Textbooks for less money. Now that would be helpful!
When I went back to school some years ago I expected tuition to be higher, and it was.
That wasn’t a shock, though. I know that tuition goes up every year and how expensive it is. I was prepared for that.
Know what shocked me? I was shocked at how expensive textbooks had become! Let me tell you, textbooks are not cheap! Well, not for those that don’t know the tricks for cheaper textbooks.
I found that some textbooks were easily $100+, some lots more. I quickly realized I had to figure out how to get cheaper textbooks! Read on and you’ll see 10 tricks that can save you a LOT on your college textbooks.
Here are some great ways to save on your college textbooks and get textbooks for less:
1. Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble
I check these places first to get an idea of what used copies of the textbook is going for (used textbooks are the way to go since new ones tend to be full price). I like the interfaces on these sites and since I’ve already been using them for years I trust them. I’ve bought books from both and have never had any problems. The books were clean and showed up on time. With Amazon you get to search third-party sellers and you can see their review ratings to get an idea about a company’s or individual’s business.
2. Online used textbook company
In recent years a ton of used textbook companies have emerged, offering up used copies of textbooks at significant discounts. It’s worth checking out these sites for both the discounts and because sometimes an edition can be hard to find and only these companies have a copy.
For sure this is similar to getting a book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble but I separate them out here since they strictly deal in textbooks. When you research your book make sure you have the ISBN code so you get a correct match.
Some reputable used textbook sellers to check out are: Bookbyte and eCampus.
3. Rent the textbook
A new type of textbook company has sprung up – the textbook rental company. (OK, it’s not really that new these days, but I still come from the days of paper books.)
The idea here is you rent the textbook for one semester then return it. This way you don’t have to concern yourself with selling a book after the class ends or being stuck with the book if the edition changes before the next semester. Make sure you return the book or you could be charged full price for it. Sometimes you have the option to extend your rental for a period of time as well. Some textbook rental companies to check out are: Chegg, College Book Renter, BookRenter, and Campus Book Rentals.
Another company I have used is CengageBrain. I had an economics class that required the book from them and I had to do the homework through their portal.
4. Get the Online Edition
Many publishers are taking advantage of advances in technology, what with the growing tablet and laptop market, and are offering up online editions of their books.
This could be great if you’d rather not deal with carrying another 15-pound textbook around with you. Pull up your book on your iPad, or other device, and you have your textbook at your fingertips.
I’ve seen publishers do different things with online editions. Some give you a copy of the book that’s yours to keep while others give you access to the book for the semester (you’re basically renting the book online). There may be instances where you need a certain program to use the book or you need to access it through the publisher’s site.
Usually, the online edition ends up cheaper than the hardcopy.
Lately, I’ve been renting ebook editions on Amazon. I own a Kindle and have the Kindle app on my iPhone as well as on my Mac. I always have a copy of the textbook with me to read! The drawback is some editions don’t work as well across different formats. Still, I’ve found this to be a cheaper way to get a textbook in many cases!
Take a look on Amazon.com.
5. Notices in School
I always see notices up on boards in the hallways from students selling their books from last semester. Keep an eye out and you can snag a textbook at a deep discount and you can also pick the seller’s brain about how the class was!
6. Library
Most teachers will have at least one copy of the textbook on reserve in the school library. If you have the time to get to the library, this can be a great way to save on the textbook. Keep in mind though that there may be other people looking for the book too and you can only study from the book while at the library (you usually can’t take them out).
I’ve also had success with e-editions of literature books I was able to borrow from libraries.
7. Go Half With Another Student
Have a friend in class? Make one!
An option for students is to go half on the textbook and share it. This can easily cut your book expense in half on an already discounted used book. Benefit here is expense but the drawback is sharing the book and coming up with a schedule. This plan can also give you a study partner for the semester too!
8. Buy an Older Edition
Sometimes a publisher releases a new edition because the material becomes outdated (imagine a book on the economy the past 30 years!). Other times, though, a publisher releases a new book just to get people to buy more new books.
Publishers know that students buy used textbooks and after some time the publisher isn’t selling new books anymore. Enter the new edition.
But you know what?
Sometimes the new edition doesn’t have much different from the older editions. Maybe the page numbers are off or there are wording differences, but the content is the same.
Talk with your professor and see if the older edition is usable. You can really save significantly here. An older edition can make for one cheap textbook. (I had a professor that gave out homework assignments that included the question numbers from the old edition!)
Do keep in mind that some new editions really do have new content!
9. Buy the International Edition
Did you know that some textbooks have an international edition? And did you know that some of these editions are EXACTLY the same as the U.S. edition in content?
