How to Buy Cheap College Textbooks

Being a student, one of the biggest worries is your college expenses that seem to take more of your money every year. One of the main college expenses is college textbooks that may leave you scratching your head if you haven’t planned things in advance. College textbooks can be very expensive and most students find it difficult to buy on time.

Online resources and notes may help, but they cannot be a substitute to prescribed college textbooks as most of the exam questions are based on them. Despite all this, there still plenty of ways to find cheaper textbooks, which can definitely reduce the cost of your education.

Instructions

  • 1

    Compare prices at different book stores

    Be mindful that most of the books available at college campus stores are sold at almost the same rates. So choosing this option might not help. Try to check out as many general book stores you can as you may find different price packages. Make a list of the textbooks you will need throughout the semester and present it to the store owner, asking to offer you a price package. If you buy all the books at one place, you may be able to get some kind of package that will reduce the costs. Most stores like to offer price packages if you buy in bulk, so the best thing you can do is bring along some of your friends and classmates who are also concerned about expensive textbooks.

  • 2

    Rent books

    Renting textbooks can help you lessen the cost as you won’t have to shell out a lot of money at one time. However, renting does take money. There are several sources and websites that can give you textbooks on a rental basis. Chegg, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and BookRenter are some of the most popular online resources where you can rent books. Check out each website and compare the charges before making a final decision.

  • 3

    Check out online resources

    You can find hundreds of websites on the Internet which sell books at cheaper rates. You do not have to rush, just visit several websites and compare the prices. Some of the amazing websites include Dealoz.com, Campusbooks.com, Books-A-Million.com, CollegeSwapShop.com, BookCloseouts.com, Alibris.com, Bigwords.com and Bookbyte.com.

  • 4

    Buy used books from friends and senior students

    Another good way to buy cheaper textbooks is to talk to students who have quit the semester or senior students who might like the idea of selling their old books to you. There are many students who leave semesters for multiple reasons and they are the ones from whom you can get books. Ask your teacher to help you find cheap textbooks if nothing seems to work.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


7 − four =