Find Cheap(er) College Textbooks Online
Your Three Sources for All Your Textbook Needs
While you probably don't want to buy textbooks that are marked up, don't rule out buying used on-line. Frequently you can find brand new books listed as "like new" in the used section! The on-line used cost is significantly discounted from the standard 25% discount the school bookstore will offer you.
Once you have your textbook list, check out these resources:
BOOKFINDER (www.bookfinder.com)
The first place you should look. The interface isn't pretty, but it's easy to use and if you know the ISBN you can click advanced search and find your book quickly. If the book is online, Bookfinder will find it! They always list both new and used prices, including s/h charges and search the major online resources (Amazon, Halfprice, etc) and independent retailers or consortiums (ABE.books, etc.). The major drawback is that listers are not required to put the condition of the books -- sometimes you have to weed through a lot of them without knowing what the individual seller's policies are. However, I have never been even slightly unhappy with a book I ordered via their site. VERDICT: If you have time, you can find the best prices here.
AMAZON (www.amazon.com)
The standard source for many discounted books, you can often find new course books (particularly for literature and history classes) cheaper than a used copy at your school bookstore. If you purchase used, a few caveats: first, buyers with a feedback rating of 98% are generally reliable but read the listing carefully; second, only buy books that are listed in "like new" or "very good" condition; third, if you return 5 books over the course of your lifetime (regardless of whether the seller misrepresented them), Amazon will freeze your account; fourth, shipping times are within 21 days, but the actual shipping time depends on the seller's efficiency. These policies make Amazon a great, quick resource, but not necessarily the most reliable one. VERDICT: If you're only interested in new books, your only stop. If you prefer used, buy carefully but fairly confidently.
COURSE SMART (www.coursesmart.com)
Run by a group of major textbooks makers, this new site experiments with the future of textbooks: online, rental access. Instead of purchasing a hardcopy of the text, students can download or view the text online. There are a number of options: renting the "eTextbook" (which you can then only view online) for about 50% off the retail price, downloading the entire textbook for about 75% of the retail price or purchasing chapter by chapter. For Science books supplements (like answer keys or workbooks), this might provide students with a convenient option. However, the booklist is weak (focusing mostly on hard sciences) and they currently (Fall, 2007) have only one literature textbook; their writing handbook selection is more comprehensive, but barely. VERDICT: Consider your familiarity with computers and how much you will need the book in class before buying.
Published by tasloi
Voracious reader of news, finance and blogs. Interested in environment, politics, health, academics, art and so forth. View profile
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- Bookfinder: Most comprehensive, cheapest prices. Condition descriptions not always included.
- Amazon: New prices often equal bookstore used prices. Be careful with used selection.
- Course Smart: New kid on the block. Offers download and chapter by chapter purchasing.
7 Comments
Post a CommentI couldnt stand how much I had to pay for books on top of tuition. To Buy College Textbooks at a fair price, I went to cheapestcollegetextbooks.com and got the prices that every student deserves. Not only did I get a fair price, but I got the most up-to- date edition for all of my classes.
I have been using https://www.valorebooks.com/ for my textbook purchases while at college. They are always fast and very reliable. I also used a coupon code VAL233 that gave me 5% off my entire purchase. The code doesn't expire so you will be able to use it and save as well.
We use Chegg to rent textbooks instead of buying them and save a lot of money! I wanted to share a promotional code that your readers can use to get a discount on their text order. Put in the code when ordering and hit the "apply" button. The code also gives you back an additional $5 when selling Chegg your used texts.
The code does NOT have an expiration date so it can be used at anytime. Here it is:
CC123047
Feel free to pass this to anyone who wants to save money!
When available I purchase older edition books and used textbooks and have saved a reasonable amount of money.
While I have successfully used a few of the sites listed here I would like to add one of my favorites http://www.WholesaleCollegeTextbooks.com . The site caries a number of US Edition and International Edition college textbooks that are priced well below discounted books on other sites. The trick with International Edition College Textbooks is that although they have the same content as US books they are typically printed on paperback and often in black and white print in order to save the cost of manufacturing.
If you are lucky and they carry your textbooks it will save lots of money but make sure you have ample time because it can take up to 2 weeks to get delivery.
Dealoz is a book search engine that searches hundreds of sites selling books, including Amazon and even eBay. Your best deal will be returned. The site has saved me a lot of money. I no longer head straight to Amazon because they are not always the cheapest.
As the mother of two college students who will be starting a new semester in less than a month, I really appreciate this article!
Ha, yeah I remember when I paid $700 one semester on my books. It was a very sad day. I vowed not to let that happen again. So I smartened up and started to buy my books online. I found some cool book price comparison search engines that search like Amazon, Half, Barnes, etc. for me and return me the lowest price. The one I use now, a nice Web 2.0 one, is called SmartBookFinder.com for my discount books. I recommend you check it out, it sure as heck saved me some money.