College or university textbooks can easily be one of your major expenses. For most students, the prospect of having to pay hundreds of dollars for just one textbook can send them into a panic. Good news — we’re going to show you how to save money on your textbooks.

 

The key to getting great deals on your textbooks is all in your timing. Like anything we buy or sell, it’s all about supply and demand. That means if you wait until your classes have started and you get your textbook list, you and a whole bunch of other students are all going to be in the market for the same textbooks. You know what that means? It means you can expect to pay more because of demand.

 

Smart students obtain their textbook list long before classes begin. Most colleges and universities have the lists available but if you can’t get it, just contact your professors directly. When you shop before the rush, the demand is down and that means the prices are down. Plus as an added bonus, there is a lot more selection so you can really shop for the best buy.

 

Remember you can purchase both new textbooks and used textbooks online. Both offer substantial savings. New textbooks can save you as much as 35% off the price you would pay in the college bookstore, where almost always textbooks are sold for the full retail price.

 

 

If you want to save more, then you can shop for used textbooks online. The savings on these vary but it’s common to save as much as 50%. Now that can really take the stress off an already weak cash flow.

 

The key is to price compare. There are many sites offering both new and used textbooks so don’t be too hasty to hit the buy button. After awhile you’ll have your favorite sites, where you buy most of your textbooks and that can save you a little bit of time. You can also use sites like DavesCampus.com to help you find textbooks, and connect with other students. It’s like a virtual campus.

 

When you are done with your textbooks, some of the websites that sell books will buy them back from you. Some have incentive programs that offer you good value. You can build a system where you buy and then sell back using the funds to cover your next group of textbooks.

 

Many websites pay the shipping but not all, so it’s important to check this out since shipping costs can be rather high depending on where you live and the weight and size of the books. You should always include any shipping costs as part of your total cost when you are comparative shopping.

 

Saving money on your textbooks isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think, and it’s certainly an excellent way to save you a bundle. Why not give it a try?