College textbook solutions - please share your advice

amother

Rose

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 8:22 pm

I'm starting college in the fall. My booklist adds up to a pretty penny.

I see that I can rent them for the semester, buy outright, buy used, etc.

What did you do? What would you recommend? Any tips or tricks you could share will be appreciated.

DVOM

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 8:29 pm

My husband has been renting. It came out to the cheapest option for him. Now in grad school, there are some texts he thought he'd like to keep for his future career, so he bought those.

cnc

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 8:34 pm

I did a search for the textbook and saw where it was the cheapest (half. com, eBay, Amazon and a bunch of other sites). If you don't get the newest edition it's a lot cheaper- but you need to check with the professor to ensure that they're okay with not having the latest edition. I've also bought books from students that took the course the semester before me. I rented a book only once . It came out to a fifth of the price that it would cost me to purchase it, and it was a summer course so I was finished with the class before the rental was due. (Usually the shortest/ cheapest rental option is not as long as the semester.)

cnc

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 8:35 pm

amother wrote:

I bought used on Amazon for a fraction of the price.

Yes, I only bought used books.
Just a tip, try to order the books as soon as possible because they can take a while to show up.

Last edited by cnc on Tue, Jul 18 2017, 8:36 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Rose

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 8:47 pm

cnc wrote:

Does anyone know if there's a site that compares prices new used and rentals easily and thoroughly?

Cnc how did you get in touch with outgoing students?

I also noticed that the dates were slightly off. My semester ends December 20 and the rental ends December 19. Rolling Eyes

amother

Ruby

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 8:51 pm

Amazon rental has been the best for us so far.

We have found that buying used from another student costs about the same as renting from the college bookstore, but affords the possibility of reselling and recouping the investment.

Check Craigslist and local FB and email groups for leads.

amother

Apricot

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 8:53 pm

Barnes and noble rental. I've also bought new and it's very expensive but I felt I would need them down the road. It depends on the class.

L K

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 8:57 pm

Dealoz is a price comparison site for used and new books. You can search by isbn, authors(s), title etc. excellent source.

Previous editions maybe fine to use. I remember some professors insisting on latest editions for no reason, really.

mille

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 9:04 pm

Ask professor if you can use the previous edition. If you need specific workbook questions out of the most recent edition, see if the school library has a copy, then use that for the problems you need.

cnc

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 9:04 pm

amother wrote:

Some professors had a sign up sheet where students would leave their information if they wanted to sell their books and the professor posts that information for incoming students. (I sold some books that way. ) Also students post signs in the student lounges or on a bulletin board with a list of books that they're selling and their contact information.

I usually do a Google shopping search with the textbook that I need although there must be some sort of website that can compare prices for you.

amother

Rose

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 9:06 pm

How can I know which textbooks are worth buying before I read them?

Some are pretty clear from the title that they are completely useless, but I can't really judge books by their titles, right?

amother

Ruby

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 9:13 pm

amother wrote:

How can I know which textbooks are worth buying before I read them?

Some are pretty clear from the title that they are completely useless, but I can't really judge books by their titles, right?

If the professor wrote the textbook, memorize it.

IME most textbooks are used extensively in class. Skip the reading at your own risk.

You can probably find course reviews online which indicate whether or not you really need the books.

animeme

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 10:04 pm

We like Chegg for renting. If you want to keep it at the end, you can pay and buy. Otherwise, you rent, and you can still highlight. And they send you an ebook version for the first 30 days after you order so you're covered until the book comes.

Other people are happy with ebooks, which are a lot cheaper. But they drive me and my kids crazy.

seeker

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 10:05 pm

I second the recommendation of dealoz.com to compare all your options. They never failed me.
I was usually able to find people who had taken the course before to tell me how badly you need the textbook. Some professors were very open about how far back your edition could go, because they were in tune with the plight of college students needing to spend a fortune on these things.

Dolly1

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 10:41 pm

I buy used on amazon... but right now am starting grad school and every single book I'm supposed to get for the semester is a FORTUNE!! still not sure what to do...
As a side note, I have quite a lot of books I would love to sell or even just get rid of and I dont seem to manage. I wish there was a site for students to sell books once they are done..

cnc

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 10:45 pm

Dolly1 wrote:

You can sell your books back to amazon but they pay very little. Someone should develop an app for selling textbooks.

Dolly1

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 11:07 pm

cnc wrote:

You can sell your books back to amazon but they pay very little. Someone should develop an app for selling textbooks.

That would b IDEAL!

Op, what r u going for? maybe I have some books for u Wink

amother

Rose

Tue, Jul 18 2017, 11:34 pm

Dolly1 wrote:

That would b IDEAL!

Op, what r u going for? maybe I have some books for u Wink

Biopsychology (8th)
Disability Studies Reader (5th)
Lifespan Development: a topical approach (2nd)

Plus these cheaper ones:

Angelhead (found at the library! Hurray)
No pity: people with disabilities forging a new civil rights movement (only $13 on amazon)