Yup, it’s true.
The only differences may be cosmetic. In my experience, the international edition may have a soft cover rather than a hard cover, which to me is a bonus since the book won’t be as heavy. These books come at a nice discount to the U.S. editions. I mean like pennies on the dollar in some cases!
Make sure that the international edition is, in fact, the same, though. You don’t want to be stuck with a book that is different. Also keep in mind that it could be a little more difficult to sell the book but it may be worth it for the initial discount!
One semester I had to buy a calculus book. I don’t know if it’s true everywhere but it seems calculus books are always expensive. Anyway, I was able to get an international copy of the book I needed that was close to half off. Except for the cover, the book was identical to the U.S. edition.
10. Don’t Buy the Textbook
Talk to your professor. Most times a professor is required to assign a book to the class even though it won’t be used much.
Many times I’ve taken a class and barely cracked open the book. What a waste!
See from the professor how much the book will be used. You may be surprised to find out you don’t need the book. That is significant savings! (I had one professor who told us which textbook we’d use, then basically gave the ole “wink, wink, nod, nod” and inferred that the book wouldn’t really be used.)
Talking to students who took the class before could be useful if the professor won’t give a definite answer (sometimes they have a financial interest in a book). You may be able to get by without the book, go to the library to study, or borrow the book from a fellow student when needed (be nice and chum up to a few students in class).
Finally
Sometimes you have to suck it up and buy a new textbook. (One new twist I’ve seen is that you need a code, CD, or online access for additional work that only comes with a new book.) But most times you can save significantly and get your college textbooks for less with a little bit of research and by shopping around!
Do you have any other tips for getting textbooks for less? What has worked for you?
The two things I did in college that helped me a lot were using the library, which saved me hundreds of dollars over the course of just 1 or 2 semesters, and getting books from students who took the class the previous semester. It helps a lot to have friends in similar majors. I knew 5-10 kids in every class and was always able to get their books for cheap. It saved them the trip to the store (or the effort of trying to sell it online) and it saved me a bunch over the next cheapest price I could get.
Great example why it’s important to network in school!
The other option is buying a book from another student. Or eBay’s half.com is a great resource as well.
I’ll have to look into half.com. Thanks!
Buying them online is a great way to save money. Now more textbooks are starting to come as ebooks that can be printed and will cost even less.
True, but I don’t see ebook prices as being lower than used books just yet.
I use half.com to buy mine at steep discounts and then try to sell them back to the school bookstore (which can mean you get more back than you bought them for). You can get in trouble with older and international editions because your numbering and content may be slightly different than others. However, if you can use the copy in the library for those differences, it should all work in your favor.
Textbook arbitrage!
I used to sell my books back then go buy used CD’s. It seemed like the most bang for my buck at the time (and helped me build up a nice CD collection).
I agree with Jenna and Gobankingrates, Half.com is the cheapest place for the textbooks we couldn’t find at the library 90% of the time.
Why haven’t I looked there before?!? I know I’ll be needing at least one book this semester so I’ll give it a try.
I would also never buy a textbook before the actual class starts. Wait until you have at least been to the first lecture, where the professor will most likely tell everyone whether it is truly necessary to buy the textbook or not.
Plus, utilise you library, most of the time there will be at least a few copies available. You might not be able to hire it for the entire semester, but you may at least be able to hire it at important times, such as when you need to write an assignment, or to study for the exam.
Half.com is an incredible resource! It saved me a ton of money in textbooks.
I used to also go up to the upperclassmen that had the course I was about to take and ask them for their books right after their finals. Nothing beat getting first crack at it when there was such as small pool of books at my small college.
Do a Google search for “free online textbooks,” as there are many textbooks available online. I agree with the posters who mentioned that books are sometimes assigned and hardly used in the course. It’s very expensive and frustrating when you’re given a list of books to buy only to later find out that you don’t really need most of them.
I’ve found tip #10 to be the most useful. I remember I had a nutrition class that “required” a $150 textbook that we never once used. Luckily, I didn’t buy it, but a number of my friends did.
Schools have to make money, I guess. It’s pretty lame, though.
Amazon is amazing! I always find great deals there. But what’s cool is that they just started doing virtual textbook rentals. So you can rent your textbooks and keep them on your Kindle or Laptop, and you only pay for the time you need them! So you not only save money, you save trees and your back too!
I would try not to buy the textbook as often as possible. When I knew that the book was essential I would buy it used and split the cost by sharing the book with another student.
My strategy was to email each prof. before school started and ask them if the older editions of their texts could be used in their classes. Most said that the previous edition was close enough to the newest edition that they could be used instead.
