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The high price of college textbooks is something that many students overlook when considering their cost of education from semester to semester.

Buying textbooks can easily cost you a few hundred dollars a semester but these tips will help you afford your textbooks and fight back against the rising costs of textbooks.

Buy used.

The best way to afford your textbooks is to buy used textbooks. You'll want to get to your school bookstore early to get access to used textbooks as they tend to go fast. You can also purchase used textbooks online from a variety of websites.

Buy books online.

Buying new and used textbooks online is almost always cheaper than purchasing textbooks from your campus bookstore. You can buy textbooks from everyone from online bookstores to students selling their books for extra cash. One of the leading websites for buying and selling textbooks is Amazon.com . Others include sites such as Craigslist and Half.com.

Share books.

If you and your friends are in the same class you can afford textbooks by splitting the cost. You can also share books with someone who has recently taken the same class to reduce the cost of buying textbooks. Be sure that if you borrow a text book from someone who already took the class that the book is still the relevant edition for the current class.

Also if you plan to split the cost and share a textbook between two or more people remember that each of you need access to the textbook. If too many people are involved in the purchase, getting access to the book when you need it can be a challenge.

Rent your textbooks.

A new trend is emerging where students can literally rent textbooks. This can be cheaper than buying new or used textbooks and can save space because you don't keep the textbooks.

Most rental services are based online. A few of the sites that offer book rentals include Chegg.com and Campusbookrentals.com. The disadvantages to renting textbooks include not being able to sell the books for money and not being able to keep the book if you want it for future use.

However renting your textbooks can save you a lot of money especially if the courses you take require current editions of textbooks or those with rapidly changing book requirements.

Skip the campus book store.

I've made the mistake from time to time of buying books from the campus bookstore. While it can be quick and easy, you will pay for this easy access to textbooks. If you don't get there early enough, most used copies will be gone and you'll be stuck paying full price for new textbooks.

To make matters worse, selling back your textbooks to the school bookstore can often leave you with less money back when compared to selling a textbook to someone online.

Plan ahead to order your books online. If you really need the textbook right away, try to get a used copy from your campus bookstore.

With these methods, you can save money on your textbooks and continue to afford the high cost of college textbooks.

Learn more about this author, Maxwell Payne.
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