How to Not Spend a Fortune on Textbooks

It seems an undeniable fact: Your college bookstore will charge you more than you want to pay for textbooks. They often sell used books, but sometimes at a hardly discounted price. Last year I bought a Statistics book that was $92 new and $90 used. And by “used”, I should say “abused”, because sometimes those books look ready for corrective surgery. Even worse--those used books are in high demand and limited supply. Sometimes there’s only a few available, and that’s a lot to compete for in a university setting of thousands of students.

This is my quick guide* to buying textbooks on the Internet. I hope it saves you money, because nobody enjoys shelling out $500 on books that they might not even need in four months’ time.

First, if you can, look for textbooks before the semester starts. I gave myself a week before classes to start looking. On my school’s website, in the bookstore section, there’s a place where you can order books. Well to heck with that, I just need the titles and off I go to a cheaper source.

ABE Books: www.abebooks.com
ABE is a great bookseller. Many books (occasionally even texts) are listed at $1.99 plus shipping. You can also search using the books’ ISBNs.

Alibris/Textbooks.com: www.alibris.com www.textbooks.com
These sites specialize in used books and offer search by ISBN.

Amazon: www.amazon.com
Amazon is a popular place book buying place. You also have the option to search via ISBN number** (more info on this at the bottom of this blog).

BetterWorld: www.BetterWorld.com
I like these folks because not only do they have competitive prices, they also donate money to promote literacy.

Campusi:www.campusi.com
Like cheapesttextbooks, this site compiles data from other sources.

Cheapesttextbooks: www.cheapesttextbooks.com
This is basically a search engine that looks at a handful of sites that sell texts, and arranges it so you can compare and contrast prices on that page. It’s worth checking out, but isn’t always accurate.

Chegg: www.chegg.com
Textbooks you can rent that are sent to you in the mail. Pretty sweet.
EBay: www.ebay.com
EBay, the popular auction site, is one way to get books. You can find them via auction or Buy-It-Now. If you need your books in a hurry, consider looking only at books marked Buy-It-Now.

Half.com (sponsored by eBay):
www.Half.com
Just check out the name and you’ve got the idea.

Powells:www.Powells.com
Same idea like the rest of them, but might not be the best source for texts.

Book buying alternative: Buy e-books! TomorrowToday mentioned in a comment in a previous blog that some course books are offered online for half the price as e-books. For books you only need to read chapters for out-of-class, this might be a good idea. You'll have access to it via the Internet for approx. 180 days (more than a semester's worth)
Try this link for e-books:
www.coursesmart.com

There’s more out there, but you’ll have to find the rest on your own. Just type in “textbooks” in that Goodsearch search box and be on your way.

Also, GoodShop! If you go to your book buying site through GoodShop and buy a textbook, money will be donated to ProgressiveU. Go to www.goodsearch.com or www.goodshop.com, find the appropriate site, whether it’s Alibris, Ebay, ABE, Amazon, or another, and click that link. You will need to have indicated ProgressiveU (San Mateo) as your charity of choice on the Goodsearch main page.

More stuff to keep in mind:

Shipping: Be aware of what you’re paying for shipping.

Also, know whether or not you need the book right away. If a seller ships a book via “media mail” it’ll be cheap shipping, but slow; it may take up to three weeks to get to you because it’s subject to inspection (though I usually get mine in a week or so).

One or two sites don’t list shipping at all. Some list it at the end, at checkout, but don’t worry. It’s usually $3.

Condition: New, Like New, Good, Fair, Bad. New is unread. Like New is a used book that looks new. Good--expect some markings or minimal wear. Fair--let’s hope you’re not that desperate.

This is the most important part!
Edition/Publishing Year: Make sure you’re getting the right edition! New editions may contain changes or new info. This also concerns knowing your…

**… ISBN number. This can usually be found near the barcode on the back of the book. An ISBN is great for locating the right book right away.
Too good to be true? Then ask: Is it the right year? Condition? Shipping Cost?

Don‘t judge a book by its cover. Sometimes sellers use stock photos provided by the site for their listing. The picture may show the wrong (or right) edition.

* This never ends up being “quick”, but this is a condensed version of an earlier blog.

Thanks for reading, and good luck in your textbook hunting adventures!
Note: Some links and information was due to helpful hints from ProgressiveU members TomorrowToday, Fallon, mvenus929, Reboloke, and sawaboof.