Used College Text Books

[Anonymous]

Best place to purchase used text books anyone? I hear from many reliable sources that a text book that is one or two editions behind is pretty much the same text book as it's current one?
And i know it's a good way to cut costs while in college, so any advice would be appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Former college prof here. Personally I wouldn't buy an earlier edition. In my larger classes, I wrote exams based both on lectures and on the text book and I was very careful to base questions on exactly what was written in the text. But that was in a large state university. Maybe at a school where there are small classes and only essay questions on tests, you'd do okay.

I am a big fan of buying through amazon.com's used booksellers market. You can get some really good deals from small business people. Hopefully you can find the editions you need.

[Anonymous]

thanks!

[Anonymous]

Another tip when buying used books is that some books come in both International and US editions. Make sure that you get the right one as there are usually differences between them.

[Anonymous]

We've had luck with www.fetchbook.info. I agree with the advice on buying the proper edition.

[Anonymous]

Don't colleges have bookstores on/near campus anymore? Mine always had used books if you bought them promptly.

[Anonymous]

i always borrowed the book from the college library if available, sometimes it was edition behind but usually tthey had just rearranged the order of chapters. PPL would sometimes post used book signs in common halls at cheaper rate than book store. All colleges and publishers want to rape the money off you. I would hold on to my books and take them the following semester to the class before it started an di got my fast cash back. the colege online newspapers post them there too.

[Anonymous]

Amazon is a great option for used and new. My daughter just purchased all new books for her first semester and saved $160 over the bookstore prices.

[Anonymous]

Half.com is really good, just be sure that instead of searching the title of the book you use the ISBN, it's a 10 or 13 digit numerical code on the back of texts that looks like this:
ISBN: 9781111426705

[Anonymous]

I use half.com for textbooks for DDs private high school. I have about 85% phenomenal success. I buy her 2 sets of books (to keep one at school and one at home because she grew accustomed to "forgetting" her books so she couldn't do her homework). This semester her Spanish text was $1 with $4 shipping. No kidding. But every semester one book just fails to arrive. By the time you file a claim, the semester had already started and the book is no longer available. Amazon used books are a bit more expensive but their claims are processed much more quickly. Now I just order her books as soon as I know what classes she's enrolled in. The college-aged DD preferred to get her books at the used book store near campus. We've found college texts harder to get 100% right -- sometimes the professors combine the required books (for example a text, a supplement and a study guide). Well that combination gives them a unique ISBN number which isn't available on half.com (but often available individually) and so you're not 100% sure you have the right books. This drives DD1 a bit crazy. DD2 will have no problem with it.