How to Buy Textbooks

Before purchasing anything, be sure to get a course outline from your instructor so that you know the right textbooks to buy. A $100 textbook that’s wrong for the course is an expensive mistake.

Price factors

New/Used New textbooks are more expensive than used.

Condition of the book Used books have different pricing levels. The more beat up a book is, the greater the discount. Used books often have broken spines, are heavily highlighted and have hand-written notes.

Supply and demand law applies If supply is high and demand is low, prices are usually lower. If supply is low and demand is high, expect to pay more.

New editions Once a publisher puts out new editions, costs of previous editions usually decrease. Be sure to purchase the edition your instructor recommends. New editions can have small changes that don’t greatly affect content, but new editions can have additional material that may be important to your professor.

Comparison shop when you buy textbooks

Buy your textbooks from several different sources. Most universities have a student store selling instructor-approved textbooks. You can also purchase from local used book stores. The Internet has several online discount textbooks for the budget-conscious student.

Student textbook stores

Your local university student store is an obvious place to look for your textbooks. Student stores tend to have the most up-to-date versions of the books your professors want you to have. Faculty generally place orders for books for their classes with student stores well in advance so you can be sure you’re getting the right books for the right classes. Instructors are responsible for providing the book’s publisher information to the textbook department by a pre-set deadline, so that the books are on the shelves when the semester begins. You can use your course schedule to help you identify what books you need for each class.

Student stores are usually arranged by class. If you have trouble locating books, store staff are there to help you find books you need. If you manage to purchase the wrong book by mistake, most student stores will allow returns for a full refund the first week of class. Best of all, at the end of the semester, most student stores will buy your books back and refund you a portion of the book price. Whether or not a book is bought back and how much you receive depends on whether or not a book will be needed next semester and if store stock is low.

Local used textbook stores

Many college towns have used textbook stores near the campus. Check your local yellow pages or ask other students about locations. Like the student store on campus, these stores generally receive orders from the faculty and arrange their stock by course name and number. Also, staff in the store can help you find the books you need if you’re having trouble locating them. These stores usually don’t have forgiving return policies like student stores, so be sure you that the book you want is the right one before purchasing. Buy-back policies vary widely among local used book stores, so keep this in mind before deciding where to purchase your textbooks. On a positive note, students can save 25% or more buying their books used. A definite incentive for the perennially poor college student!

Online textbook stores

The Internet is loaded with online book stores where students can buy their textbooks. Some of these Web sites are discounters allowing substantial savings on textbook purchases. You may have to pay for shipping though. One Web site, ecampus.com, throws in shipping for free if you spend $49 or more. You can even cancel up to 30 days after you order, if you decide to drop a class. A 10% restocking fee will be charged. When the semester is over, you may be able to sell your books back too. ecampus.com has an easy search tool to help you determine if they will buy your book back. Like the campus university bookstore, whether or not an online store will buy your book back depends on several factors. The most important factor is whether a book is being reused from semester to semester. Demand for the book and how many copies are in stock also determines value. The earlier you sell back your books, the more they're worth, and the more likely it is that they will buy them back.

A note of caution

Some Web sites like efollett.com, simply link users to university book stores. Using these Web sites, you can buy all your books online and pick them up at the brick-and mortar-bookstores or pay extra for delivery to your door. These Web sites do not offer deep discounts, but they do offer added convenience.

Resources:

Ecampus.com According to their web site, their “mission is to provide the easiest, fastest, cheapest way for college and university students to buy textbooks and stuff.”

Cheapesttextbooks.com This bookseller allows comparison shopping of all the major online college textbook stores.

Bookbyte sells new and used textbooks and has online customer service if you’re having problems finding your books.