Textbook Shopping Tips
It's the end of the semester, and textbook shopping isn't on your to-do list. In fact, you might wait until the first week of classes to see if you can do without the book, only to find out there is an assignment due next class. Now, the hunt begins to find an affordable book.
This doesn't have to be the case when it comes to buying textbooks, but finding a good price will take some work on your part. Rather than wasting time searching for books at the last minute, students can take advantage of savings available to those who do research in advance.
"I try and get my books a month ahead of time so I'm not scrambling," says Mike Beaulieu a senior at the University of North Florida. "I have a sense of security, and I'm prepared for class ahead of time."
Beaulieu says he cut purchasing costs from $600 to $250 by using this principle. The same can be true for you.
Follow these simple tips to get the book you need while keeping excess cash in your pocket. Likewise, there is money to be made if you resell your textbook. Just think, the money saved could mean an extra vacation or emergency money for a rainy day.
Start early
Apart from the cost of living and tuition, a large portion of your money goes toward textbook expenses. It happens every semester, so why not be a smart shopper?
Get an early start and check to see if your professor posts the book requirements on your school's website. If a list isn't available, call your campus bookstore to find out what textbooks are in stock for the course you're taking. Once you know what you need, you will have plenty of time to shop around for the lowest price. Pre-ordering books can save you the hassle of waiting in bookstore lines or waiting for late orders to arrive. Remember, procrastinating may leave you empty handed.
The early-bird approach is also helpful when reselling or trading textbooks. Melissa Yopack, operations manager for the University of Central Florida bookstore, says the best time to sell used books is during finals week. This can increase your refund amount because there will be a high demand for the book, and students can receive up to 50 percent of the book's selling price. Check to see the latest buyback rates are at your campus bookstore.
Buy used books
Buying used might seem sound like obvious shopping advice, but there's no arguing that doing so can result in huge savings.
"I save probably about $40 or $50," when buying used books, says Valerie Cambridge, a UCF senior.
You may find that the highlighted material is the information you need to know for a test or quiz. However, before buying a used book from a campus bookstore make sure the wear and tear won't decrease the amount of money you can get if you resell it. Most important, be certain that you are buying the correct edition of the book. The last thing you want is to spend money on something you may not be able to use.
Search online
With such a vast number of bookselling websites to choose from, you can determine how much you want to spend. For example, FUKSO, or For U Kollege Students Only, is an online meeting place where students can post books they wish to buy, sell or trade with students on their campus. The service is free, and students meet at designated student trade zones to exchange or sell books. Beaulieu and his partner Eric Fuller launched the website in July, and see the service as a hassle-free approach to book buying.
"There is really no other outlet to get textbooks besides stores that sell textbooks or the bookstore," Beaulieu says. "We noticed that a bunch of our friends and classmates were selling textbooks to one another so we figured that there should be an easier, more organized way to do it."
Some colleges host online bulletins where students can post their book prices. Chegg.com, an online textbook rental company, also lets college students avoid buying overpriced books by renting their textbooks instead. Users choose their textbooks online and receive them by mail. Students keep the books until the end of the semester and then send them back using the return label provided by the company.
Compare prices
Don't just settle for convenience, look for the best deal. But in some cases, the best deal actually finds you. For example, BIGWORDS.com is a textbook comparison shopping website that lets retailers compete for your business.
The website searches for the best book prices while excluding low-quality sellers. Using technology that calculates coupon, promotion and shipping on any combination of purchases, it allows you to compare prices in one place. You can also use the same process to get the best buyback price. BIGWORDS.com claims students have saved more than $3 million using these free services.
Some online book sellers also offer special deals to students. For example, A1Books takes five percent off all purchases for buyers using an .edu email address. Five percent may not sound like much but if you spend $400 on books, then that's an extra $20 that you'd rather keep, right?
Online Textbook Shopping
www.a1books.com/dotedu
www.BIGWORDS.com
www.FUKSO.com
www.Chegg.com
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