How to save money when buying textbooks
It's a special kind of book.
Sometimes you dread reading it. Sometimes it's downright boring. Once you're finished reading it, you may hope you never have to read it again.
And it's probably the most expensive kind of book you'll ever have to buy.
Yes, I'm talking about university textbooks, of course.
When my two oldest started at the University of Waterloo last September, the tuition was bad enough. But between part-time jobs, scholarships, and student loans, it was pretty much covered.
But then there were the textbooks.
The textbooks, lab manuals, course readings and tutorial manuals cost well over $700 a semester at the school's bookstore.
I wasn't too surprised. Heck, when I was a student, the textbook situation was even worse. My two oldest said that a few of their professors claimed they can only list one required textbook (in addition to readings and course manuals) for a class. Most of my classes, on the other hand, had multiple textbooks. It was always frustrating to spend hundreds of dollars on five books for one course. And then use only one of them for the entire year.
But my daughter discovered that a couple of her textbooks are $20 cheaper on Amazon.ca. And since shipping is free for orders $39 or more, she didn't have to pay anything extra for shipping and handling.
My son's history class requires a 'clicker,' a sort of remote that students can use to answer multiple-choice questions during a lecture.
The problem: It costs $42 at the University of Waterloo's bookstore.
It's $32 at Amazon.ca. But that's when it's in stock.
The solution: eBay. My son found a second-hand clicker for less than half the bookstore's price. Thanks to the Internet, this generation of university students have a lot of options when it comes to trying to save money on their course textbooks.
And for students at the University of Waterloo, there's UW-ACE, a Web-based course management system that allows instructors and students to interact with each other. During the school year, its main purpose is for students to access homework assignments, tests and course notes. But it also provides a great network for students to buy and sell used textbooks.
My daughter recently sold three of her old textbooks to AbeBooks Canada, an online marketplace for books that is a subsidiary of Amazon.com. In addition to buying textbooks, Abebooks also sells used, new, rare, and out-of-print books, and even provides you with a prepaid and trackable shipping label when you sell your used textbooks.
Several readers of this blog have given their own suggestions. Matt recommends finding international editions of textbooks. "They've got the exact same content as the regular $175 books, except they're printed on thinner paper and have a soft cover. Oh, and they also cost about $20-$50 on eBay instead of $150-$175 at the bookstore."
Cheap as they may be, Tyler warns there's a "certain amount of risk" involved with buying international editions of textbooks. "I've bought three in the past couple years, and two were perfectly legible. The third, however, was printed on extremely absorbent paper, and the print quality of most of the diagrams and figures was too low to be discernible. " Also, be aware of potential copyright and trademark violations, AbeBooks warns.
Jeff suggests borrowing textbooks from friends in different years, or checking Facebook for second-hand copies. "Borrowing books, or even renting them is always better than buying, unless the book is worth holding onto."
Tim Jacobs points out that newer editions of textbooks might not necessarily be worth the extra cost. Turning to older (and therefore cheaper) editions can save money. "The material is largely the same, but the cover and, perhaps, a few of the graphics will have changed - certainly not a substantive difference in editions."
Of course, as soon as you stray from the campus bookstore and turn to sources like eBay or Facebook, there's a certain amount of risk involved. Especially when purchasing older editions. Buyer beware: although the changes from one edition to the next might not be huge, sometimes important information is updated or completely changed. The newer editions sometimes correct mistakes from the older editions. An important diagram might be fixed, or an entire section will be updated with new information. So, although buying an older textbook will save you money, it might cost you in marks. Make sure you know what you're getting. Or not getting.
University textbooks cost hundreds of dollars every semester. But thankfully, for this generation of students, there are lots of other options. Between Amazon.ca, eBay, and buying textbooks secondhand from other students, your campus bookstore might be the last place you should look.
(Editor: Also read about how school supplies last longer in university and Beer or food? A savvy student can have both.)
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KATHY DOBSON 
Comments
Or how bout you rent the books out from the univeristy libraries which usually have multiple copies of textbooks on reserve... It saved me from buying books for the last 3 years of university.
