With the cost of everything going up these days, it only makes sense to shop around... But how can you shop around for something when the only place you can find it is the campus bookstore? Guess what - there ARE alternatives. Before going any further, find out for sure exactly what books you need for your classes. Don't just get the name of the book; get the author and the ISBN number.

The ISBN number is either a 10 or 13 digit number on the back of the book either over or under the bar-code. This number identifies that book and will ensure that you've gotten the book that the professor requires. Before you drop anymore of your (or your parent's?) hard-earned cash at the campus bookstore, consider some of these options.

1) Ask around - some of your friends may have taken the class last semester. If so, find out what the bookstore is charging for a used copy of the textbook. They generally try to get about 75% of the "new" book value and at most will pay 50% for it at buyback. You and your friend can set the price at 60% - 65% of the cost of the new book and both of you will come out ahead.

2) Be sure and post a "wanted" sign on bulletin boards around the campus or in the dorms. Somebody's bound to have that book sitting around and want to get rid of it.

3) Be sure and check on-line. By typing "buy used textbooks" into Google, you get links to 477,000 sites. Many of them compare prices for multiple on-line bookstores, so it's a quick way to find a great deal. An example, I just did a search on cheapesttextbooks.com for THE LORD OF THE FLIES. In less than 10 seconds it turned up 4 used copies selling for between $3.00 and $5.00 (including postage - though some sites require a minimum purchase) and 5 new copies selling for between $5.35 and $9.99 (again, including postage). A search for "real" textbooks will show the same range of prices.

4) Rent your textbooks. Chegg.com, CampusBookRentals.com, WhyRentBooks.com and BookRenter.com are only a few of the sites currently offering textbooks to use for the semester and then return. Students are reporting savings of up to 75%.

5) Share your textbooks. If you and a friend are taking the same class and intend to study together, consider sharing the textbook. Make sure that you have compatible study habits and don't tend to argue or you could end up mid-semester with no friend AND no textbook.

6) Be sure and check eBay, Half.com, Amazon and ABE Books. Textbooks are generally cheaper here than at the campus store.

7) Check out the list below. These are some of my favorite online sites to get books.

textbooks.com
valorebooks.com
etextshop.com
booksintocash.com
cash4books.net
efollett.com
textbookbuyer.com
beaglebooks.com

Learn more about this author, Sherry Law.
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