First, and foremost register for your classes as soon as registration is allowed because you will need every precious minute you can get to search for good-priced books. You have to start your search early because the closer the time gets to school starting, the higher the book prices will get.

Second, get in touch with all of your professors before they take their breaks. Ask them for book information from title, to edition, to ISBN number if they’re willing to give it to you. If they don’t give you the information, then you can be smart and figure out ways to get the information. I have had professors who refuse to give me the information, they tell me to just go buy it from the college bookstore and they’ll know which one it is. However, I don’t take no for an answer, so I do my own work and by the time the semester starts; I would have all the books with little help from some professors. Oh and I don’t buy from the bookstore unless it’s a custom edition. There is a way to many things; you just have to find it. 

Third, when you have all the information, you get right to work. One of the best sites you’ll need to know is www.campusi.com. This site compares book prices in many online bookstores. Other sites you’ll need to know are www.amazon.com, www.half.com, and www.ebay.com. Something else you’ll need is a paypal account for ebay mostly because it’s the safest and fastest way to buy anything online. In the other sites like amazon.com and half.com, you can pay for purchases by credit card or bank account. Just make sure that the site is secure when you enter personal information. In some sites you would see a little lock on the right hand corner of the address bar, which means it’s secure.

Fourth, you have to look at many different online bookstores for your books to see which has the best price. However, you should first try your local library or your school library and see if they have interloan options.

Fifth, you don’t have to buy new books because they will obviously be more expensive. There is nothing wrong with getting a textbook that has some highlighting or some tears as long as no pages are messing. After all you’ll be reading the book, not eating it.

Sixth, once you find each book order it and you if you still have 2-3 weeks before school starts you can use the cheapest shipping method, which is media mail. However, if you don’t have enough time left, update the shipment method to priority mail.

Last, if you don’t want to deal with any of the above steps, and then order the books from your college bookstore. Just note that the books will cost triple the price of online bookstores.

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