Why Buy Used College Textbooks?

When you are preparing for your new college courses, you might be surprised how much money you’ll need to spend to pick up the Required Reading list.  Classes and tuition fees alone can be through the roof, and once you have purchased a laptop, a personal planner, and all of the basic school supplies needed, you will likely have put quite a dent in your budget. Right before class starts, you will also be given a list of college textbooks you will need to purchase.  But do you really need to buy all of these, and what are your options if you don;t want to spend sixty bucks on a book on Biology you’ll only read once?  Today, we will look at why buying used college textbooks can be a great idea.

When you purchase new college textbooks, pretty much the only benefit to owning a brand new book is that the book will have no dog-eared pages or marks in the margins.  This is certainly aesthetically appealing, but if you ask anyone who uses pre-owned college textbooks, they will tell you one thing.  The dog eared pages are often the ones you most need to study, and margin notes can offer great ways to remember items and know what is crucial.  In other words, when you buy used textbooks, part of the hard work has often already been done before you. You may even find some gems left behind by a previous generation of reader that may help you out!

So once you’ve made up your mind to go used, where should you start looking?  The first place that will come to mind will probably be Amazon or Ebay, but most people know what they’re selling so the bargains may not be as great as you think.  your best bet would be to look in the bookshops at your very own school – you’ll find that many college bookstores offer used college textbooks in a special discount section, or often on the floor above or below the main bookshop. 

There are also a number of websites online where you can purchase used collage textbooks.  Most schools and cities also have message boards that allow you to sell your books when classes end, and even Craigslist offers great options.  Used college textbooks are far cheaper than their new counterparts, and offer great educational benefits.  As long as you make sure that the book is the right edition and doesn’t have any pages missing (the only risk), it can be a perfect way to save money.