How to Purchase Discount College Textbooks Online

College courses often require textbooks costing hundreds of dollars per course. While this is a burden for most people, there are some ways to get textbooks at a discount. Unfortunately, for courses that require a new textbook (one that has just been released) for certain subjects, there may be not choice but to purchase the new edition. Math books and other subjects that have "numerical problems" in them make it a point to change the problems with each edition.

First, look at auction sites. Ebay and its subsidiary, Half.com post textbooks for sale on their respective sites. If given a choice, I would go with Half, because the shipping prices are already set. Ebay sellers sometimes inflate shipping costs which can offset any savings you may think you are getting.

Next, consider working a bit to save on your books. Have you heard of Amazon Mechanical Turk? Yes, the tasks don't pay much, however, I have done some as simple as calling into a phone line and telling a story to earn over a dollar per call. In a brief period of time, I earned over $50 from Mturk. Try to complete tasks, as any money earned can be applied to your Amazon.com account. You may not earn much, but it can go towards the cost of shipping your book.

Finally, check your local Craigslist. Many times I have seen college textbooks for sale under the "books" sub-heading. The class, instructor and text information is usually posted. If purchased this way, try to barter and agree to a fair price. Remember though, you will also be saving on shipping. Agree on payment terms and a public meeting location to complete your transaction.