First Talk To Your Professors
The first step to getting the best possible bargain is to get a list of the books you need as soon as possible. This not only allows you time to hunt down the best deals, but also to reach out to your professors.
Then, shoot your professor an email asking how often the book will be used, whether you absolutely need the latest version, and if you need a digital access code for online activities. Be polite and show that you are budget-conscious. Youll find that most instructors are more than happy to help out!
| TO: SUBJECT: textbook inquiryDear ,
I hope this email finds you well. Im and Im enrolled in your class this upcoming semester. Im preparing to buy my textbooks on a budget, so I have three questions about the book for this class: Thanks in advance for your help! Sincerely, |
Once you know what books you need and whether youll need the latest version, its time to start your search. Read on to find out the best places to buy and rent both hard copies and e-copies of all the textbooks you need for college.
Use Chegg To Find Digital And Physical Copies
Chegg is a massive e-learning platform that has mostly been marketed as a place for tutoring however, it also has a subsidiary where you can buy or rent cheap college textbooks. One handy feature of renting from Chegg is that returning your rental is free all you need to do is send back the books with the companys prepaid shipping label.
You can even highlight the books, as long as you dont write in them. If you need the books longer than expected, the company allows you to extend your rental. Have you fallen in love with a particular textbook and want to keep it forever? In that case, convert your rental into a purchase!
Ways To Beat The System When Buying College Textbooks
If youre a college student starting a new academic year, youre likely reeling in shock from the amount of money youre being asked to spend on textbooks.
The price tags on those books can be astonishing and theyre always climbing. The U.S. Government Accountability Office reports that college textbook prices have increased at twice the rate of inflation.
Is there any way to avoid this crippling expense? Actually, there are several. The following tips can give you some ideas for beating the system this semester.
1. Beat the crowds. Your on-campus bookstore is your simplest and fastest route for finding the books you need, but it also can be the most expensive. That said, you may be able to save a little bit of money by arriving at the store as early as possible the minute you get your list of required books so you can snatch up used copies.
5. Rent your textbooks in other ways. Much like online movie-rental services, sites like BookRenter.com and Chegg.com allows you to rent textbooks rather than buy them. The savings can be substantial, so long as youre careful to return your books on time so your rentals dont get converted to purchases. Another option: Check to see whether your college or university offers a textbook rental service to help students save money. To learn about additional ways to rent textbooks rather than buy them, check out this helpful column on the subject from ConsumerMan Herb Weisbaum.
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What Else Is So Great About Our Free Service
We have been on the internet for a couple decades now. Over the years we have continually worked on our software to make it faster and faster. We know your time is valuable so we have made a textbook price comparison site that you can get through in seconds while also saving you big money. Our searches usually take less than a second to complete and it usually takes less than a couple seconds to show you prices from all the textbook stores we search.
Not sure whether you should buy or rent a textbook? Good news, we have a tool to help you figure out which will be the best option for you. Its called the We Recommend tool and its completely customizable. You can enter in how long you need the textbook or whether or not you want to keep it. The software will do all the math to determine which option is best for your situation.
Its true that our focus appears to be on textbooks, but did you know we actually price compare any book? Thats right, you can run any book through our price comparison that has an ISBN. That means you can save money on millions of different books. In addition, if you download the CheapestTextbooks.com app, you can easily scan the bar code of any book and get an instant price comparison.
Textbook Price Comparison Tools
The following book price comparison tools are two of the best sites Ive found. You can enter the ISBN number, author, and/or title to find and compare textbook prices from many booksellers.
- BookFinder.com finds new and used textbooks from booksellers worldwide.
- offers rental, new, used, and digital textbooks.
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Use Coupon Websites For Big Discounts Online And In
A really easy way to get new college textbooks at a low price is to use coupon and deal websites.
On these websites, you can find discounts for popular bookstores that can save you a lot of money.
On RetailMeNot, for example, there are coupons available for a wide range of bookstores, such as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million.
And there are other coupon and deal websites out there, where you can get discounts for bookstores and other platforms where you can buy books, including:
Where To Find Cheap College Textbooks
With school costs reaching all-time highs and student loans becoming a major issue, cutting costs wherever you can is essential to making college affordable.
