According to a 2005 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO"), textbook prices have risen at twice the rate of inflation over the past two decades. The average fulltime college student spends $900 each semester on books and supplies. With students heading back to college in September, TipHero has dug up six tips that can help you save money on textbooks.
1. Get your Hands on the Syllabus ASAP
There’s nothing more frustrating than going to the bookstore to find all the used copies are gone and you’re forced to shell out extra money for a brand new copy. One way to get the scoop on which books will be required is to find out which professor is teaching the class and pop your head in during their office hours and ask them which book they will be teaching from. You could also ask friends who have taken the class previously as books change on an infrequent basis.
Find a friend in your degree and setup a plan where you alternate classes so you can buy one book between the two of you and switch books at the end of each term.
4. Start a Book Exchange
When you are in your degree classes, note that most of the students in these classes will be taking similar courses. Take this opportunity to put together an email list of students within your degree. Ask each student to email you a list of their current text books, then put together a master digest of everyone’s current books to facilitate exchanges. Some students have been using Facebook to setup textbook exchanges as well.
5. Rent your Textbooks
Sites such as BookRenter.com, Chegg.com and CampusBookRentals.com let you rent books for a semester or longer. You can typically rent your books for half the purchase price. In the end, if you buy from the bookstore or not, you’re essentially renting your textbooks anyways.
6. Recoup your Costs
When it comes time to sell your books at the end of the term, don’t assume you’ll get the best price from the college bookstore. Do some research and consider selling your books on sites like Amazon or Ebay. Popular textbooks will be the easiest to sell on the major sites.
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According to a 2005 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO"), textbook prices have risen at twice the rate of inflation over the past two decades. The average fulltime college student spends $900 each semester on books and supplies. With students heading back to college in September, TipHero has dug up six tips that can help you save money on textbooks.