College Textbooks Without a Student Loan - How to Save a LOT of Money!

Textbooks can take a huge bite out of any students (or parents) bank account. Last semester we had to buy four textbooks which ranged in price from $98 to $195 at the college bookstore! They only had one used option and that one was still $110! I immediately turned to the Internet where not only did I find them for less; I saved close to ¾ off what I would have spent at the bookstore. I am now planning on doing the same for this upcoming quarter and will show you how you can too.

As soon as you get you (or your child's) schedule, head over to the University bookstore and get the following information for each textbook you will need:

1. The Complete title of the textbook with Author name
2.The ISBN - 10 or 13 digits
3.The year or version, if applicable
4. Asking price for new and used for comparison purposes

You will most likely need just one or two of the items above but it is best to have all of the information, to make sure you are ordering the exact copy used in the classroom. Use either a spreadsheet or blank paper to write down the different prices offered to assure the best deal. Don't forget to add in shipping cost.

Now you are ready to hit the following five websites:

A1books.com
You can search through different sellers to find different prices for both new and used textbooks. They accept paypal.

Ecampus.com
They sell both new and used (marketplace) textbooks. While their new ones are never the best deal, the used ones can be.

Half.com
I usually end up buying at least some of the textbooks here. This company is owned by eBay but they are not auctions. Different sellers list the copies they have under condition categories ranging from brand new to acceptable. They will list comments that give you a better idea of the condition such as: used it one semester, damage to the cover or some highlighting over text.

Phatcampus.com
This site sells both new and used books. They seem to sell them not only from phatcampus but from a few other dealers. They are a hit and miss type place but sometimes they can surprise with a super deal as below in the examples.