Buying Textbooks

Once you get to college, one of the first big purchases you’ll make is your textbooks.  Like tuition and fees, textbooks are a required cost.  Unlike tuition and fees, you CAN have an impact on how much textbooks cost.Once you get to college, one of the first big purchases you’ll make is your textbooks.  Like tuition and fees, textbooks are a required cost.  Unlike tuition and fees, you CAN have an impact on how much textbooks cost.

New college students often don’t know several things they need to about textbooks, in order to make the wisest buying decisions.  They don’t know things like:  Some professors lecture straight out of the book, while others won’t use it at all.  Your professor may have written the book themselves, and she may have to use a book she doesn’t like at all.  You may need to buy one book for a class, or you might need twelve!  Your books could be hard-cover textbooks, paperback workbooks, spiral-bound study guides, bundled pages from the copy center, solutions manuals, CD’s or DVD’s, a subscription to a newspaper, or who knows what else (or a combination).  And one book, by itself, could cost over $200.00!

At the beginning of each semester, you’ll buy books for your classes and you’ll choose where to buy them.  You could choose a ‘brick and mortar’ store or buy online.  Even if your school is small and only has one bookstore, you can buy from an online retailer like Amazon.com or any of the dozens of others (of course, you have to plan for shipping time).

Unless you have more money than you know what to do with, here’s what I suggest you do.

Go to class first and buy what your professor says you should.
Ask your professor specifically about any ‘optional’ texts, and whether to buy them or not.
Go online and comparison shop for the best prices (at local and online stores). Provided you’ve planned ahead and have the time, you can buy your books at the store where you get the best total price or where you get the best price on each individual book. Buying where you get the best individual price will take longer, but ensure you save the most money.
Search the school newspaper and bookstore web sites for coupons and special deals to further seek the best price.
Buy used textbooks (as opposed to new), but dig through the pile and choose a ‘little used’ copy.
Don’t buy school supplies where you buy textbooks. Go to Wal Mart, Staples, Big Lots, etc.
Plan to keep all textbooks related to your major and sell back the rest at the end of the semester
Shop around for the best price at buyback time. Again, choose either the best total price or best individual price. Again, look for coupons or specials.
If you don’t like the price you are offered by bookstores, consider making a flyer and selling them directly to students who need that class/book next semester. Choose a price between what the bookstore offered you and what they will be charged to buy it used.

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