Shop Online
Bookstores exist to rip off college students by overcharging. While they may charge retail for new books, they almost never give fair prices for used copies, selling them at way more than they are worth. My suggestion is to use Amazon.com, although other people love Ebay, Half.com, or using local resources like Craigslist. Every semester I usually save at least 50% on my books by buying used books from Amazon in excellent condition.
Personal tip: Never buy from anyone with a below 95% approval rating
Personal tip: Never buy from anyone with a below 95% approval rating
Sell Online
As bad as you can get ripped off buying books at a Barnes & Nobles, the biggest cheat is how little they offer to buy your books back. You should never, EVER sell a book back to a retail chain of stores. Always sell your books online to get the maximum value.
As bad as you can get ripped off buying books at a Barnes & Nobles, the biggest cheat is how little they offer to buy your books back. You should never, EVER sell a book back to a retail chain of stores. Always sell your books online to get the maximum value.
Buy Used and Old Editions
There is nothing wrong with buying a used edition of a book as long as it is not missing any pages. It's a great way to save money and there is really no reason to buy a new book
Also, if you are buying a book that has multiple editions, buy an old edition. Most books release new editions like clockwork and professors jump on the wagon constantly requesting the newest version. This totally destroys the value of a book once a new edition is released, usually they are worth less than 5 dollars now even if it was a 100 dollar textbook last semester. What they usually don't tell you is that the new edition is barely distinguishable from the old one, so just purchase a previous edition for pennies.
Even if you find out the editions are far too different, all you have lost is a few dollars in the pursuit of a potential savings of hundreds. Honestly most updates are only relevant if your class is teaching you about material that pertains to the last 5-10 years. If you are reading an anthology of Middle Ages literature, don't expect much to change.
If you follow these tips I can almost guarantee you will save anywhere from 30-70% on buying and reselling your books every single semester.
Also, if you are buying a book that has multiple editions, buy an old edition. Most books release new editions like clockwork and professors jump on the wagon constantly requesting the newest version. This totally destroys the value of a book once a new edition is released, usually they are worth less than 5 dollars now even if it was a 100 dollar textbook last semester. What they usually don't tell you is that the new edition is barely distinguishable from the old one, so just purchase a previous edition for pennies.
Even if you find out the editions are far too different, all you have lost is a few dollars in the pursuit of a potential savings of hundreds. Honestly most updates are only relevant if your class is teaching you about material that pertains to the last 5-10 years. If you are reading an anthology of Middle Ages literature, don't expect much to change.
If you follow these tips I can almost guarantee you will save anywhere from 30-70% on buying and reselling your books every single semester.
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