AbeBooks is cheap, and seems like a good (perhaps even 'moral') alternative to eBay or Amazon or Chapters. Anyone who has ever had to actually deal with them, however, could tell you they are dishonest, unprofessional, and cheap. Last year, I ordered a book from them, and it simply never came, and even though I had paid for the most expensive shipping possible, they had no tracker for it and I never received the book. A few weeks ago I sent them a shipment of my old textbooks for sale, all of which were in perfect condition and I'd sold to them at a bargain rate, and they simply did not pay me for half of them.
Avoid AbeBooks. Most Canadian universities have interlibrary loan services set up now, so even if your own library doesn't have your book, chances are you can request it from another library in your province, or anywhere in North America depending on what school you go to.
An Amazing Alternative is http://www.ezytextbook.com
Their FAQ page explains about "international editions" - identical in content but with different covers.
Shipping is $30 per item BUT when the text is $50 instead of $115 at the campus bookstore, it's still a bargain!
University of Waterloo has one of the best consignment bookstores in the country which is one of the most successful student-run operations on campus. Consignment textbook stores provide a lower cost alternative for buyers and puts money directly back in the pockets of students who are selling their textbooks. Several other Universities in Canada have this type of operation - every campus should have one. Your article should definitely have mentioned this.
"Or how bout you rent the books out from the univeristy libraries which usually have multiple copies of textbooks on reserve... It saved me from buying books for the last 3 years of university."
I agree with this comment. I have never purchased a textbook for any of my courses in university (except for lab manuals which are mandatory, but they are only about $10 each) and have managed to do just as well as the people who buy all the textbooks the prof recommends.
I'm a student at UWO and I've found the best source for textbooks: the Used Bookstore. Not exactly a revelation right? Well yeah, except if you know what courses you're taking a year ahead (as many science students do). The Used Bookstore sells off most if not all of its consignment textbook inventory that remains unclaimed after the pick up periods end. I got an old edition of my 3rd year Biochem textbook for a dollar in the November sale. Talk to upper years if you want cheap books; even if we don't have 'em we probably know someone that does or have tips like this!
do u know that?
do u know that?
Frosh leaders are also great sources for used textbooks.
You meet your frosh leaders and form a relationship with them in your first week of university and they can be a valuable source of used textbooks throughout your remaining years at university. You can do the same for others by selling them your books the next year. A cycle of saving money!
Abebooks is a network of sellers (10 million more or less) so when you're dealing with them, you're dealing with individual booksellers, not the company. Some of their textbook sellers are pretty dicey though, I'll give you that.
And by the way, they are owned by Amazon (since March 2008)...
I'm a prof and I usually don't assign textbooks because I'm aware some students are forced to pick their courses based on the cost of the supplies/books required (I was one of them myself, and missed out on a lot because I couldn't afford to take the courses I wanted to).
There are usually several copies on reserve in the library for any course, and if a student has some time management skills they can go to the library and read it there for free, as many have pointed out here.
Another suggestion not many people know about is to ask the prof! I'm given "desk copies" and sometimes end up with 3 or 4 copies/editions of a textbook. I'll give them away or loan them to deserving students who need the help (just DON'T let me see you yakking on your new iPhone in class. I can't afford one so neither can you!)
University textbooks must be the biggest scam going. No one can convince me that they're worth their over-priced tag. Exactly whats the difference between Textbook-Version #1 and Textbook-Version #100 other than a couple of minor updates and the abilitiy of forcing students to fork out $100 for a new textbook, instead of $10 for a used textbook.
Talk about milking the innocent. As far as I'm concered the government is to blame for allowing this thievery going on
The key to textbooks is this: don't buy them until you need them. This is usually can be six weeks into the course, or never, believe it or not. I was burned too many times in University buying textbooks the prof. decided not to use.
Get a copy of the text and take it to a copying place that will copy it for you. This should add up to about $20 a text. An Asian friend will know where to go.
Some perspective is needed. Many campus bookstores in the country (those at least that have not been privatized) sell many textbooks at a cost recovery rate. The notion students are being ripped off is an undergraduate myth (or from schools with private for profit-bookstores).
Large companies such as Chapters or Amazon can afford to cut cost, but, keep in mind, that discounted books in many cases are taking from some of the scholarship or grant money you may have received. Many schools such as Queen's, Lakehead, etc, pour all the university bookstore profits (made not on textbooks but on other things usually) into those undergraduate scholarships and grants you receive.
