After tuition and housing, books are the next big expense for college students. It’s very easy to blow through hundreds of dollars just picking up a few textbooks. First semester my freshman year I spent over $400 on books, so needless to say, I did my homework second semester and managed to get that number down well below $200.
There are two websites that I would recommend and have used in the past where you can find cheap college textbooks. If you do a search online, I am sure you will find dozens of sites claiming to have the lowest prices on textbooks or the best community for swapping books. Honestly, I have never tried the campus-based book swap, but quite often the yearly edition updates will make it an irrelevant option. I certainly encourage you to find any and all places to get your books on the cheap, but when it comes to buying online, it’s usually the larger websites and companies that can offer the lowest prices.
The first place I would turn to for picking up college textbooks is Half.com. It was Half.com that was really the big saver for me after my first semester. I found paperbacks that were listed in my campus bookstore at $20 for as low as $2.00 on Half. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it is - that’s how much you can save money on college textbooks. Half.com is basically a used product marketplace where individuals, just like Half’s parent company eBay, list and sell their items. The only consideration you have to make is in regards to shipping time and book quality. Most textbook sellers will ship their item in 1-5 days after you purchase the item, so you can expect books about a week later. They also will list the quality of an item as either acceptable, good, very good, like new or brand new. I’ve even found shrink-wrapped brand new college textbooks much cheaper than the used versions in my campus bookstore.
The second place I would look is quite honestly Amazon.com. Amazon has a large selection of used college textbooks similar to that of Half.com. The nice things about Amazon.com is when you can’t find it used, you can typically find it new cheaper than your college campus bookstore. Always be sure to compare prices, but most likely Amazon.com is a better deal. If you can’t find your book in the new books section, or can’t find a low enough price, then visit Amazon’s used textbook section. It works the same as Half.com where users can list books and their conditions.
These two sites have been the best sources for me in finding discount college textbooks over the past few semesters. There is, however, an even cheaper way to save on books - don’t buy them. Now I am not encouraging you to not study or blow off class, but we have all experienced that frustrating teacher who includes a list of ten books in their syllabus but barely gets through one throughout class. Take your time in buying books, waiting an extra week or even two will not hurt. If you absolutely must use a book during that period, borrow it for a night from a classmate or check to see if your campus library has a copy. Be smart and save this semester.
Additional Resources
The internet is a great place to find information about online colleges. College tuition as well as school books can be quite expensive, so you should do research on education grants to pay for all your educational needs.
