Buy College Textbooks Here!
There’s nothing worse than looking at your booklist for your upcoming semester classes only to find out they cost just as much as your tuition! I can definitely relate being a college student myself. I recently checked my booklist and I was caught completely off guard at how expensive only ONE of my books was. The money I saved over the summer was pennies compared to the cost of this one book, let alone my entire booklist! Believe you me, I was stressed out in figuring out how I would come up with the money to pay for all my textbooks and continue to eat for the next month.
In relaying this problem to one of my friends, she suggested I check out some websites that may offer a much better price for the same textbook. I decided to take her advice and man, oh man was she right. Before I offer the list of places I went to to find textbooks, make sure you have a few bits of information handy:
1. Make sure the title and author of the textbook are correct. It is also very helpful in knowing exactly what edition or volume you need for the class as well so you don’t end up buying the wrong one. You don’t need the added hassle of returning items and paying for shipping and handling.
2. Obtain the ISBN number for the textbook if possible. The ISBN number for the textbook you need is a surefire way in making sure you have the EXACT book your professor has specified. Usually, the course syllabus will note what the ISBN number is.
3. Find out if you will need any workbooks or CD-ROMs with your textbook. Many used textbooks do not provide the CD-ROM or workbook that comes with a new textbook. Make sure you check your syllabus or booklist when buying a used book so you know whether or not you need supplemental materials.
Now that you’re ready to find the books you need at a fraction of the price, check out the following sites!
Half.com
Affliated with Ebay, Half.com offers a number of ways to search for books. You can search by entering multiple ISBN numbers at a time or you can search by the author, title or part of the title as well. As far as my searches go, I’ve been able to find a wide variety of books on this website at a considerable cheaper rate than my college bookstore. Also, if Half.com finds your search matches an item on Ebay.com, then those items will be shown at the bottom of the list. That’s a plus! It’s like you’re viewing two websites for the price of one!
Ebay.com
As stated above, Ebay does have some textbooks available on their website. Although I haven’t personally bought any textbooks from Ebay, I have bought a number of other items and have only had very minor setbacks with them. All you would have to do is type in the title of the book in the search box on the home page.
Amazon.com
Perhaps the most popular way to buy textbooks is through Amazon.com. I’ve bought a number of books from Amazon for my graphic design classes and I would definitely recommend this website, hands down. I received all my books within a matter of days – and that wasn’t even because I picked the faster shipping option. All my material has arrived in the condition specified in the description and I haven’t been disappointed once. Their prices were remarkable. I was able to find a handful of textbooks I needed at least a third of the retail price.
BN.com
Barnes and Nobles may not be the obvious choice to buy textbooks but they’re quickly becoming a popular in doing so. I’ve done a lot of shopping with them and have nothing but good experiences to report. I’ve bought a few textbooks through them and they deliver within the nick of time which makes for a great buying experience. If you have a Barnes and Nobles account with them, all the better! Depending on what type of textbook it is, you can get a certain percentage off PLUS get an extra 10% off for being a member! You can sign up online as well!
eCampus.com
This particular search engine is not as popular for me as it may be for other students. I’ve searched for a few textbooks and haven’t found prices that particularly work for my budget. However, I have had a number of friends who have had luck finding great deals. This goes to show that if you don’t try, you’ll never know! Give this website a try and you might find yourself lucky!
CheapestTextbooks.com
Now, this particular website is actually a search engine that is supposed to make your searching for a textbook a lot easier. It actually locates the textbook you are searching for on different websites and allows you to see side by side comparisons from various websites. This can be helpful if you want to side step going to a number of webites and want CheapestTextbooks.com to do the work for you. Be careful, however, because there a number of restrictions to getting some of the deals they offer unless you’re a member with them or are purchasing over a certain amount.
Bookbyte.com
This website looked promising when I went on it but found that most of the books I needed were out of stock. Granted, if I had checked the website perhaps a month or so before the semester started, I might have been able to find more items. But at that point, I wasn’t even sure of what my booklist comprised of since my professors had not updated it yet. Like I’ve stated before, however, it may be useful just to check it out because I did see a wide variety of textbooks they do carry. And yes, they have a stock for used books as well.
Local Library
Of course, many professors require textbooks but you find yourself rarely needing to use it during the semester – for you the local library will come in handy. I have found a few books at my local library that I’ve been able to check out and make copies of homework that I’ve needed to complete. This could be an option to buy time, as well, if you’re saving up money to buy a textbook for yourself.
College Library
The college library is probably the most excellent way to search for your textbook. They usually keep every textbook on hand for those that need to photocopy or check out. Certain departments may have their own library as well, which makes it easier to find a particular book you need. Your college library may be a good choice if you are planning on being on campus a lot and may find time to study for a particular class so you don’t need to buy the textbook. Lucky you.
Hopefully these websites will provide some useful findings for your pocketbook. I know I’ve already saved a bundle checking out these websites and putting my books on order. I hope you’ll find the same luck! Make sure to check out every one of these websites because you never know who may be selling your book at just the right price. Good luck!
