College textbooks don’t have to be expensive to obtain. Every day that I’m scanning Twitter for textbook mentions, 100% I see students complaining about textbook prices, which makes me realize that they haven’t figured out yet there are options other than the student bookstore to purchase books. College is expensive with fixed costs like tuition and fees, room and board, etc. The price of books don’t have to compound everything else. Try these tips to save money on required reading:
Buy Used Books
Sure, it won’t be as pretty or shiny as a new book, but does that really matter? You can purchase a used book through a price comparison site like ours. All you have to do is enter the ISBN and you’re golden. A list of online vendors that carry the book will pop up and you can pick the one you think is right for you. If you’re lucky, you’ll get your hands on a smarty’s book with little nuggets of commentary in the margins. Buying used can typically slash at least 30% off the cover price, or more.
Buy the Last Edition
Publishers have a knack for publishing new editions so that they can continue to make money. Often times, a few pages are added here and there, and it warrants a new edition to be published. They do this to limit the purchase of used or older books. Some professors know this and will tell you that it’s OK to purchase a slightly older edition because not much is different between that one and the current publication, so make sure to check before you plop down some heavy cash for the newest.
Take Care of Your Book
Very important, and mentioned in an older blog post, so I won’t dwell on it too much here. In a nutshell, if you want to get top dollar for your book, keep it in the best condition possible. Avoid writing or highlighting if you can (if you purchased a new book in the first place), and try not to crease it if you can help it.
Sell the Book
This practice is being executed more and more each year. Chances are that unless you’re a math major, you probably won’t need that Calculus book in the future. Go ahead, sell it. It’ll lighten your load and bring in some extra spending money. You can use our price comparison site for that too!
Rent It
This is of course the alternative to buying a book. This option wasn’t around when I was in college, or maybe it was and I just had no clue. In either case, it wasn’t as heavily advertised as it is now. You don’t have to buy books anymore, especially if its the Calculus book you know you’ll be returning. Once again, you don’t need to rent the first one you see. Use our price comparison feature to find the best rental prices for your textbook.
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