Money-Saving Tips for Buying and Selling Books Columbia SC

Money-Saving Tips for Buying and Selling Books

$500 to $800 a semester! That’s the whopping amount of money you’re likely going to need to buy your textbooks and sadly, the bookstore isn’t offering a payment plan. No doubt about it — textbooks are expensive. In fact, they can add up to roughly 3 to 7 percent of your annual school costs.

Is there any way to offset any of it? The answer is YES!

Buying Books
Keep the following pointers in mind and save some cash on those required texts.

Get up early  
A good way to save cash on books is to get to the bookstore early. It’s a bit like getting in line for a sold-out concert, but you may be able to get used editions at 70 to 80 percent of the original cost. If the crowds beat you there, don’t despair. The person in front of you may have grabbed what appears to be the last used book, but if you look, you can probably find another one.

Go surfing
Make note of the price of the book and look at online booksellers, including eBay, to see if you can find it cheaper. Take into account the shipping and handling costs and the length of time it will take to get it in your hands — you could run the risk that the book won’t arrive in time for the first day of class.

Haunt the shops and bulletin boards
One of the cheapest ways to get books is from other students via campus e-mail, word of mouth, or flyers. You can expect to pay 50 to 70 percent of the original cost.

Author: Amy Ambler

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