My son is heading to college in the fall and is starting to get info from various places about buying books from them. He has registered for his classes, so he does know what books he will need. In my day (yes, I am old) you went to the book stores around campus before classes started and bought your books. How important is it to buy them in advance? Do you get better deals? He will be at A&M, does anyone have recommendations for the best place, online or on campus, to buy them? Thanks.
www.abebooks.com I'm a grad student, this is what I use to get my books. Just make sure you're getting the right edition, and if there's a workbook, that it's included. My advice would be to figure out which books he needs first and make sure he has those before class starts. That may mean buying them through amazon or another retailer. The ones he needs later in the semester (assuming his classes go through multiple books, though many intro classes will just use one text book), allow you to be more flexible on the shipping time and so price can be your first concern. If he already knows what classes he's in (if he's already enrolled online), then he can email the professor or the department to find out what books are required so he can go ahead and order them from the cheapest source and not have to worry about quick shipping.
Most classes don't require you to purchase the text book per se. Also most colleges have an inner-student type website thing where they post available used books so they can barter with each other instead of selling back to the school book store for lesser value. You should have him look into that and see if such thing exists. Now an idea to get the most back when he does buy a book.... A trick I used my senior year for times when I absolutely had to purchase the book. After the term was over and the new term was beginning I'd have the text book with me and have it in my backpack because the bookstore is packed with kids buying books and Id watch for other kids buying the same text as the one I had. I'd deal with them and tell them I'd give them a book for $40.00 since the bookstore would buy it back for like only $25 and then in turn they sell it new for like 100 or used for 70. Win-win situation
Don't buy in advance. Sometimes the info is outdated or the texts aren't required by the prof. Now if you need a townhouse on the bus route 5min from campus for him you let me know!
I bought my last two off ebay. I got them for about a third of the original cost at the campus bookstore. I second the thought to make sure its the right printing and if there is workbooks/supplemental that go with it.
I took a class toward my MBA recently, and the required textbook was actually almost completely online for free at Google books. Kind of amazing, actually, since the cheapest place I found to buy it was asking $135 used.
www.directtextbook.com best site ever for textbooks, finds you the cheapest price online loads fast, simple interface, no extra crap
To save the most money wait till the first day of class find out which books he actually NEEDS from the prof then buy them online that day. This is not the best way to do it because he will be behind in at least one class waiting the week for them to get there.
That's why I don't usually end up doing it online. I'd like to, but I'm enough of a procrastinator that, if I start out the semester behind, I'll certainly never catch up. And you never know what the professor will actually say... I guess you could email them, but I don't want to be a pain to the prof before they meet me...
I always bought used at half.com or amazon.com and then at the end of the semester I re-listed the books at these same stores and I would always get my money back.
I tried that trick once mentioned above where I kinda hung out the psych section waiting for someone who needed the book I was selling, but I guess I was always at the bookstore at the wrong times. Anyway, tell your son to try facebook Marketplace. I'm sure some kids are trying to unload their books for cheaper than the bookstore price there.
half.com You can find some really good deals on there. Occasionally you can buy a textbook from there and sell it for more once your done with it.
For all of those who are complaining about the waiting period to get your books when ordering them online, there is a simple process to avoid getting behind in your classes and it is called email. I always email my professors about 1 month before classes start. That way, they know exactly what book(s) they'll be using for the upcoming semester and they can't change. If you do it in May for the Fall semester, there's a chance that the professors could switch books but with a month to go they're usually pretty set. Anyway, just drop them an email asking what book(s) the class requires. Every time I have done this I have always received an answer and by doing it a month early, you beat the start of the school year rush and you actually find better deals.
Good point - and book orders have to be placed around the middle of the previous semester anyway. In my own teaching experience (yes, I've been on both sides of the classroom lately, long story), we couldn't change after that. It's good that your professors haven't minded you asking. I don't mind my own students asking at all, but I just don't hear it that often, and (as a new student in someone else's class), I hate to make myself stick out from the crowd so early in the game. Different professors have different personalities after all. I don't find my students annoying, but some people might.
www.bn.com, www.borders.com (now with Amazon). I did that for Mrs. SwoLy many a times with success. Search for the book name, then compare the NEW PRICE and used price. Click on the "Used books for sale" link below the NEW PRICE, and see the reputation of the seller. Keep in mind you will be getting your books half a week to a week before you need them.
I always showed up the first day with nothing. Then they would always tell me some of the books that were listed would not be used. So I would only order the ones online I needed. The one thing you must know: NEVER BUY FROM A COLLEGE BOOKSTORE NEAR TEXAS A&M CAMPUS. You will be poor.
