College is already super expensive, and once students get admitted and receive financial aid and scholarships they think the worst is over. Wrong! You still need to buy textbooks for certain classes in order to understand the material and do well in the class so you can gain credits.
The cost of textbooks in the U.S. for two semesters averages out to be $1,100 for most students according to Scholarships.com. If you haven’t received a book voucher, taking out a loan for books and expenses can be costly in the long run when it’s time to repay the debt.
Here are a few ways to save money on college textbooks this upcoming semester.
Avoid the Campus Book Store
College bookstores are well known for selling overpriced books. You can find a way better deal on your textbooks online or elsewhere. Sites like campusbooks.com, betterworldbooks.com, and
abebooks.com/textbooks are all great resources that cut the price of your books tremendously.
You can also go to sites like Amazon.com or Half.com to see comparison prices for books so you can ensure you are getting the best deal.
Rent Your Textbooks
Some students choose to rent their textbooks because they see no reason to have the book laying around after the semester is over. Sites like Chegg.com and BookRenter.com are great sites to rent books from.
I once rented a book from Book Renter for only $50 to use for 180 days. Once I knew I would be late sending it back to the company I only paid an additional $4 to get a 10-day extension on the book. Not bad at all.
Check Out Discount Book Stores for Used Books
If you’re not comfortable ordering a book online you can always look for a discount bookstore near your campus. Sometimes there are separate book stores located in the same town as your school that may specialize in discounted books.
You can also put out an ad in your school’s paper or bulletin board that you are in need of a specific book and are willing to pay another student to sell it to you. Utilize sites like Craigslist.org as well if you would like your ad to reach more people.
Another good resource is ValoreBooks.com which allows students to communicate online to buy and sell books from each other.
If you still can’t afford all your books, check with your school and see if they have a trading program that allows students to trade books with each other instead of buying them off.
Other Options
If you are planning to sell your textbook(s) after the semester, don’t buy an instructors edition no matter how great the price looks. Instructor’s editions are extremely hard to sell because they contain extra features and most bookstores and online stores won’t buy them from you. On the other hand, if you don’t care about selling your book after the class has ended and you are just interested in scoring a cheap price, you might want to look into instructor editions of your textbooks to save money.
Also, ask your teachers and other students you know that have already taken your class if you really need to use the book before you go out and spend money on it. Don’t let that be you. Instead, assess all your options and resources and don’t hesitate to reach out to your professors before the class starts.
Have you ever spent a lot of money on college textbook? Which one of these tips would you try?