How to Save on Textbooks for Universities
Buying college textbooks is an expensive chore for every student. But responsive professors and easy access to information tools can help find ways to cut costs. Take advantage of these tools and use them to seriously save on textbook costs.
This post was originally published on The Simple Dollar .
Over the past few days, I’ve heard from a handful of students who are heading towards the start of their fall college semester and are looking for smart strategies to cut their spending when it comes to textbooks. Here’s an example of a post from Jen:
I just graded my books for the fall semester and the total on campus bookstore was $ 950. Even on Amazon, they are really expensive. There must be a way to do it better.
You’re right, Jen. There is a better way. Over the past few years, I have had many young friends and family members asking me to help find cheap textbooks for them, and here are the strategies we used that really worked.
Check your curriculum first
Typically, when buying college textbooks, people go to their university bookstore – or, more commonly these days, their university’s online bookstore – and look for each of their classes. Each will likely have one or two or three books listed, so you just add them to your cart and pay.
This is mistake. The first thing you should look at is the syllabus in your class that lists the textbooks for that class.
Why search for a program? The program usually indicates which books are actually required and which are optional. It also usually indicates whether the most recent version of the book is needed, or if older versions are clearly acceptable.
By simply looking at the curriculum, you can reduce the number of books you need to buy while increasing the number of titles that can suit your needs, making it easier to find used books.
Ask the professor if the old versions are acceptable
If the professor has a program that lists a specific version of the textbook, send the professor a quick email (or, if you’re in class on the first day, raise your hand). Just ask if previous versions of the tutorial are acceptable, and if so, which ones.
In many of my classes, previous versions of the textbooks were perfectly acceptable up to a point. Usually, some changes are made to each version of the book, but over the course of several releases, these changes accumulate and change the textbook significantly.
Most professors agree that students are using a previous version of the book, or even an earlier version than this. You just need to make sure which versions are really appropriate for the class.
Check university and public libraries
Once you are sure you know what books are needed for the class, start checking university and public libraries.
This is useless for many classes, but for some classes, such as literature classes or some history classes, the library may actually have the book you are looking for.
If you can find the books you want in the library, the book will become free, at least temporarily. A friend of mine was able to get a book for his English course at the community library and renewed it twice, which means he was able to keep it for as long as he needed it for the course.
Use Borrow a Bookstore to compare prices
So, you finally realized that you have to pay for some of your books. If this is your situation, I highly recommend using Occupy the Bookstore , a free Google Chrome add-on that will make this whole process much easier.
Just add the extension to your browser from the link above and then go to your university’s bookstore website. Find the books you need for your study. When you visit the page for each specific book you want, an extension pops up offering you a long list of options for other places to buy the book, and that list is sorted by price by default.
I usually tell people to use Hijack the Bookstore , find the book they want, then browse the list for the first store they trust (like Amazon) and shop there.
Rent out, don’t buy, most of your books
Many online textbook sources, such as Chegg , offer rentals rather than purchases. It’s actually a simple process: you pay less than you would otherwise, they send you the book, and you have to mail it back at the end of the semester. Then they will probably “rent” the book to someone else again at the beginning of the next semester. Most of these stores usually offer a “buy” option if you realize that you will actually need the book after the semester.
For most of your classes, you won’t actually need or want this book for longer than a semester, so this kind of service not only saves you something like 60% on the textbook, it also gets rid of this textbook for you at the end of the semester. so you don’t have to re-sell it.
I actually rented a couple of textbooks using the textbook rental service early in my college career and found it to be very helpful and money-saving.
If you must buy, try buying used
If for some reason you need to buy a tutorial rather than just rent it, try to find the version of that tutorial you used. Most online textbook sellers, including Amazon, offer discounted used versions of textbooks.
Sure, sometimes you get a book with marginal notes and highlights on them, but these things are pretty easy to ignore, especially since you are really right after the text and images of the book.
Buying a used version of the textbook will save you an astonishing amount of money. In college, I mostly bought used textbooks and often found myself saving up to 60% by buying used books. (Of course, back then, I mostly had to rely on sticky notes attached to bulletin boards across campus rather than the Internet.)
If you need to buy a new one, try the e-book
The worst case scenario happens sometimes. The class needs a new version of the tutorial. Used not available. The professor does not allow the publication of old editions of the book and performs tasks that require a new edition.
It happens. This is frustrating. It will ruin your wallet, no matter what you do.
The solution here is pretty simple too. If you find yourself in such a situation, just buy the electronic version of the textbook. Electronic versions are usually significantly less expensive than the printed version of a book, and it is much easier to search for specific terms as you study.
I am old school – when I study, I still prefer print. However, I’ve also looked into using electronic sources, and to be honest, if you’re in the mood for learning and know how to turn off distractions, they work great.
Share books with your friends
Another approach to consider is to share the tutorial with a friend who is in the same class as you. If both of you are attending this course, you can simply buy one tutorial and share it by dividing the cost.
The biggest problem with this approach is that there will probably be one or two key points over the course of the semester where you both want to use this tutorial at the same time. For example, on the night before an exam, you both might want to use this book.
The solution here is to study together, so if you are considering following this plan, make sure that the person you are sharing your textbook purchase with is someone you can learn with in a supportive manner.
Sell unnecessary books at the end of the semester
At the end of the semester, unless you bought an e-book or rented a textbook, you will have to make a decision. Do I need to keep this tutorial? Will this help in my future pursuits or in my career?
If you decide to leave it, good. Early in my career, I found several textbooks as useful reference books, and I was glad I kept them.
If you decide not to keep them for yourself, sell them during the break between semesters. There are many opportunities to sell books, but it makes sense to go where there are people and sell in high-traffic places like Amazon or Craigslist .
You will not recoup all your investment, but you will recoup some of it, and that money will arrive just in time to buy the books next semester.
Final thoughts
Buying college textbooks is an expensive chore for every student. Textbook manufacturers charge ridiculous prices that can really add to the financial burden of postsecondary education.
However, we live in a world of (mostly) responsive professors and easy access to information tools that make it easy to find and buy used textbooks. Take advantage of these tools and use them to seriously save on textbook costs.
If it helps you reduce the burden of your student loan, even by a few hundred dollars per semester, which adds up to thousands of dollars through college and thousands more in interest savings in subsequent years.
Good luck!
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