Ultimate Guide to Saving Money on College Textbooks
- 2. The college bookstore
provides “options”...
Don’t be fooled.
Check online.
Let’s say that at the college bookstore, a book is
selling for $200 new, or $150 used. The used price
is a great deal, right? Not necessarily.
These days bookstores also often feature four prices: new, used, digital and
rental. When students and their parents are given several choices, and they
select the cheapest one, they feel like they got a deal.
DON’T BE FOOLED. The $150 textbook mentioned above might be selling
for less than $50 online. Comparison options are never provided in the
store, without more information you could be severely overpaying.
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- 3. There is NEVER one
website that’s always
the cheapest.
Just because Amazon gave you the best deal on the
first book you searched for, it doesn’t mean that it
will give you the best deal on your other books.
Use a website like SlugBooks.com to compare.
To get the best deals, ALWAYS compare. You might pay a lot more than you
should have if you give blind faith to any one source. Sometimes the college
bookstore might have the best prices - consider them as a valid option when
you compare.
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- 4. The bookstore sells
out of USED books
first. Those prices are
often temporary, and
therefore imaginary.
Just because a bookstore lists a used price, it doesn’t
mean that books will be available at that price. Until
you have the used book in your hands, assume
you’re going to be paying the NEW price.
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- 5. Delivery of books
ordered or rented
online is FAST.
When you order books
online, they arrive quickly.
When you order from third party marketplaces like Amazon or
AbeBooks, select sellers in states closer to your state.
When you are ordering from rental sites like Chegg or
BookRenter, you can select the expedited shipping option but
it’s really not necessary. They have every interest in getting
your book to you quickly and earning your repeat business.
© 2013, SlugBooks.com
- 6. Renting isn’t as cheap
as it seems
Using a $100 textbook as an example:
Buying the book on a site like Amazon might cost $50. When you are done
with the book, you can probably sell it on Amazon for $30-40.
Total cost of ownership: $10-20
Renting the book might cost $30. When renting, you’re unable to sell it
when you’re done with it.
Total cost of ownership: $30
In this case, buying is the cheaper option. Renting rarely makes sense
compared to online options like Amazon. Compared to the bookstore,
renting is usually considerably cheaper.
© 2013, SlugBooks.com
- 7. Homework packages
and custom editions are
the worst thing ever.
If you have been assigned a book that is a
homework package or a “customized
edition”, it means you are probably going to
have to shop at the college bookstore.
Inform your professors that using textbooks
that aren’t customized or packaged is a
much better deal for students - they
probably are not aware.
Here’s a link to a video about the custom
edition scam.
© 2013, SlugBooks.com
- 8. Ask your professors
about older editions.
You might be able to
save HUNDREDS.
Textbook publishers like printing newer editions with minor changes
in order to force students to keep paying top dollar for new books,
instead of buying used copies from sites like Amazon (publishers
don’t make money when a used book is sold on Amazon)
Ask your professor if the older edition is okay to use. When a newer
edition might cost $200, older editions are often available for less
than $20.
© 2013, SlugBooks.com
- 9. If you’re in a class that
uses many books, look at
the syllabus & plan your
purchases accordingly.
If the book isn’t assigned until the term’s end, you don’t need to buy
it until then. This might ease some pressure on your finances.
© 2013, SlugBooks.com
- 10. Recommended materials
are best to avoid buying,
unless the professor
EXPLICITLY says so.
If you are looking for study aids, there are often cheaper options
than having to buy another textbook. Many schools provide tutors
which are probably the most effective way to study, and all of the
practice problems you need are often in the back of the book
anyway.
© 2013, SlugBooks.com
- 11. Single most important way to
save money:
Learn what an ISBN is.
ISBNs are 10 or 13 digit codes, unique to every book. When a
textbook is assigned, the ISBN number is provided. Searching for
textbooks by ISBN instead of title will ensure that you’ll be buying/
renting the exact same book as the one the bookstore is selling
(they order books using ISBN numbers as well).
image credit: wikipedia
© 2013, SlugBooks.com
- 12. Compare textbook prices with
SlugBooks.com
SlugBooks lets you compare prices between the college bookstore & major sites
like Amazon, AbeBooks, Half.com (eBay), Chegg, Bookrenter & more!
© 2013, SlugBooks.com
