Buying Books for CollegeBy Brent Chiodo

Why you need to know this

How to find which books you need

Techniques for getting the best deal

Selling books back at the best price

Tips & Tricks

Why you need to know this

I don’t need to tell you this: textbooks are expensive. The book publishers have many ploys to ensure the biggest profit possible.

From changing editions every few years, to including CDs and/or requiring access keys for online services, everything is done to victimize the college student.

Do you have to fall pray to these practices? The answer is a resounding “No.” I am going to share with you some of the tips I’ve learned about buying and selling college textbooks.

Step 1: Finding out which books are assigned

The first step is finding out which textbooks are assigned for each one of your courses. You can get this information by going to: http://onondagacc.bncollege.com/

Go to the “Buy Your Textbooks On-Line Today!” box, and enter all your courses (term, subject, course number, and section number)

Once finished, click “View Textbook List” This is what I see for the current semester…

Step 1: Finding out which books are assigned

Books – lots of them. In

fact, $844.05 in books.

But I’m not going to pay that…

Step 2: Eliminate the books you do not need

As a rule a thumb, anything marked “Required” should be purchased

“Recommended” books should be carefully reviewed before purchasing

This semester, I will not be pre-ordering any “Recommended” books, but will wait until the classes begin to see if really need them

After eliminating unneeded books, my total is

down to $730.30

Step 3: Determine low market price for each book

Before buying anything, you should determine what each book generally sells for (the book store sells at MSRP, so it is not a good indication of low market price)

To do this, copy the ISBN number for each book from the bookstore readout:

Step 3: Determine low market price for each book

Once you have the ISBN, go to websites like: http://amazon.com/ http://half.com/ http://ebay.com

Paste the ISBN into each website’s search box and see what the prices are!

Amazon.com generally deals with brand new books, while Ebay.com will list both new and used and the majority of books on Half.com are used. These websites will give you an indication of the current market value

Step 4: Techniques for getting the best deal

For me, I needed to find deals on four books: University Physics ($241.45, MSRP) Multivariable Calculus ($170.00, MSRP) Elementary Linear Algebra (197.35, MSRP) Out of Many ($121.50, MSRP)

These are the questions I asked myself: Should I buy new? Should I buy used? Should I buy an international edition? Should I buy an older edition?

Step 4: Techniques for getting the best deal

First on my buying agenda was University Physics ($241.45, MSRP). These were the prices: New on Amazon: $160 Used on Half: $136 International Edition on Ebay: $65 Previous Edition on Half: $19

I knew that homework would be done via Mastering Physics online, so an older edition would work out fine. This may not always be the case with all books and courses

Step 4: Techniques for getting the best deal

Step 4: Techniques for getting the best deal

Next up was Elementary Linear Algebra ($197.37, MSRP). These were the prices: New on Amazon: $150 Used on Half: $110 International Edition on Ebay: $48 Previous Edition on Half: None available

Even though the seller was located in Malaysia, the book was on my doorstep in three days

Step 4: Techniques for getting the best deal

Step 4: Techniques for getting the best deal

Next up was Multivariable Calculus ($170.00, MSRP). These were the prices: New on Amazon: $126 Used on Half: $120 International Edition on Ebay: $62 Previous Edition on Half: $47

Even though the previous edition was cheaper, the difference wasn’t big enough to warrant buying it over the International Edition

Step 4: Techniques for getting the best deal

Step 4: Techniques for getting the best deal

Last, was Out of Many ($121.50, MSRP). These were the prices: New on Amazon: $100 Used on Half: $61 International Edition on Ebay: None Available Previous Edition on Half: None Available US Edition on Ebay: $50.00

This may be pricey for a history book, but looking at what I paid for it and what they are going for on Half, I may turn a profit on this one!

Step 4: Techniques for getting the best deal

Step 5: Assessing the damage

Now, let’s review how much I spent (and saved):

Bookstore price: $844.05- $114 (unneeded books)

- $222 (older edition physics book)

- $149 (inter. edition linear algebra book)

- $113 (inter. edition multivariable calculus book)

- $71 (used history book)___________________________________________________

What I paid: $175 (saved 79.2%)

Step 6: Selling your books back

Once you have finished the semester, it is time for the fun part: selling your books back!

Fortunately, this is far easier than buying the books

Half.com is a great site to resell textbooks; textbooks there fetch a good price and can sell quickly (especially if priced aggressively)

I usually price my books at the bottom end of the range of similar books condition-wise

If your book is being offered for a very low price on Half, it may be worth checking the OCC Bookstore to see how much they are paying

Step 6: Selling your books back

Looking into the future, I will probably be able to recoup at least $100 by selling this semester’s books back

That will put my total out-of-pocket expenses for books this semester down to around $75 (there have been semesters where I have actually made money on books)

Additional tips on buying and selling textbooks Start shopping as soon as possible Always buy books based on cost differential

(purchase price vs. estimated sale price) International editions may be cheap, but also

can be hard to sell If a book lists a required CD, make sure it is

really required Book publishers usually change editions every

3-4 years (keep this in mind when buying with the hopes of reselling at a high price)

Additional tips on buying and selling textbooks Rent-a-textbook services may be all the rage

now, but remember that every dime spent here is a dime lost (no chance at resale)

Access Keys can often be purchased separately, e.g. Mastering Physics

“When in doubt, try without.” If you are debating whether to buy a book, wait until the course starts to see if you really need it (this is especially true if the book is expensive/new)

Sell during times of low supply and/or high demand, and buy during times of high supply and/or low demand

The End(of the presentation)

The Beginning(of saving money)