Cheap Textbooks?

dlramp4life · Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:34 pm

Does anyone know of a good site or store to get textbooks for a discounted price?

KaiGywer · Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:44 pm

Quoting dlramp4life (Thread starter):
Does anyone know of a good site or store to get textbooks for a discounted price?

There is such a thing as cheap text books??? Anyways, I always searched http://www.bigwords.com/

dlramp4life · Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:51 pm

Quoting KaiGywer (Reply 1):
There is such a thing as cheap text books???

I wish. But I think paying $200 for a book is a little much...

Thank you for the website!

Ken777 · Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:33 pm

Quoting dlramp4life (Reply 2):
But I think paying $200 for a book is a little much...

You are not wrong there.

I believe that the college textbooks is a huge rip off, especially when a lot of material put into the "new versions" are really pretty old. From basic accounting to most math to engineering it is all pretty basic. Get into lit courses and a lot of the books can be downloaded for free. Some courses, like Human Resources, will be changing because of changes in laws, policies, public shifts (like with gay marriages), etc.

Some help may be coming. Apple has pushed hard for online courses and online text books, and I think you will see other internet avenues moving to free or very cheap texts.

planeguy727 · Sat Jul 28, 2012 5:07 am

As a college professor I encourage my students to look at half.com (an ebay company). I also used this site when sourcing books when I was doing my doctorate. For one of the classes I teach I don't require students to buy the books. I have all of the readings available as pdf files on Blackboard.

QFA380 · Sat Jul 28, 2012 5:14 am

Infuriates me the most when the professor is an author or editor of the book they're forcing you to buy and then doesn't use it at all the entire semester.

Almost no textbook is worth $150 and thus I refuse to pay. I'll readily admit that I pirate them when I can (one of my lecturers this semester actually informed us there were versions available), otherwise buy second hand or just borrow a friends when I need it. I've started putting textbook policy into my student evaluations at the end of semester, do my part to encourage change as some lecturers are very reasonable.

Just another way the higher education system seeks to screw those upon whom it depends.

kpitrrat · Sat Jul 28, 2012 5:28 am

Quoting QFA380 (Reply 5):

Infuriates me the most when the professor is an author or editor of the book they're forcing you to buy and then doesn't use it at all the entire semester.

I agree, I have found that many professors will make the book they have authored/edited a part of EVERY class they treach whether it really applies to the course or not. I am not a fan of buying supplementary reading because most professors seemingly forget to even go over it. I usually try to find the "core" textbook and only purchase that. Luckily, I my under grad and grad studies are not/and were not very scientific. I find those (Math/Science/Bio etc) are the most expensive.

KaiGywer · Sat Jul 28, 2012 6:12 am

Quoting dlramp4life (Reply 2):
I wish. But I think paying $200 for a book is a little much...

No kidding.. I am glad I went to college when I did...even though they were expensive in 2002-2006, most books were still under $100.

joffie · Sat Jul 28, 2012 7:30 am

www.abebooks.com

Also can do a google search for the book - put in the IBSN number.

University's here expect you to pay around $110 for a textbook which is only used for 4 months, yet only a few chapters are covered, then of course, the next semester or year, they say you need the next edition. I don't buy textbooks nowadays, just borrow them.

fly777s · Sat Jul 28, 2012 1:24 pm

I rent my books from chegg.com. In the three years I've been doing so, I've saved upwards of $1,000... Also, for every purchase, Chegg plants a tree in your choice from several countries... So not only do you save money, you're also doing a good deed! Chegg also gives you the option to purchase most books and if you need to extend your rental, it's easy to do so. Chegg also has a buyback program, so any textbook you've purchased there's the potential to make money back. I've been using their service every semester aside from my first and have not had any issues.

Braniff747SP · Sat Jul 28, 2012 1:37 pm

Quoting dlramp4life (Thread starter):
Cheap Textbooks?

No such thing, sorry.

And I'm only in high school... I shudder when I think of university textbook costs.

TransIsland · Sat Jul 28, 2012 2:25 pm

While my college does not allow me to tell my students about alternatives to the college-owned bookstore, the textbook to my one of my classes comes with a $160-ish price tag. A few semesters ago ,however, the bookstore messed up the orders, so they didn't have anything for my students to buy.

Without asking the Hierarchy for advice, I ordered used copies on Amazon, all under $1 = $3.99 s&h. Then we had to use a freight forwarder from Florida to Nassau (otherwise it would have taken until the end of the semester). By the time we got them, they were still all under $10.

einsteinboricua · Sat Jul 28, 2012 2:50 pm

I simply despise the cost of textbooks. I can understand paying like $160 for a book you'll use more than one semester. James Stewart's Calculus books are well worth the price (I managed to snag a brand new one for $90, even though I've finished all my calculus courses). But I hate it when I purchase a book and end up not using it. Good thing I know a couple of people who can get me promotional copies so I don't end up paying anything, but still.