And thanks to some ingenuity and research, you can definitely find college books at a discount.
First and foremost, skip the school bookstore. Schools charge premiums, and because many students dont realize they have options, they hand over their money for overpriced books.
Instead, check out these alternative online marketplaces to get the cheapest college textbooks, whether new, used or rentals:
On some of these sites, you can also sell your used textbooks to make some money back at the end of the semester.
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Why Buy College Textbooks Online At Valorebooks
When you’re looking for cheap college textbooks online, come to ValoreBooks! ValoreBooks is the best website to save money on college textbooks because we offer great prices, incredible convenience and service to make every customer’s shopping experience fast and stress-free. You can count on us for great prices and great service every time. Want to learn more about the benefits of buying from ValoreBooks? Here’s how we do it:
One-stop shopping. We compare millions of low-cost college textbooks from thousands of sellers to find you the best book at the best price. That means no more wasted time and no more comparison-shopping.
Huge savings. Our marketplace model saves the average college student $500 per year on college textbooks. It’s our way of helping you manage expenses and get the most out of college. Whether you’re looking for new textbooks or cheap used college textbooks, we’ve got the books – and the savings. So, let us help you lower your textbook costs.
Extra Mile Guarantee We’re so sure you’ll be happy with your ValoreBooks purchases, we offer a money-back guarantee on the books you buy. If your order arrives in poor condition or you received a different item, you can return it within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked. That’s why ValoreBooks is the best place to buy discounted textbooks for college.
Books For Less: The 10 Best Sites To Buy College Textbooks
2019/08/28 at 9:00 AM2y ago13
A new school year is starting which means youve got to start thinking about paying tuition if your financial aid didnt cover it all. This is stressful enough without having to add the price of textbooks on top of it. Still, you need textbooks to get through classes so its not like you can skip out on them.
What if we told you that you dont have to settle for the pricy books in your college store. You can find the best sites to buy college textbooks and get amazing deals. To help you start your year off with more money in your pocket, here are a few of these great sites.
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Find Previous Editions And International Editions
Textbooks get new, updated editions every so often and when that happens, its a good bet that your classes are going to require those new editions.
However, a lot of textbooks dont change much from edition to edition, especially for subjects that change slowly
So, for many classes, you can just buy the previous edition of your textbook and get by just fine. This is especially true if youre focusing your efforts correctly and arent shooting for absolutely perfect grades.
A few caveats to this strategy:
- You probably should get the latest edition of a textbook if its going to have problem sets that will be used as homework in your class. Math and science books are more likely to fall into this category.
- I recommend emailing your professor before the semester starts and asking if this is ok
Aside from previous editions, you can also look into international editions of your required textbooks.
During my first couple years of college, I used TextbookRush to find international editions of some of my required books. The main differences between these and the domestic editions:
- Theyre generally paperback
- Images might be in black-and-white
- Theyre often hella cheaper
If youre cool with flimsy covers and no color, buying an international edition can save you a good chunk of change.
Ways To Get Cheap College Textbooks
Above, weve given you many places where you can get free college textbooks.
But, you might not be able to get the specific book you need at the places above, or you might want a physical copy of a book, rather than a digital one, or you might want to a physical book that you can make notes on, so borrowing one from the library isnt ideal.
If thats the case, then consider getting your books using one of the methods below.
Below, weve listed places where you can get books at a huge discount, and places where you can buy cheap used college textbooks.
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Get Free Gift Cards From Swagbucks Too
Swagbucks is a great rewards website, and one of the most popular of its kind.
One of the reasons for Swagbuckss popularity is that it offers its members so many ways to earn money!
You earn points, called Swagbucks, for completing easy tasks, like:
- Taking surveys
- Playing games
- Watching videos
You can use your points to get gift cards to bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
So basically, you can use your Swagbucks gift cards to buy your textbooks, and get them for free, essentially.
Whats great about rewards websites, like Swagbucks is that you can easily do these tasks in your downtime, such as during the commercial break or while youre waiting in line at the grocery store.
How To Find Older Version Of Textbooks
This seems to be a common issue for a lot of students. When textbooks are updated, it seems like the older versions just disappear. But sometimes, for whatever reason, you may need the older version.
