Best online resources to buy textbooks?

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HH Holmes

HH Holmes

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I searched, searched and searched some more but all of the results are either not for what I'm looking for or extremely outdated. Does anyone have a good (or a few good) sites where they find good textbooks online. I'd buy used, but almost all of my classes have recently updated versions (2010/2011) so it's hard to find any used.

Amazon is reasonable, but usually where the prices are cheapest are in the individual seller stores and having to buy and ship all of my books separately is going to be a pain.
 
I pirate my textbooks or buy them on Craigslist for cheap.
 
CodeBlu said:
Amazon ftw.
Click to expand...

Agreed...Having your books shipped at different times is OK as long as you don't need them right away. I think Amazon prime users get free shipping...you might want to look into that.
 
I love half.com, it's where I almost exclusively buy and sell my textbooks. They usually have the best price, too.
 
Venom5 said:
Agreed...Having your books shipped at different times is OK as long as you don't need them right away. I think Amazon prime users get free shipping...you might want to look into that.
Click to expand...

I currently have that student Amazon prime but it is often useless since it does not cover market prices, where the actual cost is significantly cheaper than what i would be saving with prime's free shipping. But regardless, you can look for sellers that offer expediate shipping, it is like 3 dollars more but it has a much nicer shipping time of about a week or so compared to standard which can be as high as three weeks. Had pretty good experience doing it that way, even at the start of semesters.
 
Go on amazon and get the isbn for all the books you need. I like to use a spreadsheet to keep track. Then check google shopping and eBay. Half.comis rarely the cheapest. Look for international editions as well. There's no difference and they're about half the price.

Good luck!
 
I've had really good luck with http://www.abebooks.com/

They were also really cool about accepting a return on a book that I bought for a math class and then got told the first day that it was optional since the MyMathLab access we bought had the entire text online.
 
I found dealoz.com in my sophomore year. The site name sounds sketchy but it searches somewhere around 500 websites for the cheapest books. it also will tell you which ones are new, used, international ed. and will also include any coupons that might apply.

hope this helps.
 
I was shocked to see Campbell's Biology (9th edition) going for $50, but then I realized a ton of these sites carry the International editions (which are also usually paperbacks). Can anyone provide some insight? If my school recommends Campbell's with the ISBN matching the US Edition with all the MasterLearningOnlineBullsh*t extravaganza, should I go for that?

EDIT: You posted this as soon as I did:

celaeno147 said:
I found dealoz.com in my sophomore year. The site name sounds sketchy but it searches somewhere around 500 websites for the cheapest books. it also will tell you which ones are new, used, international ed. and will also include any coupons that might apply.

hope this helps.
Click to expand...

My question still applies 😀, but thanks I'll check that out too. Oh, and welcome to SDN!
 
JChait said:
I was shocked to see Campbell's Biology (9th edition) going for $50, but then I realized a ton of these sites carry the International editions (which are also usually paperbacks). Can anyone provide some insight? If my school recommends Campbell's with the ISBN matching the US Edition with all the MasterLearningOnlineBullsh*t extravaganza, should I go for that?

EDIT: You posted this as soon as I did:



My question still applies 😀, but thanks I'll check that out too. Oh, and welcome to SDN!
Click to expand...

I buy the international editions. They are usually exactly the same except with a different cover and much less $.

Also, I use half.com to buy my textbooks and then usually sell them back to other students on campus for the same price I bought them for. I have a bunch of books left that I haven't been able to sell. For those of you who have used half.com to sell your books, how long does it take before they usually sell?
 
ohshxtsaty said:
I buy the international editions. They are usually exactly the same except with a different cover and much less $.
Click to expand...

Ever notice any differences or have any problems with your international texts? If not, or if they were so minor, I will definitely hop on the chance at buying my books at a 400% cheaper rate 😀
 
ohshxtsaty said:
I buy the international editions. They are usually exactly the same except with a different cover and much less $.

Also, I use half.com to buy my textbooks and then usually sell them back to other students on campus for the same price I bought them for. I have a bunch of books left that I haven't been able to sell. For those of you who have used half.com to sell your books, how long does it take before they usually sell?
Click to expand...

Yeah international editions are the exact same thing except sometimes with black and white illustrations (rarely) but usually just in softcover. The reason they're "international editions" is because the publishers know they can sell the same book hardcover in the US for a lot more money than they can abroad.

Its a throwup how long it takes stuff to sell on half.com. I've had stuff sell in days (just sold something last week) and some stuff listed for months. Usually if there's like 50 other books being sold you're probably not gonna get rid of yours for a little bit unless you undercut everyone else. I usually didn't undercut too severely though bc I didn't want anyone wondering why the book was so cheap. Selling tends to pick up as the semester gets closer though...things should start really selling by mid August.
 
calvnandhobbs68 said:
Its a throwup how long it takes stuff to sell on half.com. I've had stuff sell in days (just sold something last week) and some stuff listed for months. Usually if there's like 50 other books being sold you're probably not gonna get rid of yours for a little bit unless you undercut everyone else. I usually didn't undercut too severely though bc I didn't want anyone wondering why the book was so cheap. Selling tends to pick up as the semester gets closer though...things should start really selling by mid August.
Click to expand...
You mean a toss-up?

Throwup = vomit :laugh:
 
JChait said:
Ever notice any differences or have any problems with your international texts? If not, or if they were so minor, I will definitely hop on the chance at buying my books at a 400% cheaper rate 😀
Click to expand...

No, I never had any problems with international books. I used the international edition for biochemistry, organic chemistry, cell & molecular biology, genetics, and something else that I can't remember atm. They were virtually identical to the other books my fellow classmates had except mine would be soft cover and there would be a little sign somewhere on the cover that said NOT TO BE SOLD IN THE U.S. 😀
 
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