The Total Moron's Guide to Buying Textbooks

It's the start of another semester, and for college students that means a whole new batch of textbooks! We all know textbooks can be pricey, and many people want to save money on books by getting used editions and taking advantage of the new rental option in many college bookstores. After working in a college bookstore during a rush period, I have some (hopefully) helpful insight into the money-saving options in these stores. Here's what you need to know:

Used: If you're searching the shelves for used books, know that most bookstores put all their used books on the shelves, and make an effort to make them as visible and accessible as possible - typically in front and on top of the new editions. They know those are the most desired books. The stores don't hide the used books. I had a lot of people come up to me asking for a used edition of whatever book they needed, and I had to explain many times that if we have it used, it'll be out. If there are no used editions of a book, the store doesn't have any. Plain and simple.

The benefit of buying a used book, over renting or getting an eBook, is that you can sell it back. It's not always certain which option will save you more money in the end. Sellback is often a bit of a gamble, because whether the bookstore will buy the book back depends on whether the professor of that class orders the book for the next semester. Sometimes a bookstore will only buy back a certain number of used books; it depends on how many they need.

Rental: The rental option is a growing trend in college bookstores. You pay a quarter of the list price to use it for one semester, and then return it at the end of the semester. Pretty awesome, right? However, because the rental option is so new, not many publishers are on board with it yet, so not a lot of books are available for rental yet. Basically, you can't just rent any book. It's not the bookstore's fault, they don't make that decision. The books that you can rent will be marked with a sticker, and usually a shelf tag as well, listing the rental price.

If you can rent one (or more) of the books you need, you'll need to go to the store's special checkout area for rental books. The rentals are processed on netbooks; they'll need to enter your name, e-mail, student ID number, and credit card information to have on file. This way, they can remind you when the book needs to be returned, and charge you the price of the book if you fail to return it on time, or if you return it in abysmal condition - don't worry, even if the book is new, you can mark it up and highlight it to a reasonable extent, you just can't trash it. Finally, they'll cover the barcode with a sticker so you can't try to sell the book back.

eBook: eBooks are another great way to save money. Because they're digital and don't have to be printed, they're cheaper than the physical book. You purchase the book in the store, get a code, enter the code online and download the book. You also need to download software to be able to use the eBook on your computer (oddly enough, the Nook Study books don't come in eReader format).

Unfortunately, some books won't come in used editions, won't be available for rental, won't have an eBook format, and you'll have to buy a new copy. It happens. Don't yell at the cashiers; don't get mad at the bookstore. No one is trying to rip you off, especially not the associates working at the store, who are usually students as well. If you really want to save money and the store isn't giving you enough options, you can always buy used books online.

Getting Your Books

Regardless of whether you buy new, used, or rent, you need to know how to go about getting your books at the store. The best way to do it is to go to the bookstore website, enter the course numbers for the classes you're taking, and the website will generate a booklist. At minimum, you need your course numbers; the books are arranged by class, the classes by course number, and the classes are grouped by department, which are usually arranged in alphabetical order. Using a book list will ensure you get all the books you need. If you just use the course number, you should be able to find the course easily enough (if the course requires a textbook, a few don't), but you may miss a book or two if you're not careful.

While it's not a good idea to procrastinate in general, if you're in doubt about a book, especially if the book you're not sure you need is non-returnable, it's best to wait until the first day of classes to be sure. Or you could e-mail the professor ahead of time to confirm.

Remember that, unfortunately, the booksellers are sometimes as clueless as you are. Most of the associates are brought in right before rush, given a basic rundown of how to use the cash register and how to navigate the textbook section and computer system. Sometimes the only reason they're helpful is they know how to find the section you're looking for or have access to the computer system necessary to look up a book, or they can ask their managers.

Know that the bookstore, especially the textbook section, can get very crowded. Try to hit the store in the early hours if you want to avoid the rush.

If you're willing to pay the shipping charges, the easiest way to get your books is to order them from the store website. No dealing with the crowds, no trying to navigate the textbook section, it's as easy as picking up a package. Honestly, the only times I ever braved the bookstore was when I was a freshman, and when I worked in the store and needed to buy my books in person in order to get my discount.

Some final words: be nice to the associates; textbook rush is crazy, and they have a tough job to do. Try not to make it worse for them.