Great idea! I’ve found some professors are really cool with using an older edition. Some though, would rather you get the newest one, usually with minimal updates but I suspect the professor gets a kickback for each sold.
Just had my first day of class! Unfortunately, all my profs want a book. Just bought a copy off Amazon…they were the cheapest after some price checking for my particular edition etc.
Glenn, I’m addicted to Amazon. Just bought a used book today. I go for kindle, new and used and love the convenience.
This doesn’t always work, but in graduate school, I was often able to find books at our public library (‘not the university library, but the convenient county library by my house!).
Great suggestion Jennifer!
I always like to rent the text book. Saves so much money!
Renting does seem convenient.
Renting is REALLY convenient. I started school last fall after a 30-year break, and was amazed to find I could rent textbooks. So, instead of paying $120 for an Economics text, I went to chegg.com and rented it for about $30. It arrived within a few days, and included instructions to save the box it came in.
At the end of the semester, I was able to pack it up in the same box, and then I went to chegg.com and printed the free shipping label off their web site, and dropped it off at a UPS counter. (I use Office Depot for UPS shipping, but any UPS outlet will do.) As soon as Chegg got notified my book was on the way back, they sent me an acknowledgement email that included 10% off my next rental. Couldn’t be easier!
Thanks for sharing your experience. I had one economics textbook that actually held its value by the end of the semester so renting does sound like a good value.
This is a follow-up from my previous comment (which I left quite awhile ago):
Over the past 2 years, I have consistently had great luck with Chegg – I check 4-5 sources every semester before renting, and they have been consistently cheaper than the others. I sincerely hope they don’t change now that their stock has gone public.
One more note – In each of the Econ classes I took last year, at least one student showed up with a text that was not the newest edition. This presented problems for that student, because the problems at the end of each chapter were changed – just slightly – but enough that it was something they had to address in every single chapter. Ugh.
That’s what gets me with updated editions, it’s not that a ton of new info is in the book, it’s just enough that you would need to buy the new one. You always have to ask the professor if an older edition of the book will work.
As a recent graduate, I used a lot of these tips especially the ‘halving with a friend’. My roommate and I shared a lot of courses and we shared most of the books. Kindle also helped a lot since a good number of course readings were available in Kindle editions which were significantly cheaper than the hard cover versions.
The best part is that once the courses were over, we were able to sell most of the books to the incoming students thereby reducing our book costs to bare minimum
Depending on the situation and course you are taking, you might not even need the given textbook really, as most information is available out there free on the Internet if you know how to search for it, so that option might also be worth checking out.
Great post. Our three kids have used many of these ideas through college and now law school. Back in the day in a prior career I was the director of finance for the college textbook division of a publisher and we wouldn’t approve any project where the margins were below 40%. That was in the mid 1980s so read into that what you will.
Wow Roger! I totally believe professors and the colleges are in cahoots with the publishers regarding textbooks. I know it’s still a business but you go to college to learn, not to get swindled on books. Glad to hear your kids have been able to save using tips I’ve listed.
Great tips here, but what about price comparison websites? There are tons of online booksellers (Amazon, Half.com, textbooks.com, etc), which makes it a pain to scour each of those websites for the cheapest price. Using a website like cheapcampusbooks.com, you only have to search the book once to get the prices of the top online bookstores out there. Then it’s a breeze to figure out the best offer available.
Best,
Tom
Lots of good feedback and a very good article. The one thing I see missing is anybody mentioning using a price comparison tool. They collect and display everybody’s prices for both purchase and rental and can be a great time saver and money saver.
Great, i used to take book from my seniors in the college time. I would also suggest to buy a old book from wherever possible because it will help a lot to save money. Thanks for the money saving tips.
I worked in a college bookstore.
Two things I didn’t see: the bookstore will frequently have a “buy back” period at the end of the semester. Buying a copy from another student can be cheaper, but it you’ve bought the book already and don’t want to find someone to sell it to, it’s another option.
If the book is being replaced, the new student may not know that until after they buy your book. Ask the prof or bookstore if there’s a new edition or the book is NOT being used again. If it isn’t being used again, sell it to the bookstore — better than making someone mad at you because you sold them a book they can’t use!
Also, the reason college texts are so expensive? They have to be rewritten, by experts, every 3-5 years. They are heavily illustrated, bound very well — and they almost NEVER make the best seller list so the publishers can spread the production cost through a large number of copies. Unlike what many people think? It isn’t an artificial expense that bookstores, etc. make up so that they can make you pay more.
Thanks for this great ways to save article!
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Thank you for this information! “10 Tricks to Get Textbooks For Less Money”
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