How to Save Money on College Textbooks
December 4, 2007 – 3:44 pm
I remember term after term I would have to shell out hundreds on college textbooks. It seemed universities had us over a barrel in terms of extracting what little cash we had to purchase required textbooks. Here’s a few simple tips that can help you save hundreds possibly more on textbooks over the life of your student years.
1. Get the syllabis and required reading list as early as you can so you can snap up used textbooks before they run out and you have to purchase brand new copies.
2. Go online to book comparison shopping engines and check for discounted textbooks. You might also try ebay as well. Purchasing your college text books online is often much cheaper than purchasing them through the college bookstore.
3. If you or your friends are planning to purchase quite a few textbooks from Amazon consider going in on an Amazon prime account. Do the math first to see if this really makes sense. Sometimes bookstores have flat fees for shipping so at a minimum try to purchase your books together so you can cut down on shipping charges.
4. Do you have a friend going for the same degree? If so plan on alternating your classes with her. This way you can buy one book for the two of you.
5. Start a book exchange. The beauty of courses within your degree is that most of the students in your class are going to be taking the same courses you are. Before the end of the semester offer to gather a list of emails from students. Ask them to email you a list of their current text books then put together a master digest of everyone’s current books to facilitate exchanges.
6. When it comes time to sell your books don’t just sell them to the college bookstore, go online and see who will offer you the best price. Also consider selling them yourself directly on Amazon or Ebay.
Got any other great tips on saving money on college text books, drop us a line in the comments section.