Buying textbooks on a shoestring budget
From JhuWiki
You may not care, but for those of us who don't have Mommy and Daddy's credit card at our disposal . . .
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[edit] The golden rule of textbook buying
Say it with me, children: unless a book is hot off the press, never ever pay what the bookstore is charging. This applies especially if it's for a large science class like Physics or Chemistry. Almost any hardcover book can be purchased for at least $10 less than what the bookstore is charging. It may take slightly more time to locate and buy the book, but think of it this way: if it takes you an extra hour, you're making $10 or more for that hour of your time. Even better, if you're lucky, the book will still be in use when you're done with the class, and you can sell it to someone else at the same price you paid, for a net cost of $0!
[edit] Figuring out what book you need
If you won't be buying your book from the bookstore, make sure that you'll be buying the correct book for the class. Sometimes an older edition or a different book is okay, but in some classes, you'll be lost unless you have the same book as the professor is using.
ISBN numbers are your friends. Use them. Either go to the bookstore and write down the ISBN number of the books there, or email the professor to find out the title and edition of the book he or she will be using that semester. You can then find the ISBN number by searching for the correct edition of the book on amazon.com. Sometimes you can also find out what book you'll need by searching the campus bookstore's website, but frequently that will not list the edition or the ISBN.
[edit] Where to find textbooks
I'll try to start with the least expensive ideas and work up to the more expensive ideas.
- This one is kind of obvious, but check with people you know to see if any of them took the class. Many people are willing to lend or give away their books once they're done with a class.
- Try to find someone on campus who has a copy to sell. Check out listings on HUBex and the dailyjolt marketplace forum. Keep in mind that the when the bookstore buys back used books, they won't pay more than 50% of the original purchase price, if that. Use that as leverage when bargaining with a seller.
- If no one is selling the book you need, try posting on the jolt marketplace. I suggest that you title your post as descriptively as possible, e.g. "WANTED: Orgo Lab Textbook" rather than just "Orgo lab book" (which could be someone buying OR selling a book). Make a separate post for each book you want. That way, people who may just be browsing the forum will know what you're looking for even if they don't click on your post, maximizing your chances of getting a response.
- If it's early enough in the semester that you can wait for the book to come in the mail, look for a used copy online at amazon.com. Better yet, use a price comparison website that lists the prices from different bookstores on a single page. Be careful to confirm that you are buying the correct edition, since frequently older editions will be listed together with newer editions.
- If the textbook has been published very recently and there are few used copies floating around, check out amazon.co.uk. American textbook prices are very inflated, and frequently it's cheaper to order from overseas even after you factor in the exchange rate and the higher shipping charges. However, keep in mind that it will take longer for items to arrive from Great Britain, so if you plan to do this, try to order about two weeks before the semester begins. This seems to be especially relevent for Biology textbooks, which are *far* cheaper this way.
- If you're truly destitute, you can always use the copy of the book that the professor should have put on reserve in the library. Check at the beginning of the semester to make sure the professor does this, because sometimes they may forget. If the book stays on the shelf, sometimes it ends up disappearing mid-semester when scum-of-the-earth Hopkins throats hide it somewhere.
- Another suggestion for the truly destitute is to see if the Baltimore City Library System can locate and order a copy for you through interlibrary loan. However, you may end up paying overdue fines if you need the book for the whole semester.
[edit] Websites
[edit] Price comparison sites
- booksmoothie.com: Find your books by compiling and comparing results from various online bookstores. It calculates the total cost for shipment including shipping cost and any applicable taxes. Created by a JHU grad student.
[edit] New textbooks
- Amazon.com: Expensive, on occasion more expensive than the bookstore, but good customer service and books comes in good condition.
- Barnes and Noble: Less expensive, books comes in good condition.
- Walmart: Cheap books, books come in a worn condition.
- A1 Techbooks: Bad reputation. Stay away.
- TextbookX: Reputable and cheap, books come slightly, but good customer service.
- SuperBookDeals.com: Stay away. Prices are excellent, and they're located in Maryland, but my textbook took weeks to arrive and the hard cover of the textbook was bent in half and the included CD was shattered.
[edit] Used textbooks
- Half.com: Usually a good deal, but make sure prices are cheaper here than for new textbooks!
- Biblio Textbooks: Millions of textbooks, but same caveat as above!
- Green Textbooks: GreenTextbooks.org specializes in the recycling of textbooks, DVDs, CDs.
