21 Ways to Save on College Textbooks
It's no secret that college costs are soaring and one of the biggest offenders to a student's wallet is textbooks. So, to avoid any unpleasant surprises, following are some great ways to save money on textbooks!
- Get into contact with your professor and find out which books are actually NEEDED to complete the assignments. Often professors include additional reading material that may not be necessary to the course. Cutting those can help save you plenty of money.
- Email your professor before the semester starts and ask them to take price into consideration. A lot of times, professors don't even take this into consideration when deciding on books for the class.
- Look for off-campus bookstores. The book store on campus will usually mark prices up much higher than necessary.
- Buy used textbooks. There's not much reason to buy a new book, especially if you don't plan on cracking the thing open after the class is over with.
- Sell your textbooks when you've finished a class to help pay for the next book.
- Borrow if possible. You're not the only person to have taken the class. Post a bulletin and see if anyone is willing to lend it to you.
- Trade with other students. If you've got a Chem book someone's looking for and they've got that Calculus book you need, offer a trade.
- Go to the library. Most libraries have the required textbooks and will lend them to you - usually for in-library use only - for a specific period of time. The upside is that your study time will be more focused and you'll have saved money on books!
- Rent your textbooks instead of buying them. There are more and more websites offering this service, but check out www.textbookflix.com.
- Look for coupons in your free student newsletter.
- Since you usually know which classes you are taking next semester, stand at thte door of that class before their finals begin. Offer $20 with anyone willing to sell you a book on the spot. Most people are "over" the class and might take it. Don't be afraid to negotiate. You can also sometimes place a note on the door. I will buy your book...but don't put price on note, let them call you.
- Buy the international version of books. These are often exactly the same with only a few foreign characters at the front. If you get the UK versions, you don't have to worry about the foreign characters and you can still save a little money.
- Look into e-books. Sometimes the campus may offer e-books at no cost or at a reduced cost. You don't have a physical book, but it can save you money.
- Textbook.com offers free shipping.
- Abebooks.com offers some really cheap deals on most books.
- Half.com offers a comparison for several sites and an auction feature that can help save money.
- Cheaptextbooks.com is just like it sounds, though Abe can usually out-price them.
- Take a class with a friend and split the cost of the textbook. When you sell it back, split that too.
- If you can get away with it, buy previous editions. These are almost always the same with some minor changes added. Check with your professor if you're unsure.
- Form a small group of students all taking the same classes, i.e. French, Physics, English Composition, etc. Each person in the group buys one book for a different class - so one buys the French book, one buys the Physics book, etc. Alternate the books between the members as needed.
- As a last resort, consider Xeroxing the pages that you need for the course.
As the old adage goes, there are many ways to skin a cat. And now you know at least 21 alternative ways to get your textbooks without spending a fortune!