The good news is that there are ways to find them. An done of the best pl aces to start your search is, yes, on Reddit, specifically this thread. Its basically a directory of resources for finding new and older versions of college books.
What makes it great is that while a user took his time to do this for free, other users keep adding to the list in the comment section. So make sure to read the comments.
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Options To Buy Sell And Rent Textbooks Online
You have plenty of options when it comes to places to buy, sell and rent your textbooks, but buying online is the easiest way to compare prices. Search by title, by author or with the codes that identify specific book editions, known as ISBNs. When buying online, factor in shipping, handling and taxes to the total cost. These sites are good places to start.AbeBooks.com users can save from 50% to 90% on textbooks, many of which have free shipping. The site’s Textbook Buyback feature allows students to sell their books for cash.
No matter where you get your books, compare multiple stores and online marketplaces to get the lowest prices.
About the author:Anna Helhoski is a writer and NerdWallet’s authority on student loans. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today. Read more
Read Your Textbooks Online With Perlego
Perlego is a digital online library that offers access to over 500,000 textbooks. Youll pay a monthly or annual subscription to access all of Perlegos content, and you can even download most titles to access offline!
You dont need to commit straight away either you can search Perlegos library for your textbooks before becoming a member, and can also make use of a 14-day trial. If you do decide Perlego is for you, great news: its super affordable, with a yearly subscription running around $100. Thats less than the price of one college textbook!
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Get Cheap Textbooks On Amazon
is a great place to find cheap college textbooks. On Amazon, you can save up to 90% on rental, new, used and digital textbooks.
Buying textbooks used can save you a lot of money.
On Amazon, you can save up to 90% on used textbooks.
Also, renting your textbooks, rather than buying them is a good way to save a ton of money.
You can save up to 90% on textbook rentals on Amazon.
And, you can also save up to 49% on new textbooks, and up to 60% off print list price when you by eTextbooks.
How To Get College Textbooks Cheap
Use the following guide to save money on textbooks.
Tip #1: Don’t buy textbooks from your college’s bookstore. You can get them for much cheaper if you buy them online.
is probably your best bet as far as getting the best deal from a reputable online seller who can ship it out to you as quick as possible.
If you haven’t done so already, sign up for a to enable you to receive free two-day shipping on anything you end up ordering from Amazon.
Once you have the list of textbooks you need for your classes, head over to and enter the title or ISBN of the book. Here they’ll present you with a wide variety of purchase options that typically include buying it new, buying it used, renting, or getting the eTextbook version, so you can select the option that best fits your budget and the form you prefer it in.
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Buy Textbooks For Cheap Online
Purchasing books at the college bookstore is no longer your only option. With online companies like Amazon, CheapTextbooks, and Barnes & Noble, comparing textbook prices is convenient and can save you a lot of money each year. A simple search pulls up many textbook suppliers.
However, this wealth of options could leave you feeling overwhelmed, and you also have to be careful to avoid falling victim to scams. Make sure you review textbook companies before purchasing anything and double-check your book’s ISBN.
Tips For Maximizing Your Book Buying Dollars
Here are some general guidelines for saving money when buying and returning textbooks for college courses:
Read our tips for maximizing your book buying dollars DepsoitPhotos.com
Shop and compare textbook prices. Start with the list of materials for your courses and the bookstore at your college or university. Depending on the store, it can help to check online booksellers. To help you in your search, below we list some textbook price comparison tools.
Join a rewards program. If a store has a rewards, membership, or loyalty buying program, it can save you money on the purchase of textbooks and may offer other discounts on school supplies, and other special offers. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can also save substantially on books for just one term, which may offset the cost of the membership .
Buy used books. Shop as early as possible before the term begins for the best selection of used books. Most students prefer like-new books. However, some students peruse used books and select the one with highlights and notes, if they feel it can help them learn quicker and retain the material. But read the studying tips below for more information on effective learning and note-taking techniques.
Buy ebooks. If a digital version is an option, it is normally lower cost than the print edition.
This can be a good option if you can reliably share the cost and use of the book with a trustworthy friend.
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