College Books

[KristiXP]

College books are really expensive and if you have a lot of classes it really adds up. Have you ever gotten your books from a book store? My books are going to cost me around $300. I saw on Yahoo! shopping that you can now get books for college from Walmart. Here's the link for more information.

Has anyone ever done this? Tomorrow is my orientation day and I plan on buying some books then, but I'm also going to take down the info on a few books and see if I can find them for cheaper at Borders (a major bookstore).

If anyone here doesn't want to pay those high prices for books, I suggest you check to see if they are cheaper at Walmart. Hopefully this will help others save money.

 

[Knight]

Just make sure they are the same version as the one you need for the class.

Also, you may be able to look into used books at your campus bookstore or online.

 

[Wypadek]

or buy them from Amazon.com

 

[Mr.Cheese]

Amazon.com rocks.
But as clay said. make sure you are getting the same editions.
Older editions are far cheaper, but sometimes they are too different to be useful.
That' creates a headache not worth the dollars you save.

 

[Knight]

Amazon.com rocks.
But as clay said. make sure you are getting the same editions.
Older editions are far cheaper, but sometimes they are too different to be useful.
That' creates a headache not worth the dollars you save.

clay????

I thought I said that.

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

A little advice from some one who worked at a college bookstore.

New Book prices are set by the publisher. Their going to be almost same any where.

Where your going to save money is used books.
You have to be careful when buying used books because the Publishers do their best to limit the used market. To make sure you get the right books
Watch out for new editions
Watch out for special packages that contain multiple books
Watch out for school specific editions if you go to a big public university.

Make sure you completely understand the return policy where ever you get the books. I promise you that your return many of the books you buy.

My best suggestion on saving money on textbooks:
Get a job at a local bookstore and get an employee discount.

 

[Misnomer]

I hate buying my books with a vengence. Without fail I spend close to $400 every semester on used books. I've used all of those different book sites.

 

[Pope Gonzo]

Prepare to hate me, everyone: my school has textbook rental. That's right, for $50, I get all my textbooks for the semester, and I give them all back at the end. Granted, some individual classes make you pay for some books(like literature or programming classes), but last semester I payed my $50, then had to buy one $64 book.

 

[Wypadek]

nice one! That is so awesome gonzo!

 

[Hewitt]

I'm very fortunate because my church will pay for my books first year which is going to save me roughly $700!

 

[Wypadek]

I'm very fortunate because my church will pay for my books first year which is going to save me roughly $700!

wow! That is NICE! Are you in seminary or something? And if not, why are they doing that?

 

[LadyBird]

i am expecting to pay anywhere from $700-$1,000 on books........but i will just sell them after i am done with them....

 

[psycmajor]

Keep your books, if you're going to buy them. You pay for them with gold, and they give you peanuts in return.

I'm not going to let them cheat me twice.

 

[breanna]

Exactly... My husband and I combined spent about $900 last year, and got a whopping $32 back.

 

[KristiXP]

And the Grand Total is........$179.95

I had orientation today at college. I only had to buy 3 books even though I have 4 classes (one teacher dosn't use the book) 2 of them I bought used and in good condition and 1 I had to buy new. That's not bad at all, I don't think. It was estimated that I would spend about $300.00 for one semester alone! God is good!

If I keep my receipts (which I intend to) I can return the books to the school bookstore for a refund. Granted, that the books are in the same condition as when I bought them. So, hopefully if nothing happens to the books while they are in my possesion, I will be able to get some money back at the end of the semester.

Now that I have my books, I'm going to look online at the WalMart site to see if I could have saved some money or not.

 

[Matt R.]

For me, the books/supplies are supposed to cost ~$900 .. I'm not looking forward to paying that

 

[Hewitt]

wow! That is NICE! Are you in seminary or something? And if not, why are they doing that?

I'm not attending seminary, but will be going to a bible college and working for a degree in bible and business administration.

 

[Wypadek]

neat!

 

[DaveKerwin]

I buy books used from Amazon. Search by ISBN, then click "used" and you will see private sellers listing books. Amazon handles the money exchange. It is cool. I see books there too!

 

[Clay]

wow, ive never even been to this thread and im already credited with saying things!!! sweet!

this summer, my college changed all the business major editions for books so i could neither sell back my books, or sell them to anyone else. i also wont be able to buy these new books used or rent from someone. basically it really rots. my corporate finance will cost me around $160 (my accounting last year was about $200). i really dont get why these stupid books are soooooo expensive!