Buying Smart: College Textbooks

Going to college requires the big bucks, from tuition to room and board to transportation. At the end of the day, it is always preferable to cut some slacks in certain spending areas in order to save for future needs (and you will need it). Here's a way: through buying and selling textbooks.



TIP #1: Yes, I already gave it away. Buy your books, don't rent it. Because after a semester or two, you will be able to sell the books back to your university bookstore or online (ebay or amazon). I would recommend not selling it back to your university because chances are the buyback price is very low. Renting may seem cheap ($20-100) compared to the heavy price tag of the text ($50-300), but don't be tempted. With buying the book, at least you know that you will be able to sell it later for nearly the same amount of money as soon as you're done with it. Essentially, it will cost you less. Just remember to keep your book in the same pristine condition as it first arrived. 
TIP #2: Buy an older version (by this I mean one or two versions back, not buying the first edition when you are supposed to buy a tenth). This will probably work for most social science or English classes. To be certain, contact your professors before you proceed with the purchase. 
TIP #3: Buy the International version. I had seen myself and my friends saving so much money through this tip. It is phenomenal how low the price can drop just because the cover is crappier and book becomes paperback. As a participant of higher education, we all know it's what's inside that's most important. And with international version of textbooks, the content is always the same with the bank-robbing hardcover US version. In any case, if you are worried that it might slightly differ, check out the US version of the book in the library and see for yourself. 
TIP #4: Compare the prices. You need to be the smart consumer who can distinguish between a rip-off and a once-in-a-lifetime low offer. Some colleges do the price-comparing for you on their bookstore website, but just to be safe, do the digging yourself. Look at ebay bids and check on amazon often to see if there's any other lower offer. Remember, if you can buy an expensive book for a low price, you may profit greatly when you sell it back to others. A great tool to help you along the way: dealoz.com 


There are many ways to save money on textbooks. Some people don't even buy them and just go to the library for constant use of them, but for myself, I find this method a little bit too risky. Some classes may be so loaded that when midterms and finals are around the corner, all the books are probably gone before you know it. Some may share it with a friend (or a group of friends even), but this really puts in more work negotiating with your friend on the time and frequency of usage on the book. Obviously, you cannot hog the book as much as you want if the book was your own. And think about it, what if the class is incredibly hard in small details and you need constant exposure to the book? And your friend thinks the same for his or herself? So follow these key methods, and who knows--you might save enough to buy yourself that moto jacket you've been eyeing. Good luck!