books - by Lachlan Hardy via Flickr
Book swapping, discounted buying, used sellers….there are many ways to get your hands on great books for personal development or classes without paying the full cover price.
I kept track of my savings over the university book store price when I was working through my degree in Project Management.? I saved about 60% overall compared to what it would have cost me had I purchased my books at the college.? That amounted to thousands of dollars in savings over the years.
Some I was unable to find used, because they had just come out.? They were the exception however, and even if something had been out for just a semester, I was usually able to find a good used copy somewhere.
Check out these sites for book swapping and used books. Four pieces of advice for you:
- Order books early -? It can take 2-3 weeks to get it, and you don’t want to be without your textbook on the first day of class.? If you order a month in advance, it should give you enough time.
- Get the correct edition – I learned this the hard way.? One time I didn’t pay attention to the edition number and got an old edition.? I was still able to use it for that particular class, but you may not be so lucky.
- Country-specific versions – If you do end up getting the “international version” of a textbook, most of the time it will be the exact same book….sometimes there will be slight differences.? I once had a book that was about 15 pages off from the new version, so when the professor asked us to check out page 45, I just knew to turn to page 60 in my own copy.
- Check the detailed description – Sometimes sellers will have a picture of the new edition, when the detailed description lets you know it’s a different edition.? They will use the best picture they can find online, and if they can’t find an exact picture they substitute something close.
Amazon
(Use the “used” link to find resellers…you can often find new or like-new copies cheaper than normal price)