I also hate when you have one version and then all of the sudden the professor switches versions (5th to a 6th edition) and when you compare the two versions, they're the same one just with different exercises. And yet another thing I don't like

Quoting QFA380 (Reply 5):
Infuriates me the most when the professor is an author or editor of the book they're forcing you to buy and then doesn't use it at all the entire semester.

Finally, paying so much for a textbook you can't understand. I took Theory of Communications using this book:

Only a rocket scientist could understand what those guys had written. Cost of the book? $177-ish. How many chapters did I cover in the course? About 4/11 and only some material per chapter.

NWAESC · Sat Jul 28, 2012 9:26 pm

I've always had really good luck w/Amazon.

I also wouldn't discount (no pun intended) looking on bulletin boards around campus to see if anyone has a book you might need on offer.

Ken777 · Sun Jul 29, 2012 2:15 am

Quoting planeguy727 (Reply 4):
I have all of the readings available as pdf files on Blackboard.

Now that is intelligent! Amazing how much a Prof could enhance the quality of their courses if they took that approach and expanded the breadth of their course.

Quoting QFA380 (Reply 5):

Infuriates me the most when the professor is an author or editor of the book they're forcing you to buy and then doesn't use it at all the entire semester.

I went through that in an Econ course in Perth. The book was so poorly designed that I had a hard time reading it. Thought it was time to get new glasses, but it was simply very poor print quality and a hard to read font.

planeguy727 · Sun Jul 29, 2012 2:12 pm

Quoting Ken777 (Reply 14):
Quoting planeguy727 (Reply 4):
I have all of the readings available as pdf files on Blackboard.

Now that is intelligent! Amazing how much a Prof could enhance the quality of their courses if they took that approach and expanded the breadth of their course.

Well I do what I can. Now, students out there, please know it drives the professor nutty when you ask, "do we have to buy the book?" That's a bit like asking, "If I don't do the work will I still pass the class?" One of the courses I teach is online and if you don't have the book they you can't pass the class. I do try to make it a bit easier by having the book on reserve in the Library.

safetyDemo · Sun Jul 29, 2012 2:42 pm

I've been renting my textbooks through Chegg and Half.com. However, I always compare both sites for rental price and purchase price. Some of my textbooks have been cheaper to buy rather than rent.

Returning the rented text books is incredibly easy. You keep the box they shipped to you in, print the label provided from the website, drop it off at a UPS store and you're done.

I have saved a ton of money doing this and highly recommend it.

-safetyDemo

darthluke12694 · Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:36 am

Quoting planeguy727 (Reply 4):

As a college professor I encourage my students to look at half.com (an ebay company). I also used this site when sourcing books when I was doing my doctorate. For one of the classes I teach I don't require students to buy the books. I have all of the readings available as pdf files on Blackboard.

I've saved $82 this semester thanks to you. It's cheaper to buy new books from half.com then to buy used books from my college. Thank you!! And half.com is usually cheaper than amazon too!!

zkojq · Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:57 am

Urgh, I really hate textbook season. Its really annoying that the big publishers can get away with charging so much for them. Surprisingly Pearson Ed, one of the world's largest textbook publishers, has a profit margin of only 16% or so. Unfortunately in New Zealand, the pool of used textbooks dries up pretty quickly, so I often have to buy new ones. This semester I spent NZD~$600 on the required texts for this semester's classes.

Last semester my economics professor recommended that we all read this article by Austan Goolsbee on the textbook economy and I thought I might as well share it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/business/05consuming.html

Quoting QFA380 (Reply 5):

Infuriates me the most when the professor is an author or editor of the book they're forcing you to buy and then doesn't use it at all the entire semester.

Agreed. It also makes me angry when they make one bring them to every class and then don't use them. They are a lot of weight to carry around.

Quoting Ken777 (Reply 14):
Thought it was time to get new glasses, but it was simply very poor print quality and a hard to read font.

Quite often the paper quality the publishers use it terrible. It smudges and rips very easily, though I guess it saves weight.

Coal · Tue Jul 31, 2012 6:17 am

I took some online courses at UCLA's extension school and what really pissed me off is they listed the book required and, since I live in Singapore, I bought it before the course started. The book was USD185 and when the course started, I was told I was require to buy some sort of online-based version of the book which was USD130. I had to do this because the assignments would be submitted through that system. What a rip off! And they never mentioned that in the course description or the syllabus.

Currently looking at pre-reading text books I need for my MBA course. Each book is about EUR55 new, which is not too bad, but I will continue to troll. I have seen some used text books in good condition on Amazon for as low as USD25 (excl. shipping).

