College Books

Serious Business Backup 16 replies 587 views
BlueDevil11's avatar
BlueDevil11
Posts: 1,911
Aug 13, 2011 2:00pm
Where is the best/cheapest place to get books for college?
ts1227's avatar
ts1227
Posts: 12,319
Aug 13, 2011 2:22pm
Anywhere but the bookstore. Use the bookstore sites to find out which books you need, then buy on Amazon, Half, etc.

Also resell them on these sites after the quarter
R
rugbywrestler
Posts: 462
Aug 13, 2011 2:45pm
Amazon. See if it's ok to use an older edition too, easily cuts the price in half
like_that's avatar
like_that
Posts: 26,625
Aug 13, 2011 3:24pm
Chegg.com
JerseyBuck's avatar
JerseyBuck
Posts: 429
Aug 13, 2011 3:28pm
Amazon. Price from the bookstore is cut in half when I went through them.
ts1227's avatar
ts1227
Posts: 12,319
Aug 13, 2011 3:29pm
I've actually sold a few books on Amazon for more than I had bought them for on there before the quarter.
TBone14's avatar
TBone14
Posts: 6,383
Aug 13, 2011 4:13pm
like_that;861266 wrote:Chegg.com

Agreed. Chegg is great.
M
MontyBrunswick
Aug 13, 2011 5:45pm
ts1227;861235 wrote:Anywhere but the bookstore. Use the bookstore sites to find out which books you need, then buy on Amazon, Half, etc.

Also resell them on these sites after the quarter

Wrong. Buy them from Half/Amazon and then sell them back to the bookstore. Often times, you'll make money on the deal. On the times the bookstore tries to give you $3.00 for a book, THEN sell it on Half/Amazon.
I
I Wear Pants
Posts: 16,223
Aug 13, 2011 9:04pm
http://www.bigwords.com/

Compares all the book places including Amazon and Chegg and such.

Works for buying and selling too.
O
ontheriv2000
Posts: 4
Aug 18, 2011 6:42pm
Look for online at the schools websites for available books that you could buy from students that took the class already. the downside is that you will buy a book and then the professor will change the edition. It seems to be happening a lot lately. Depending on your education path, you might be able to find used books pretty easily. Check the local bookstores as well!
chicago510's avatar
chicago510
Posts: 5,728
Aug 18, 2011 8:11pm
Amazon.com

I have the credit card for rewards and the Student Prime account. Register with your .edu address and get free 2 day shipping on everything.

Then sell your books back after the quarter
ohiobucks1's avatar
ohiobucks1
Posts: 4,915
Aug 18, 2011 8:12pm
I agree with chegg.com
gerb131's avatar
gerb131
Posts: 9,932
Aug 18, 2011 8:58pm
ecampus is pretty good or used to be.
Heelz's avatar
Heelz
Posts: 780
Aug 19, 2011 8:33am
amazon. I love the look on the faces at the people at the bookstore when you tell them your buying and selling shit on the internetz.
M
MontyBrunswick
Aug 19, 2011 11:59am
I always used to go to the bookstore and punch the ISBN numbers for the books I needed into my phone, then go back to my dorm and buy them online.

I'd just punch the isbn number into my phone as a call, attempt to call it, then hang up...then it'd be in my recent calls list.

That was back before I had my smartphone, though.
F
friendfromlowry
Posts: 6,239
Aug 19, 2011 1:04pm
More often then not I don't even buy the book. I wasted so much money on college textbooks that I never even used. I would recommend to incoming freshmen to wait on buying books. In my experience, a lot of the basic general education courses (Psych, Sociology, English) use the books more so as supplemental than an actual necessity. A lot of science books especially you can get away with using older editions. What the fuck makes the 2011 9th edition geology textbook better than the 2009 8th edition, besides the newer one being $150 more expensive. Oh, and just because the first day of class, the professor holds up the book and says "This is the textbook we'll use, and you will need it" -- doesn't make it actually true.
Scarlet_Buckeye's avatar
Scarlet_Buckeye
Posts: 5,264
Aug 19, 2011 1:09pm
like_that;861266 wrote:Chegg.com

This.
tcarrier32's avatar
tcarrier32
Posts: 1,497
Aug 20, 2011 4:10am
amazon