by Kate Rosenberger

Created on: August 01, 2008

A college education is the largest expense many people will incur with the exception of the purchase of a home. There are countless loans, grants, and scholarships available to help ease the sting of tuition costs. What many people don't anticipate are the endless costs that crop up in addition to tuition. There is the room and board, activity fees, and the dreaded textbook costs. This article will focus on how to reduce the cost of textbooks.

The first thing to do is find out what textbooks are needed as soon as possible. Don't wait for the professor to tell you on the first day of class. Some colleges have mercifully begun to post lists of required textbooks on their website. If your college is not among them, don't be shy. As soon as course registration is complete, email your professors and request a list of the textbooks needed.

Now you are armed with a book list and hopefully at least a few weeks until the semester begins. It's time to shop around. Buying new books at the campus bookstore is the worst route to take. Head over there anyway and see if they sell used books. Many college towns also have an independent bookstore off campus. Peruse their selection and make note of their prices. Before leaving, find out their policy for buying back used textbooks. This will come in handy at the end of the semester. It is also worthwhile to take a walk through campus. Students often list used textbooks for sale on campus bulletin boards.

Next, go online to compare the bookstore prices with those of online used book retailers. I recommend Half.com and Amazon.com. There are several things to look out for when buying textbooks online whether they are used or new. Make sure you have the correct edition of the book. Textbook publishers come out with new editions frequently. Also, don't forget to factor shipping costs into the total price.

After the first semester, you should have some used books of your own to sell back. The earnings from these can be used toward the cost of next semester's books. I recommend saving textbooks from courses in your major but the rest are fair game. The quickest and easiest way to sell used books is to take them to the campus or off-campus bookstore. Keep in mind that these bookstores may not be willing to buy back all textbooks. If the college is switching to a new edition next semester you are out of luck.

There is often more money to be had selling textbooks online and if the bookstores won't buy back your book this is the only option. It's a little more work to create the online listing and ship the book but it is worth the hassle. Again, Half.com and Amazon.com are excellent websites to try. Regardless of where you choose to sell your used textbooks, be forewarned that you almost certainly will not get what you paid for them. Still, you can earn a couple of hundred dollars to put towards the next round of textbooks.

As with any other purchase, shopping around is key. Buying brand new books at the campus bookstore can cost upwards of five hundred dollars. With a little leg work and some careful research that figure can be cut in half.

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