Every college student knows that textbooks are
too expensive. Fortunately, with the proliferation of online storefronts and
resources that put budget shopping, used book exchanges and Web-wide price
comparisons only a few clicks away, you should be able to find at least some
great deals at huge savings.
Here are five websites to check out if you’re
looking to save money on next semester’s textbooks.
Amazon.com
Amazon is
the first place to look because of its extensive selection of both used and
discounted new books. When you pull up a book you’ve searched for, be on the
lookout for a button that says “Used.” Clicking this link will bring you to a
page listing used copies of that book, arranged from lowest to highest price.
From here, you can look at each available used
copy to see what condition it’s in and the seller’s trust rating—these used
copies are being sold by other Amazon users, not by Amazon itself, so see what
other buyers have had to say about the seller.
If all seems okay, go ahead and buy! Amazon
routinely saves students hundreds of dollars on book costs.
Textbooks.com
Textbooks.com is another option for frugal
textbook seekers and offers a simple process for either buying or selling your
textbooks.
If you’re shopping, you can just start
searching from the homepage. You can also use the “Browse” feature to search
for textbooks by subject.
If you’re there to sell, just click on “Sell Books,”
and you’ll get easy-to-follow directions on how to proceed. Textbooks.com even
pays for you to ship your books to them.
Half.com
Pretty much everyone knows about world-class online
auction site eBay, but did you know there’s
a section of their non-auction resale website, Half.com, dedicated to just textbooks?
Choose either “Buy textbooks” or “Sell
textbooks,” type in the ISBN of the book you’re buying or selling, and go from
there. Your eBay user ID and password will work on Half, and best of all, the
reliability and reputation of eBay stand behind any Half.com transactions you
make!
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CampusBooks.com
CampusBooks boasts a selection of over eight
million college textbooks and an average student savings of 58%. If that’s not
enough, the website goes one better by letting you compare prices from dozens
of other sites. This free feature helps you make sure you’re getting the best
deal possible. And let’s face it: Comparison shopping is a habit any college
student should get into.
CheapestTextbooks.com
CheapestTextbooks brags that some of its student
shoppers can save a whopping 90% over traditional bookstores! In addition to a
price comparison service that flags the cheapest textbook price, this site features
both used and new books, free shipping offers, and even more money-saving
online coupons and deals. The truly thrifty should give CheapestTextbooks.com a
whirl!
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