If there was one expense I wasn't prepared for when entering college, it was how much money I was going to spend on textbooks. We become so accustomed to getting our textbooks handed to us during Middle School and High School that once one hits college, it's a culture shock. My first semester alone I spent just a little over $100 on an assortment of books, and while the majority of them I did use, a large portion of the books I bought went untouched for the entire semester. Being the kind of person who hates to waste money, when my second semester came around and my list of textbooks were released, I spent hours searching the internet for the best tips and tricks to help cut back on my textbook bill. Overall I managed to cut back my spending on textbooks by half, and by my Sophomore year I only spent a total of $40 for both semesters combined. These are the sites and places I visit each semester when I finally find out what books I need and when used together, they can help save a student a significant amount of money in the long run.

1. Thriftbooks.com

http://www.thriftbooks.com

Thriftbooks is a used book website that has a section completely dedicated to textbooks. While they may not have some of the more newer editions, this is the perfect site to grab a earlier edition of the book you need (if permitted by your professor) at a cheap price. Most of the textbooks I have purchased on here have ranged anywhere from $2-$15 dollars a piece. However once your cart reaches just $10, Thriftbooks automatically gives you free shipping! Anyone who has ever purchased a college textbooks knows how easy it is to spend $10 on textbooks, even used ones. So reaching the $10 minimum to get free shipping is never a challenge. Not only that, but usually before each semester starts they will offer a bunch of promotions on textbooks such as 20% Off your total textbook order.

Best Used: For finding earlier editions on textbooks that normally would cost twice as much for the newer edition.

2. Valorebooks.com

https://www.valorebooks.com

Valorebooks.com is a new site I’ve come across that has completely changed my textbook buying game. All the student has to do is enter the ISBN number of the desired textbook and Valorebooks does the rest! They shift through numerous websites to find the cheapest version of that book and list all their findings in an easy to read format. If your someone who would rather rent a book then buy it, Valorebooks has a separate section you can use to help find the cheapest rental service. The best part is if you aren’t happy with the book you receive, they have a 30-Day Money back guarantee. The only downside to this website is they list the cheapest listing price first without taking into consideration the books condition, so a lot of times the cheapest book is usually one in just Acceptable condition. Also, make sure to read which edition you are going to be receiving before making your purchase. An Alternate Edition on Valore normally means an instructor edition, and if your professor wants you to use a student copy, then that edition defiantly will not work for you. Just make sure to read all the details before committing.

Best Used: For comparing the price of the book you need (both for rental and buying) and choosing the cheapest price. A big time saver!

3. bigwords.com

Just like Valore, big words.com is a site that compares the price of textbooks over numerous websites and pulls up the cheapest price. However, I find that this site offers a lot more option, including the option to compare prices of numerous textbooks at once. Unlike Valore where you have to search one book at a time, bigwords allows you to search your entire textbook list at once. Not only does the website provide the lowest prices for physical books, but digital (e-books) as well! However, just like Valore this is a site where you need to read the details on the copy you are looking to purchase before you press that buy button.

Best Used: For comparing the prices of a group of books over multiple platforms.

4. Amazon.com

Amazon.com

While this may seem like a given, Amazon is actually one of the sites I’ve been able to find textbooks for pretty cheap when I don’t necessarily have a lot of time to shop around for that book. Normally I’ll use this site if a textbook is a bit pricy during my first search, and I wait to purchase it until the professor explicitly says that it will be needed for this course. What makes Amazon a really good site for buying textbooks is their “Used and New” section. A textbook that may normally be sold by a provider on amazon for $20, may be sold by another amazon user for $5. And by being a college student, if you use your college email, Amazon will give you a 6 month free trial of their Amazon Prime service, allowing you to choose the option of free 2-day shipping at checkout. After that trial ends, they still offer you a discounted membership of prime for $49 a year which is about half of their normal $100 membership cost for non-college students.

Best Used: To buy textbooks that you waited to get until the last minute.

