As students head back to college in the coming weeks, they’ll have to purchase textbooks for their classes – and books these days are not cheap. Students spend thousands of dollars on textbooks for college. Luckily, there are ways to reduce the cost of textbooks – and even ways to have the book on your iPad or Kindle, so you don’t have to carry 30 pounds of books around campus.
1. Ebooks on the Kindle: Amazon.com is now offering e-textbooks for the Kindle with the “Kindle Textbook Renter.” You can save 80% by renting e-textbooks on Amazon.com. Plus, you don’t have to carry around a heavy load of books around campus!
2. Textbooks for the iPad: Download the Textbooks app for the iPad, which is a free app with over 100,000 textbooks.
3. Find the Cheapest Textbook Retailers: Use HelpSaveMyDollars.com’s free Textbook Search Engine, which compares prices from over 50 different retailers, including textbook rental retailers.
4. Skip the School Bookstore: Don’t buy books at your school’s bookstore, as they are typically overpriced.
5. Buy Used Textbooks: I saved nearly $200 by purchasing used textbooks last year! Check out eBay’s Half.com to search for used books.
6. Rent Textbooks: Once the class is over, you don’t need the textbook anymore. Visit BookRenter.com to rent textbooks. Instead of buying a $100 book, you could rent it for $30-$40.
7. Trade Books with Other Students: You may not need your biology book from last semester, but plenty of other students may need it! Use TextSwap.com to trade books with other students.
8. Sell Your Textbooks: At the end of the semester, sell your textbooks online to recover part of the costs from buying the book.
9. iPhone/Smartphone Apps: Download the Yowza!! iPhone app to search for mobile coupons on your phone (no need to print them out!).
10. International Editions: You can save over 70% by purchasing the international version of a textbook. Visit Textbooksrus.com to search for international editions of books.