them includes a CD, the Chemisty and Geography book says it is "Custom for OSU", and then they also include an OWL access card and media access code. Sounds like they are trying to make it more and more difficult to go anywhere but the school bookstore.

I checked the price for the non-custom book with a CD at some of the used sites, and they are really not much less than what her college bookstore shows (as used)--only a savings of $10. So, I think this term, we will just go to the bookstore early and try to snag the used books.

The other thing my older daughter has done is share books with close friends. That has seemed to work out well for all.

 

[Teacher03]

Thanks for the tips! My daughter just went online and rented a math book for only $14.99 (shipping included) that she would have paid $95 used from the campus bookstore. She has an art class that the total price from the book store is over $250 so we are in search of that!

 

[dj2]

if the ISBN matches, does that mean it's the same edition? in other words, do different editions have different ISBN's?

 

[did2008]

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.

not all colleges give you 50%--mine don't. At the most, they give 40%, but most of the time 20%. Also, invest in a dollar bottle of Goo Gone at the Dollar Tree. Also, you might want to sell your books back on amazon.com, half.com, or craigslist and sell it for 50% or more. Usually they'll sell and you'll make profit.

 

[disneygirl_wdw]

When I was a Freshman I bought books from the school and did all throughout HS but then a professor told me to buy them from Amazon or somewhere online for cheaper books. I did and it has saved me a lot of money. Some professors don't care what edition it is either. Make sure you email the professor, because sometimes the bookstore says the book is required and a couple of cases it has not been. I usually buy from amazon or half.com. The only problem is with some of the math classes you have to the cd, just email the professor and they will tell you whether or not it's required. My sister still in HS buys most of hers online now. We just look at the price and judge if it is cheaper including shipping, if not we buy it from the bookstore. More often than not it is. Any special books or lab suppliments we have to buy from the bookstore like lab packs and such. Also for literature and philosophy classes I have got my books from the library. Just don't check it out until you almost need it and return it after the exam. A lot of students wish they had thought of that when they asked why my book was different on the cover. Most of those books people never read again.

 

[Evi]

When I was in university I would go to the bookstore and price out all my text books the semester before classes started. I would confirm with instructors from the class I was taking what text books would be being used. I would then compare the cost of buying them new or used and also find out how much I would get if I sold them back to the bookstore. Then at the end of a semester the last day of a class I was taking the next semester I would walk into a class just as it finished and offer something like maybe 5 bucks more then the bookstore offered for a buyback book I usually ended up saving like 50 bucks vs buying used. I also used to post a listing of books I needed on bulletin boards with my price offer and a number to call me. I only bought books new when I new I wanted to keep them for myself. Then when a class was over I would save my book and go to a class the first day and offer to sell it for like 5-10 bucks less then the bookstore sold them used I usually actually made money on my books or broke even doing this.

Good luck was fun to remember how broke I was =)

 

[dis-happy]

subscribing

 

[disneyleslie]

Thanks for the tips! My daughter just went online and rented a math book for only $14.99 (shipping included) that she would have paid $95 used from the campus bookstore. She has an art class that the total price from the book store is over $250 so we are in search of that!
__________________
How do you rent a book online???

Thanks
Leslie

 

[kellia]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but www.campusi.com is a great tool to search for books (movies, games, etc, too) and it will show you the cheapest prices for those books. I also have gotten college books on Craigslist.

 

[Teacher03]

Thanks for the tips! My daughter just went online and rented a math book for only $14.99 (shipping included) that she would have paid $95 used from the campus bookstore. She has an art class that the total price from the book store is over $250 so we are in search of that!
__________________

How do you rent a book online???

Thanks
Leslie

chegg.com.....it allows you to rent books by the quarter or the semester. My daughter is on semesters, so the book has to be returned by December 22.

 

[Fyrefly]

ISBN is like the fingerprint of the book - no two different books can have the same one. If I recall correctly it is now a law that the ISBN must be provided. There was a big stink when I was doing my undergrad because my school like many others wouldn't provide them so you didn't know for certain if you were getting the same book if you bought one elsewhere. Plenty of students were signing petitions to lawmakers to get that changed and it happened my junior year.

You're best off buying directly from another student as people have said, more money back for them, less than the bookstore price for you.

Some Universities are serviced by http://www.bookholders.com/ University of Maryland where I went was the flagship school for that. It's basically a consignment shop, students drop off their books and set their prices online and other students buy them while Bookholders takes a fee. They do ship anywhere so you can buy even if you aren't at a school, but the selection tends to be limited to the required texts for those schools' classes so if your school is using a different one you are out of luck.

After I moved away from there I do a mix of Amazon/Amazon Marketplace/Used from the school bookstore, whichever is cheaper. Lots of stuff like lab texts are published by the school and have to be bought there, and if things like software keys are required you need to buy used.

I found it just easier like some PP's to expect 100-150 per class and if I got lower that was a bonus. It's impossible and far too depressing to expect I'll get a good deal on any given year.

Also if you are in a STEM field, KEEP YOUR BOOKS. The bookstore won't give you pocket lint for them, and you will most likely keep referencing them. I kept everything and throughout my undergraduate degree I was often referring to my old calc and differential equations texts for advanced courses. Now that I'm in grad school I still refer back to a healthy number of my books. I'd rather keep the $100 book on the chance it's useful then get $10 for it now, and a year or two down the line be out of luck when I wish I could look something up.

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

Bumping this up..We just got my dd's schedule and the spanish book is $239 new/$179 used!!!..I'm going to check out the websites listed here..in the meantime, anyone have any new info that would be useful for us with our first child going to college? Thanks

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

DealOz.com is another site that lists all the book sellers for a particular book, plus shipping costs and coupons so you can get the best deal. Just plug in your ISBN #s and your off. I ahve used it the past 3 years without a problem.

 

[theelfqueen]

I like addall.com for comparison shopping the used books sites.

 

[Pigeon]

Please don't plan to get text books from the library unless you've talked to the staff first. The library probably specifically does not collect text books, it's not the mission. They might coincidentally have a copy of a text, but it will likely be subject to recall and you may have to return them just when you need them.