|
|
|
How to shop and save on textbooks
August 17, 2005
BY SUSAN TOMPOR
FREE PRESS PERSONAL
FINANCE COLUMNIST
Go to the bookstore early and get the book lists for
your college courses.
Find out what you'd pay to buy the book new or used
at the bookstore.
Write down the ISBN number that's printed above the
bar code on the book or on the title page. The ISBN also might be
printed on the class syllabus. You need that number to shop online
and make sure you have the right book.
Several Web sites sell college textbooks, including
eBay's http://www.half.ebay.com/, http://www.abebooks.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.ecampus.com/ and http://www.collegebooksdirect.com/.
Consider going to sites that offer comparison
pricing for books, such as http://www.bestbookbuys.com/, http://www.bigwords.com/, http://www.addall.com/
and http://www.campusbooks.com/.
Consider the cost of shipping. If the shipping costs
are high, it might not be worth it to order the book online. Some
Web sites also offer free shipping.
Know whether the textbook includes a CD-ROM or
workbook -- and find out if you'd need those for the class.
Think about buying textbooks overseas via the
Internet. But be careful about ordering international editions. It
might be super cheap, but it might not contain material you need.
Ask your professor what you need.
Go online before classes start. It may take a few
days, or up to two weeks, to get the books shipped to you.
Look into return policies for online booksellers.
Who hasn't dropped a class with no plans to ever take it again? It
can help if the seller offers a 30-day return policy.
Other thoughts: A joint effort by student public
interest research groups is trying to get publishers to change their
textbook pricing. See the campaign's Web site at http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.com/.
The groups suggest talking to your professors about trying to
negotiate lower prices for textbooks. The groups note that the math
department at the University of California, Los Angeles, negotiated
a 20% price cut with a publisher for a popular calculus book.
SUSAN TOMPOR, Detroit Free Press
| |
|
