(More) Quick Tips on Textbooks
Photo by wohnaiOne final post to wrap up the textbook season…
General Tips
A lot of this will seem like common sense, but…
- Star early. You are not the only one who is going to be looking for your books. If you can get started well before school starts, all the better.
- Make a list of the books you need, and more importantly, their ISBN numbers. Having a list of ISBN numbers will make internet shopping significantly easier!
- Check any book exchange websites your campus might offer. I have never been terribly impressed by the ones I have seen, but you might get lucky. Definitely worth checking out before buying a new copy.
- Check out a site like BigWords.com, which allows you to enter a bunch of ISBN numbers and they’ll try to find the best combination of stores.
Beware the Trap of Small Book Shipping
Keep in mind that with many online stores, the shipping price will be roughly the same regardless of the book size. That $4 book is going to look a heck of a lot more expensive when you account for the fact that shipping it might cost $4 in itself. This is an easy trap to fall into with sites like Half.com that can make books seem incredibly cheap upfront; make sure you are really getting a good deal! Often times it is a better deal to buy all of your smaller books at a store like Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble that offer free shipping over $25, rather than buy the books individually.
Buying From Amazon.com?
- Unfortunately, Amazon.com rarely offers any sort of discount codes, and does not participate in any of the cash back portals.
- You can get free shipping for orders over $25
- Earn 5% back when you make purchases using the Citi mtvU Visa Card, which counts Amazon.com (not the marketplace) as a bookstore.
Buying from Half.com?
- Half.com often has discount promotions going on, but these are usually limited to first time customers only.
- Half.com participates in several cash back sites, including 3% back when you purchase through Ebates.
- Watch out for shipping charges — they can add up!
Buying from Barnes and Noble?
- Barnes and Noble offers its own $25 membership card that saves you 10% off all of your purchases; in my experience, it usually applies to textbooks purchased online. I also have saved quite a bit of money using this membership card at my Barnes and Noble Campus Bookstore buying office supplies.
- Barnes and Noble almost *always* has discount codes that can save you money available; usually members have access to better coupons, but even non-members can save some money. FatWallet.com has a discussion thread that tracks Barnes and Noble coupon codes, and that is always my first stop when buying from Barnes and Noble.
- Barnes and Noble offers free shipping at $25.
- Barnes and Noble participates in several cash back sites, including 4% back when you purchase through Ebates.
- Unfortunately, Barnes and Noble’s website does not count as a bookstore for the Citi mtvU card. In store purchases, however, do count, and will earn you the 5% back
Any other tips on textbook saving?
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