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College textbooks can cost students hundreds of dollars each. With all of the other expenses we have, a few practical tips on saving money on a necessity are in order.
It comes as no surprise to any college student that textbooks are
expensive. One required book can cost several hundred dollars and
people wonder why the diet of an average college student consists of
ramen noodles and ketchup packets swiped from the cafeteria. Unless
students are lucky enough to have vast amounts of scholarship money
lying around, textbooks can put their budget in a serious crunch.
Luckily,
we have more resources at our disposal than students had in the past.
We have the internet, auction sites, freecycle and any number of
secondary sellers all poised to sell us our books for lower than the
asking price at our bookstore. In some cases, we can purchase a book
at a slightly lower asking price. Occasionally, we luck out and find
the book for 70% to 80% off the bookstore price. If we aren't fussy
about new books as opposed to used, we can save a bundle. The problem
there is, used has different meanings to different people. I went the
used route once and ended up with a book that had an as yet to be
identified sticky residue throughout. Notes and highlighting I don't
mind, but goo I can't readily identify is a deal breaker. Not every used book contains goo or other nasty surprises, so keep your options open and remember to ask the seller to clarify the book's condition.
Keep your eyes open for deals and remember to shop early. Shipping is a factor and you don't want to wait until the day before class to buy a book from across the country. Keep an eye out for overblown shipping charges as well. Any money you save on the book could be eaten up by inflated shipping costs. If the math still works out in your favor, go for it.
During
a fit of frustration over the $150 price tag for a new book I needed
for class, I found out about international edition textbooks. These
books are published outside of the United States and they retail at a
much lower price than our hardback, priced way too high for anybody who
doesn't happen to be a Trump or a Gates textbooks. They aren't
hardback, the pictures inside are black and white and not color.
The content is exactly the same minus the hard binding and the color
photographs. The book I mentioned, cost me $30 plus shipping instead
of $150. The best price I could find on a used copy was $50 and that
was for an "acceptable" book. I didn't want to play the subjective
meaning of the word acceptable game again, so I opted for the brand-new
international edition. The book came in perfect condition with no mystery goo.
When ordering international editions, it is wise
to allow plenty of time for the book to arrive. If you've put off
buying your books until the last possible minute, be prepared to pay
the premium price. The early bird certainly gets the worm in the arena
of buying textbooks. If you allow for plenty of shipping time and
choose a seller who is based in the US, you can save a great deal of
money. There are few among us who don't relish the opportunity to save
some cash here and there. Our educations are expensive enough as it
is.
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