After completing many years of University the best advice is:
Don't buy it until you need it. Even then, be wary. I've seen professors randomly use a book for one assignment. At that point, use the library, or find a keen friend who just buys all the books anyway. Or worst case, split the book with friends. Quite often I have done 3 - 4 person purchases which really cuts down on costs.
The discussion seems to have missed an important point: textbooks can form the core of a professional library. It is always easier to refer to a book that contains the vocabulary and examples that you have previously studied. If a textbook is worth buying, it is worth keeping.
If a textbook is specified for a course but not used by the instructor, complain to the instructor and on the course evaluation questionnaire. Professors and department chairpersons who assign professor merit ratings normally do pay attention.
Like 2 of the previous people said, only buy textbooks when you really need them. Many courses will list several books, and chances are only 1 or 2 are really used.
Just check the syllabuses that are handed out in the first week of classes to see which textbooks are used every week.
Many times, you'll see some listed textbooks are only used once or twice for the whole semester so you can avoid buying them.
DO NOT buy them at all until you actually need them!
I repeat this because it is the BEST advice there is for textbooks.
I bought maybe 3-4 textbooks for the last 2 years of school and was FINE. Most of those were excerpts bound and sold for much cheaper (I couldn't even photocopy them for less money if I did such things...)
Borrowed from the library when needed... Math you kind of have to buy unfortunately.
Also, sell back those staple Math, Chemistry, Physics 1st/2nd year books. They are actually the most useful as future reference, but there are a zillion copies of them at Value Village for less than $5.
I think a lot of people buy them right away because they have the permission to be able to justifiably spend a lot of money on shopping. And maybe a bit of excitement about the courses, but mostly it's the permission to spend.
Article as mentioned in the other email.
www.saving-money.net
reserve them and buy them all at once with cash.
Folks, to be honest, I am trying to save money by buying textbooks from the Internet. I like to buy them used.
Mike the rrod fix consultant.
A great way I have found to save big on college textbooks is to rent them instead of buying them. I saved about 65% last year. A great site with all the best comanys in one location is www.dontbuytextbooks.net
Renting your textbook from the library for free is the best advice. Any late fee is worth paying because it will be cheaper than renting or buying. Chegg.com has been the best rental site for me. You can save 5% on rentals until June 2010 with coupon code CC107501. You can also get a $5 bonus with that promo when you sell your book back to Chegg.
I also try to save some money by buying my texted books used off of amazon if I can find them then I sell them back to the local used book store when I’m done
Save even more money fix rrod yourself.
When going thru college textbooks were close to 100-200 bucks per book, and having 5-8 classes per term, text books got expensive.
Amazon also saved me some money, but it wasn't until i became a friend with a professor did i start to save on my text books, I asked him to order me books and with his discount, it saved me 300-400 per term
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We use Chegg.com to rent textbooks instead of buying them and save a lot of money! I wanted to share a promotional code that your readers can use to get a discount on their text order. Put in the code when ordering and hit the "apply" button. The code also gives you back an additional $5 when selling Chegg your used texts.
The code does NOT have an expiration date so it can be used at anytime. Here it is:
CC123047
Feel free to pass this to anyone who wants to save money!
Isn't Ebay the solution for everything?
Loved the article!
Sam
Ah man, my university textbooks cost so much too. My previous school had a great used textbook service during cegep but now in university the only one provided by the library is still really expensive!
The only solution I found is, like you, Amazon and ebay. Ebay especially has been helpful but I need to buy my textbooks well in advance
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Earlier this year I decided to do something about the amount of money I spend at Amazon.com on books. While I am buying fewer books now, the biggest change I made was to buy used books rather than new.
prediction market
Ive never been to any of them but i will check the out. At the moment i go to http://www.cheapesttextbooks.com they have reasonable prices and you can also sell back if your interested in that..
Ive never been to any of them but i will check the out. At the moment i go to cheapest textbooks they haveused textbooks online. they have reasonable prices and you can also sell back if your interested in that..
Amazon also saved me some money, but it wasn't until i became a friend with a professor did i start to save on my text books, I asked him to order me books and with his discount, it saved me 300-400 per term.
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