5. The College Library

Now this isn’t going to work for all majors but if you are a major that focuses primarily around novels as textbooks, such as English and Creative writing, I highly suggest checking out your local campus Library. For my creative writing courses I had a total of sixteen novels I was expected to go out and buy, but I didn’t spend a penny on them because I took them all out from my Universities Library. While normally libraries only allow you to take out a book for a set amount of time (typically a month), if you inform the librarian that you’ll need the book for the semester they can typically give you an extension (the one’s I’ve had usually lasts until the day before finals begin). Also if your library doesn’t have the copy of the book you need but another College/University does, they can typically put a request in for you to get that novel delivered to the campus. The biggest downside of this is because the books are open to anyone on campus, if a request for that book is put in from the library you received it from, you may get a call to turn the book in earlier.

Best Used: For majors that need a lot of novels instead of textbooks and don’t want to spend money on renting/buying.

6. Past Students

If your school has a forum or Facebook group where students can come together I would highly suggest looking there for that book you need. A lot of times those textbooks that couldn’t be sold back to textbook buying websites end up on the shelf of a college student collecting dust. By reaching out to other students, who have taken the course in the past, you not only have the chance at getting the textbook at a cheaper price but also any other materials that student has lying around from that class typically at no additional cost. The best time to reach out is at the beginning or end of the semester (when students are looking to sell old books to raise money for new ones). As a bonus sometimes these copies will come with notes from previous students that will help make the class a little bit easier.

Best Used: For textbooks that are specific to your school (can only be bought there) that couldn’t be sold back to the bookstore or online and are collecting dusts on someone’s shelf.

7. E-Books

While I don’t consider myself a fan of E-books, they are without a doubt a lot cheaper than traditional books. If you are the type of person who doesn’t want to carry an array of books and would rather have all your textbooks on a portable device, then e-books are going to be your best bet. Also before you purchase a book in digital format, check to see if your school’s library offers the book on their website. Unlike a library book you have to check out, these e-books can be accessed at any time by multiple students. While it may not seem like a big money saver now, it’s a good option to keep in mind for that one class you have a ton of readings on that you would have to purchase numerous books in order to gather them all together.

Best Used: If you already have a device that can support digital format books and don’t mind the absence of a physical book.

8. Earlier Editions

Most of the time a professor will list an edition next to the textbook you need to purchase. Typically the edition will be the newest one, which means the most expensive. One of the biggest ways to save money is to buy a earlier edition of the book. While the editions may be off by a couple of pages, and chapters may be marked differently, the content is usually the same. Just make sure you ask your professor if buying an earlier edition is acceptable. If they require you to get the newest edition and you’ve already bought the previous edition, you now have to purchase another copy of the book and spend more money.

Best Used: On textbooks that have similar content between the newer and previous edition but can help you pay only a fraction of the cost.

9. Do Research

This may seem like a no brainer, but I know a lot of college students who waste money on buying textbooks just because they don’t want to put in the effort. They’ll just rent all their books from the schools bookstore for their connivence and typically pay more in the long run. While there is nothing wrong with that, over the course of four years it can add up. The fact of the matter is college students don’t have a lot of extra money lying around to waste on books that will only be used for 3-4 months out the four years spent in college. By doing just a little bit of research, a student can save hundreds of dollars.

Best Used: To save money that then can be put towards much more important things, such as food and Netflix.

10. Ask The Professor

If you don’t want to wait until the first day of classes to find out what books you defiantly need, it’s completely alright to send an email to your professor and just ask. I understand how daunting this can be if the professor is one you’ve never had before, but they are the best person to go to because they know exactly what you need. Just make sure you wait to email the professor until after the list for your textbooks is accessible online. August is a good time to send that email simply because most professors are back on campus on a more regular schedule and have what books will be discussed fresh in their mind.

Best Used: To get a definite idea of what books you will need for the semester and help prevent purchasing books you will never need.