Cheap College Textbooks: Plan Ahead For Best Deals

College prices go up every year including the cost of tuition, books, and even that coffee you get every morning on your way to class from the bookstore. Most students are always looking for a way to save every penny they can, so finding a source of cheap college books is vital every semester. In truth, the task isn’t really that difficult, there are multiple sources of cheap college textbooks, you just have to plan ahead for the best deals.

Don’t wait until the last minute          

First, it’s a good idea not to wait until right before class starts in order to find the best deals for cheap college textbooks. If possible, see if you can get a list of the required textbooks a couple of weeks before class begins. If not, you may not get a great deal and you could even miss out on finding cheap college textbooks at all, so get that list as far in advance as possible.

Start looking on the Internet

The Internet is a great source of cheap college textbooks. You can find them at online used bookstores, college online bookstores, auction sites like eBay, craigslist or half.com, or even on the college Facebook page if other students are advertising books for sale. Be sure to check on shipping costs to be certain you are getting the best possible deal for the cheap college textbooks you are buying, and be sure you are buying the right edition by putting in your ISBN number.

Try the Library

Believe it or not, you may even find copies of the college books you need at the college or public library. Sometimes people donate them to the library, so even though it doesn’t happen often, it is a place to put on your list of places to seek cheap college textbooks.

Look in the newspaper or college bulletin boards

Other possible place to find listings for cheap college textbooks is the school bulletin boards or ads in the school or local newspapers. Sometimes students who are trying to sell last semester’s books will list them in this way or sometimes they may even be willing to swap if you have a book that they need.

The bottom line is that it is very possible to save on college costs by seeking out and buying cheap college textbooks and all you have to do is be willing to take a few hours out of your time to do so.

Tips to Find Cheap College Textbooks

College is starting and you are out and about getting all your supplies, paying your tuition, setting up housing, etc. But wait, the books are going to cost how much?! It’s clear that you will need some tips to find cheap college textbooks so you can save money on your required college books.

Every semester college students have to buy more books to go along with the requirement to the classes and these books sometimes cost hundreds of dollars if you have to buy them new. Even though most of these books are probably pretty boring and mundane, they are definitely not cheap! However, there are ways to get cheap college textbooks if you do the proper search both online and offline to get them.

Finding cheap college textbooks

Your first stop is the college bookstore, but you are not going to shop in the new section. You just need to copy down the ISBN number of your books since you need to be sure you are buying the right edition for your class. Then, you check the used book section of the bookstore and see what they are charging. However, this may not be the best price, so you have a few more tricks to try to get cheap college textbooks.

Next, go online and check the price of your books at places like Amazon, eBay, half.com or the special online college bookstores and used bookstores. It’s likely that one of these at least will be cheaper than your college books store and be a good source of cheap college textbooks. Be sure to check the shipping costs to make sure the book is still cheaper if you choose to buy your books this way.

Another source is local used books stores, as in college towns it is possible they may have the cheap college textbooks that you need. Call ahead and ask so you don’t waste gas trying to find out in person. You can also post a notice either on the college Facebook page or an old-fashioned bulletin board saying that you are interested in buying the books from fellow students who may have already taken the class. This is another source of cheap college textbooks.

Then, when class is over, you can sell the books back to where you got them or try selling them at the college bookstore or to fellow students. All in all, there are plenty of ways not to have to pay full price and still be able to get cheap college textbooks for your college classes.