Trendy (Thrifty!) Tuesday — Saving Money on Textbooks
Textbooks can be an unexpected cost of going to college. You’re already paying an arm and a leg for tuition — the cost of textbooks just add insult to injury! The good news is, that doesn’t have to be the case. Here are the top five places to buy or rent textbooks that won’t break the bank.
1. CampusBooks.com
This leading textbook price comparison website is a one-stop shop for students and parents to find the best, most affordable textbooks each semester. The website offers a “Buy vs. Rent” price prediction tool to help users decide confidently whether buying or renting their textbooks is a better deal based on current and future estimated textbook prices. The tool includes a side-by-side analysis of the options available for each textbook, historic buyback prices and a purchasing questionnaire to help students make an informed decision and ultimately save them the most money.
2. Amazon
To find your textbook on Amazon, a simple search will get top results. Amazon will show multiple sellers of the textbook and odds are there are sellers who have listed the textbook used at a good price. Students can buy, rent and sell textbooks and e-books through Amazon. Amazon also allows students to have their books shipped quickly to make sure to have the book on time.
3. Chegg
Chegg is an easy search engine where the user enters the ISBN, title or author’s name and it will list the price for the physical textbook as well as the electronic version. This site is a good resource for students who like to rent their books because it is often cheaper to rent using Chegg. Chegg provides an electronic version of textbooks to students who need to access their book while the physical copy is shipping.
4. Textbooks.com
For students looking for a straightforward textbook website, Textbooks.com offers students an easy search to find the book they need quickly. This website allows students to buy, rent and also sell textbooks. Textbooks.com offers a best price guarantee and free shipping over $25, so students know they are getting a great deal.
5. Boundless
Boundless provides ready-to-use online content, study materials and assessment items to make learning more effective in addition to renting and selling textbooks. Boundless lets students search for specific textbooks by subject, author or ISBN or browse through subject categories. The website also offers a 30-day money back and free return shipping on rentals.
For more advice on planning for college, visit NextStepU.com.
