Paying hundreds of dollars for a single textbook might seem ridiculous, but college and university students do it every year. Most students pay full price for their books simply because they don’t know how to find a deal. Here is a list of places to look for cheap college textbooks.
Textbook Search Engines
Many websites have textbook-specific search engines. You can search by name, title, or ISBN. The search engine will comb through many other sites and you can compare results by price or whatever other criteria you have. This process makes it easy to locate the most inexpensive textbooks in minutes. It’s possible to find both new and used textbooks through sites like DirectTextbook and amazon.com. The only disadvantage to buying online is that since textbooks will take time to ship, they may not arrive in time for the first day of class.
International Editions
International Editions are textbooks that are produced at a lower cost for sale overseas, which can be found on the Internet. Many textbooks have International Editions that are identical to what you would buy in your own college bookstore – but check the ISBN before purchasing to ensure that you get the right book. Some students are concerned about legal issues when buying an International Edition, since they are often labeled “for sale in Indonesia only” or “not for sale in the U.S. or Canada,” but the Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that federal copyright law is not violated by the import of International Editions.
College Libraries
College libraries usually have a few copies of most of their textbooks in the reference area. Reference books can’t be checked out, but they can be used in the library for two hours at a time. A good alternative to buying an expensive textbook is using the reference edition at the library when homework is assigned. Some students may dislike working under the two-hour “deadline” with a reference book, but it’s usually possible to return to the desk and renew it for two more hours, since few students ever utilize them.
Public Libraries
Literature courses may assign as many as 20 novels, short stories, books of poetry, or other works of literature to read over the course of the class. Of course the books are all for sale at the college bookstore, but there’s really no need to spend all that money when any public library has copies that you can check out and read for free. Keep in mind that class discussions will be difficult if you have different page numbers than other class members, so try to check out the edition with the same ISBN as the one sold at the bookstore.
College Bookstores
Bookstores label all their textbooks either “new” or “used,” so make sure to save buy purchasing used books. You can usually find a used book that is still in pristine condition with a little searching. Buying a copy of a textbook with a classmate and sharing it may also help to offset the cost. Bookstores usually offer students the option to sell back their books at the end of the term as well, but don’t guarantee they will buy back every one they sell.
Selling Back your Textbooks
Even if the college bookstore buys back all your books (and they usually won’t,) you aren’t going to get very much for them. Sell your books back to the bookstore if you must, but look online first to see if you can earn better money selling them over DirectTextbooks or similar sites. Even better, see if you can find a student taking a course you just completed and sell your books directly to him or her. By eliminating the middle man of the bookstore you can both get a deal.
Textbooks continue to be a very expensive part of higher education, but it’s possible to find discount textbooks if you know where to look for them.
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