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Students, Get More Bang For Your Textbook Dollars by Reyna Gobel
When you go to your university bookstore, your eyes bulge out when you see the whopping $120 price tag on your textbook--and that's for a used book. With these prices, how do you keep your textbook expenses from approaching the cost of tuition? Read on to find out.
Compare Prices
Your school bookstore isn't the only place to buy textbooks. Look online and on student-posted fliers. Often, fliers line the halls in the building where your class is going to be held, and there are dozens of online venues across the Internet where individuals can sell their textbooks person-to-person. Compare prices to those offered at the campus bookstore.
Buy E-Books
Many textbooks are available in a downloadable format for less money. Search for your book's edition online, and check the syllabus for your courses for online options.
Use Older Editions
While the current edition may sell for $100, last semester's edition now sells for $65. Ask your professor if older editions can still be used. Often, only a few changes were made from one edition to another, and if the professor doesn't assign homework involving questions that are only available in the newer edition, you are home free--and a little richer.
Sell Your Old Textbooks
You may recoup much of your textbook money by selling your old textbooks online or directly to another student taking the course in a subsequent semester. This is because you cut out the middleman--the bookstore. For instance, if the bookstore is selling a used book for $75 and you sell it for $55, the buyer saves $20, which, incidentally, may be what the bookstore would have paid you for your used textbook.
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