How to Not Go Broke When Buying Textbooks

Image: Flickr, Mark Lindner

College kids, get ready to spend your hard-earned summer cash on textbooks.

Vital to the college experience is the tradition of poring over hundreds of pages of reading each week. However, the average textbook is far more expensive than a regular book. Some can cost upwards of $100 — or more. The average college student spent about $1,200 for textbooks and school supplies in 2013.

It doesn't have to be this way. There are plenty of shortcuts to keep your final costs down.

From repurposing used books to scouring the school library, you can always find ways to save money. Your tuition may be expensive, but your book-buying experience doesn't have to be.

1. Rent everything.

So, you finished your first semester — now what do you do with the books you'll never use again? If you rent everything, you won't have a problem.

Plenty of school bookstores offer students the chance to rent a book instead of buying it, which is usually much more cost-effective. (However, keep in mind that the school bookstore is the last place you want to go to buy new textbooks. You're likely paying full price there, no matter what.)

There are also rental book sites that allow students to borrow books, then mail them back when the semester is over. From finding used books, to renting everything, acquiring textbooks can be substantially easier on your wallet. Amazon, BookRenter, Neebo and Chegg are just a few sites that offer students a "rent now, return later" model.

2. Hunt for e-books.

Your Kindle can save you money. Instead of lugging around books IRL, just buy e-book versions of your textbooks. You can typically access them from your laptop, e-reader or tablet, and they'll often save you a chunk of money. Plus, you're being environmentally friendly.

You can easily find e-books on sites like Amazon and CourseSmart, as well as through certain textbook publishers.

3. Revitalize used books.

Give old lit a new meaning by buying used textbooks. There are dozens of great sites devoted to helping you find a cheaper version of what you need. Here are a few options:

Trusty sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble also sell used textbooks.

4. Get the most out of Amazon.


Image: Amazon

Did you know students get Amazon Prime free for six months? Using your student email address provided by your college, you can get free two-day shipping on a number of items, snag exclusive deals and borrow free Kindle books.

5. Compare online book prices.

If you want to ensure you're getting the best deal, try sites like BookFinder and Big Words. They comb the Internet for book titles and pull up a list of all the sites where you can buy them. That way, you can easily compare prices and make the best pick.

6. Scour the school library.

The early bird gets the library book. Scan your syllabus before the semester begins and check if your school's library has copies of your books. You won't be the only student doing this, though, so make it a top priority on your back-to-school list.

7. Sell your books back at the end of the semester.

Earn back some of your money at the end of the semester by selling the books you didn't rent or buy as an e-book. You can sell on Amazon, eBay or, or venture off to textbook-specific sites like TextbookRush and Powell's.

Barnes & Noble also offers a textbook buyback option. Most school bookstores do, too, but they don't usually offer the best prices — so use them as a last resort for selling books back.


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