Cheers
Coal

rampart · Tue Jul 31, 2012 7:03 am

One option, you could ask your professor if it would be OK to purchase a digital copy instead of the paper copy, and then purchase directly from the publisher. They're usually 1/3 less. Some are time limited, but if you aren't going to use it ever again, not a problem. Downside: you can't sell it on the used market.

Quoting kpitrrat (Reply 6):
Quoting QFA380 (Reply 5):
Infuriates me the most when the professor is an author or editor of the book they're forcing you to buy and then doesn't use it at all the entire semester.
I agree, I have found that many professors will make the book they have authored/edited a part of EVERY class they treach whether it really applies to the course or not.

How often does that happen? I have specific ethics regulations prohibiting me from using a book I wrote.

Quoting planeguy727 (Reply 15):
Well I do what I can. Now, students out there, please know it drives the professor nutty when you ask, "do we have to buy the book?" That's a bit like asking, "If I don't do the work will I still pass the class?"

I can usually tell the students who read the book versus those who don't based on exam scores, or even papers. It's the prime study guide. At least that's how I use it.

-Rampart

blink182 · Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:47 pm

I've had reasonable luck with Amazon, particularly their used suppliers. If there's anything I've learned though, its not to trust the university bookstore to get a good price. I had an econ professor who intentionally used previous editions of texts to keep prices down, given that the content is 99% the same from one edition to the next.

What drives me nuts, however, is when I return a book at the end of the semester and am offered an unreasonably low price. For one class I took, I had to buy a historical atlas new for $160. How much was I offered when I returned it(which I barely used) at the end of the semester? $1, I kid you not. Again, a historical atlas. This stuff hasn't changed in centuries; its not going to change now. I kept the book.

darthluke12694 · Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:28 pm

Quoting blink182 (Reply 21):
I've had reasonable luck with Amazon, particularly their used suppliers. If there's anything I've learned though, its not to trust the university bookstore to get a good price.

I can get brand new books on Amazon for the same price as getting all used books from the college bookstore.

Quoting blink182 (Reply 21):
What drives me nuts, however, is when I return a book at the end of the semester and am offered an unreasonably low price.

Yep. I'm offered $5 to $10 for pretty much any book. I can sell the same book back to Amazon for $50. They even provide the shipping label. Sure, they give you an Amazon gift card, but I'll just get new books with it!

rampart · Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:23 pm

I'll be shipped off for heresy, but the college book store racket needs to end. It's simply another means for an off-campus vendor (along with food services, parking, and now dorms) to take advantage of students. They can keep the little gift store for t-shirts, shot glasses, paperback novels, and the odd faculty publication that someone wants as a souvenir. Given the trend toward digital availability, and the greater efficiency of online sales, I can imagine competitive online distributors can operate better and cheaper. I say this as a major fan of the local bookstore, which I like to support. A college bookstore is not a local bookseller, it's an arm of an international conglomerate that wins a bid that ensures noncompetition.

That said, at major universities, sometimes it's possible to find unaffiliated bookstores just off-campus to offer most of the introductory textbooks. ASU used to have that.

-Rampart

Geezer · Fri Aug 03, 2012 5:17 am

Quoting planeguy727 (Reply 4):
I encourage my students to look at half.com (an ebay company)

It has always baffled me that I hear so little about half.com; I've been buying photography books (both new and used) from them for years now.

Now if only I could find a source for "recently written" books on politics and photography; Just this week I had to cough up $55 for "Landscape Photography" second edition, by Tim Fitsharris, and "Hostile Takeover" by Matt Kibbe.

Charley

Mir · Fri Aug 03, 2012 6:57 am

Quoting einsteinboricua (Reply 12):
I also hate when you have one version and then all of the sudden the professor switches versions (5th to a 6th edition) and when you compare the two versions, they're the same one just with different exercises.

Especially when it's for a subject that's pretty cut and dry. Sorry, but the basics of calculus aren't changing anymore. A new edition of that textbook isn't necessary. Spice up the cover if you want, but keep the content the same. Nothing more frustrating than buying a textbook and then finding out it's going to be superseded by a new, barely-changed edition so that you can't sell it back when the class is over.

Quoting rampart (Reply 23):
A college bookstore is not a local bookseller, it's an arm of an international conglomerate that wins a bid that ensures noncompetition.

I suspect that 90% of the campus bookstores in the country are run by two companies.

-Mir

GSPFlyer · Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:26 pm

Chegg.com, I'm starting my junior year, and I've saved hundreds using this site. You can buy used or rent using them. If you rent, they pay for return shipping (remember to save the box), just print the label and take it to the nearest UPS store, they do the rest! They even have a 30-day return policy, no questions asked.

Half.com.This is an ebay site, you're buying straight from the consumer. Low prices, but sometimes you can get screwed over. My roommate got a book from here, and it was missing pages.

From what I've heard about Amazon, you get what you pay for, just like half.com.

I feel much more confident using Chegg and their money-back guarantee. I recommend it to everyone that I know!

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