Counseling Education

Ways to Save Money on College Textbooks

Textbooks are an expensive part of a college education. One textbook can cost upwards of a couple hundred dollars. Buying textbooks for an entire semester of college can easily leave students with a bill that is almost as much as the tuition itself if you attend a public college. Finding ways to save money on textbooks can help to reduce the cost of an education -- but what are some of the ways that you can save?

One of the best ways to save cash on textbooks is to buy them used. Most of the time, used textbooks are in good condition at half the cost. So as soon as you decide on your class schedule, it is wise to begin searching for used textbooks because inventory may be limited. Some places to look for used textbooks include classified ads such as half.com, auction sites such as ebay, local college bookstores as well as online bookstores. When the semeseter is over, selling textbooks back to your local bookstore or online bookstore can help students recoup the original cost of the textbooks. Students should keep in mind that the value of the books being bought back depends on the book being in good condition without excessive highlighting and other damage.

Another option for students save money on texbooks is to rent them from online bookstores. Students can rent textbooks for a certain length of time and return via mail when the semester is over. Renting textbooks has a lower upfront cost than buying used textbooks. However, when factoring in the money received from selling used textbooks at the end of the semester, buying used textbooks is cheaper. Just be aware that with textbook buybacks, there's a chance that a used textbook cannot be sold back because it will no longer be used in the future due to a new edition coming out. That is why textbook rentals is still a great way to save and offers convenience.

Besides buying used or renting textbooks, more and more online bookstores are offering students the choice to buy digital textbooks. Digital textbooks are available for sigificant savings over their traditional counterparts and have complete interactive lessons that are often included in the bundle. While most students still prefer using hardcopy books over digital books, it still has its merits. Aside from a cheap price, digital textbooks also has the advantage of size and weight. Students can carry all their textbooks in one lightweight book reader. Also, the functionality of book readers are improving dramatically every year, which makes it easier to highlight text and display graphs and pictures. The one drawback is buying a book reader adds to the overall cost of buying digital textbooks, but it is a one time cost that spans over four years of college.

With several textbook options at your disposal, choose what works best for you. To get even more savings, it is best to use a book price comparison website such as cheaptextbooks.org to find used, digital, and rental textbooks. All students need to do is perform a simple ISBN search of the textbook to compare the different prices from each online bookstore. Book price comparison websites can help students that are shopping for textbooks to find the best prices and get the textbooks they need without breaking the bank. After all, students have enough expenses to worry about for college.

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