College textbooks - Year Two

[disneysteve]

We just ordered all of DD's textbooks for fall semester. She is a sophomore, full-time student.

We made out even better this time around than we did last year (http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/g...fter-all.html)).

We purchased 11 books. All were bought used on half.com.
The grand total, including shipping, was only $96.01.

We were quite pleased with that. And the possibility always exists that at the end of the term, we'll be able to resell some of them and lower our net cost even more.

In case you're wondering, no, I did not shop around. With the prices that low I didn't think it was worth my time. Nine of the 11 books were $10 or less, 4 were $0.75. I can't imagine I would have saved much by going anywhere else. Plus, 4 of the books are coming from the same seller so we got a nice discount on shipping for multiple items.

[Jluke]

I wish there were deals like that when I was in college ('95 to '99).

hopefully that trend continues well into the future when my little one starts (16 years from now).

Just curious - Does she pay for her books with her own credit card?

I did this back in college thinking that it was a good way to establish credit.

[ronb]

That's pretty darn low especially considering she can probably sell most of them back at the end of the semester. May only cost her $50.

[disneysteve]

Just curious - Does she pay for her books with her own credit card?

I did this back in college thinking that it was a good way to establish credit.

No, she didn't. But she does have her own credit card and uses it for small purchases monthly to help build her credit. Plus she gets a nice cash bonus every quarter from the CC company.

That's pretty darn low especially considering she can probably sell most of them back at the end of the semester. May only cost her $50.

We won't be able to resell the ones that were $0.75 but I don't really care. We can donate those to Goodwill. If we're able to get a few dollars for the others that will be icing on the cake.

[Like2Plan]

Wow, that is a great deal.
Wow--25% done with the undergraduate degree! It goes by so quickly. Has she settled on a major?

[creditcardfree]

My daughter was given five books of music for the first year(two semesters) that totaled $133. She did tell me that right now it looks like there is only one other book to purchase (need to see what it is, and if we will rent or buy). So not too bad, considering she gets a book scholarship of $250 for the first semester.

[disneysteve]

Has she settled on a major?

Yes and no. Last semester, she declared "American Studies" which is a multidisciplinary major that incorporates history, literature, politics, and more. It's geared toward students interested in careers in publishing, public relations, public policy, journalism, etc. Most likely, she will change to a straight English major and keep Amer. Studies as a minor. We'll see how it goes this year.

(need to see what it is, and if we will rent or buy).

We rented one book 1st semester and two 2nd semester. This time around, it just didn't make sense to rent any considering how cheap everything was.

[scfr]

She did good!

[riverwed070707]

I was a zoology major my freshman year and switched to english when I realized I was not good at science. You'll definitely get better prices on books in a language arts field than a science field! Science changes so much and so fast that the editions get replaced and end up worthless after a couple years. Keeps prices high.

[ClydeThomas]

Buy & Sell Textbooks | New & Used College Books & Supplies

If anyone is still looking for a place where they can buy and sell used college textbooks, I suggest you visit University Exchange. The site is fairly new but the makers would like to help college students in need of textbooks as much as they can.

[disneysteve]

First semester is done so I thought I'd give an update in the textbook department.

She had 11 books. We bought 10 and rented 1. The rented one has been returned. The 10 bought were listed on half.com. So far, 5 have been sold bringing our net spending to $83.55 for the semester.

We won't be able to resell the ones that were $0.75 but I don't really care.

I stand corrected on that. We've already sold 2 of them.

We bought her spring semester books yesterday and today. The total came to $231.30. That's for 10 used books and 1 rental. Not as cheap as last semester but still quite low, plus 10 books will get resold in May.

One tip for other folks out there. I first looked up all of the books last week but didn't buy any. The best price I found on one book was $50. Yesterday when I actually went to buy it, the best price I could find was now $70, so I waited. I searched again today and found a copy for $40 so I grabbed that one. So the lesson of the day is to be a little patient. If a book is $0.75 or only a couple of dollars, grab it, but for the pricier ones, it may be worth searching around.

[JoeP]

College textbooks used to be a racket, where some of my professors from the mid-80s mandated a specific edition, and sometimes required textbooks that they co-authored. I recall paying in the neighborhood of $80 for one book that we barely cracked open; the bookstore offered a generous $12 to take this mint condition 180 page book off my hands (which they will promptly turn around and charge someone $50). We had a few ways to bypass the bookstore, but it was far more laborious that it is today.

I'm glad to hear that you found a way to supply your daughter with the texts in such a way.

[disneysteve]

mid-80s

We had a few ways to bypass the bookstore, but it was far more laborious that it is today.

Very, very true. It is a whole different world than when I was in college or med school (1982-1990). Back then, you bought your new books from the bookstore. You generally bought your used books from the bookstore unless you could find another student on campus who was selling a book you needed, usually via a bulletin board in the campus center.

Today, between half.com and Amazon, among others, you can find books for pennies on the dollar, and when you are done with them, you can resell them just as easily.

[Thrif-t]

My daughter is an engineering major and we're finding as she gets into higher level classes the books are becoming more expensive and a lot of them we can't find from cheaper sources. Last semester we could rent a few from Amazon but not any this semester. We paid $ 400 this semester so I think it depends a lot on the major too if you can find cheap books.

[disneysteve]

Thrif-t, make sure to always check half.com. Abebbooks.com is another worthwhile site.