Textbooks for college and university courses are necessary – unfortunately, they are often also very expensive.
If you prefer to buy new and can afford to do so, feel free! But if, like most students, you’re looking to save on textbook costs to maximize your budget, there are plenty of ways to find textbooks for a lower price – and in some cases, for free. It can take a bit more effort than simply walking into your campus bookstore, but the savings will be worth it.
Used Textbooks
Buying your textbooks used is the most obvious cost-saver, since used books will often be priced significantly lower than brand new. Used book stores located near your campus are likely to have previously owned textbooks that other students have sold, though whether you find what you need or someone else beats you to it can be a challenge. Most campus book stores will also have a section for used copies of required texts, though again these will disappear quickly.
Shopping around online will also yield plenty of used textbooks. Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, and eBay all regularly have textbooks available used or otherwise discounted. Often there are also local campus or student groups who organize online communities to connect students looking to buy, sell, share, or trade their old texts. You can also arrange with friends to either buy their used textbooks when taking the same courses, or arrange to share in the initial purchase cost and then share the book between two or three people.
Old Editions
Buying older editions of a textbook is another great way to save on costs. Often a previous version will be almost identical to the current version, and will be more affordable or more likely to be available used. How useful this tactic is will depend on the course and topic, however. For example, different editions of novels for a literature course are likely to contain the same text, while a science or engineering textbook can become outdated between one version to the next.
If you’re not sure whether an older edition will suffice, speak with your professor – they will be able to tell you how much of a difference there is between editions. If the material is almost all the same, it can still be worthwhile to buy the cheaper old edition and find any necessary newer material from another source such as from another student or friend who does have the new edition, or a copy at the library.
Campus and Public Libraries
Campus libraries and public libraries will often have copies of a necessary textbook, or (especially in the case of novels) will have multiple equivalent versions available. For instance, aside from page numbers being different, one copy of Frankenstein will be the same as the next. Often libraries will have both physical editions and digital ebooks to borrow, to suit whichever method you prefer. And, of course, borrowing from the library is free!
eBooks and Open-Source Textbooks
Physical textbooks aren’t the only option anymore, thanks to the proliferation of digital media, ebooks, and mobile devices. Digital versions of a textbook can be significantly less expensive than physical print versions, with the added benefit of not taking up space on your shelves. Many publishers also offer digital versions of their textbooks, which can be purchased for ereaders such as Kindle or Kobo, as well as for using on a regular tablet or laptop.
In some cases, open-source textbooks and other free digital books are a viable option. Especially when it comes to older novels and texts, these are often out of copyright or otherwise available in the public domain, and therefore easy to find for free online at sites such as Project Gutenberg, Open Library, Google Books, Google Scholar, and many popular ebook services.
Price Shop Online and In Stores
Shopping around before you buy is good advice for any purchase, and can lead to some significant savings when it comes to textbooks. Don’t just buy the first copy you come across – take the time to shop around online and in your local new and used book stores, and compare prices and editions. This way you’ll be able to find the best value for your money, whether that ends up being a physical used copy, a digital ebook, or a new physical book.
Rent Your Textbooks
Another cost saving option is to rent necessary textbooks through your campus bookstore or another textbook rental service. This enables you to use the newest version of a textbook, without paying full price. The caveat here is that there are likely to be time limits on how long your rental period lasts, so make sure that what you’re renting will be yours for the amount of time you need it. If you’ll end up renewing the rental one or more times, calculate the costs and make sure it’s still cheaper than buying the book outright.
Sell Your Old Textbooks
If you know for sure you won’t need a textbook after a class is done, sell it forward to a book store or another student to recoup some of your costs and help offset your next semester’s book-buying. While this may not net you a huge amount of money—especially if you bought your books used in the first place—every little bit helps out the next semester’s budget.
Grants and Scholarships
Lastly, there are plenty of grants and scholarships available that will offset some or all of the costs of your textbooks for a course, a semester, or even the whole year. Inquire with your school, as well as scholarship sites online, to see what’s available and what you’re eligible for.
Sources
https://www.universitymagazine.ca/how-to-save-money-on-textbooks/
https://www.collegeraptor.com/find-colleges/articles/student-life/how-to-save-money-on-textbooks/
https://www.savethestudent.org/shopping/how-to-save-money-on-student-text-books.html
