How to Save Hundreds of Dollars in Cash Money on Your Over-Priced College Textbooks

The jury, consisting of university students all across America, have spoken. College bookstores across the nation have been unanimously found guilty and convicted of charging ridiculous amounts of money for college textbooks and the prices seem to never stop climbing. Luckily, there are a few remedies that I am going to share with you. What is really disheartening about the risen textbooks is that it makes it even harder for students to pursue their academic career goals when you couple this revelation with the rise in tuition costs.

Textbooks

When I began my college career I couldn't believe how much I was paying for the reading materials. Some books were in excess of 0 and I didn't quite understand why. Now I've figured it out. Bookstores inflate prices to pad their pockets. It's as simple as that. That's why I decided to write this article in the first place.

This method has worked for me time and again and I'm utterly convinced it will work for you too.

Step 1:

Contact your instructor well before the session starts and ask them if it would effect your grade negatively if you were to use the previous edition of the required course material. You can usually find your instructors contact information on your college websites faculty directory.

Keep in mind that with most university textbooks there are only a few minor changes in the newer edition. Most instructors are well aware of this and since a substantial number of them are also upset by the rising costs, they will be willing to work with you.

Step 2:

Go to one of my favorite online bookstore Abe Books or Amazon and do a search for your required textbook, only instead of searching for the current edition search for the last edition. For example, if the required textbook is "Composition 101 7th edition," type in "Composition 101 6th edition" instead. You'll most likely find a good amount in stock at up to 97% less than what the "7th edition" would have cost. That's no exaggeration either. The last edition technically loses all value in the market once the newer edition hits the shelf. However, this is only an illusion to sucker you into paying more for practically the same information. Make sure you have a long enough window of time to have your books shipped to you before the class starts as well.

Alternative plans of action and more textbook tips:

If for some reason your instructor insists that you absolutely must have the newest edition of the text and convinces you that your grade is dependent upon it, go back to Abe Books and get the imported or international version of the text. For example, you will type in "Composition 101″ 7th international edition. Find the cheapest listing and add it to your basket.

In addition, it's probably a good idea to play with the option of renting your textbook a reputable textbook rental website. Compare the price of the international version of the required textbook you found at Abe Books with that of the standard rented version from Campus Book Rentals. Choose what you feel is best for you. Campus Book Rentals is fantastic because they offer free shipping both ways and they have a tremendous selection. Avoid using your campus's fuddy duddy textbook rental store as they purposefully restrict the variety of their book offerings in order to systematically force you back to the regular book store in order to buy it at the highway robbery retail price ( sometimes up to 0! per book).

Finally, once the semester is over don't forget to try and resell your books at a book buying source to recoup the few dollars you spent on them. If you can't sell them back, at least you'll have the pleasure of knowing you saved hundreds of dollars on your textbooks and moved one step closer to furthering your educational goals without breaking the bank.

How to Save Hundreds of Dollars in Cash Money on Your Over-Priced College Textbooks

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