Good websites for buying books CHEAP

[orthomyxo]

Do you guys know of any reliable sites that sell used books for cheap money? I'm short on cash (who isn't?) right now, and my school's book store loves to rip off students. I refuse to pay $144 for a crappy used calculus book!!!

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[armybound]

I always used half.com

 

[PanicAttack]

bigwords.com does a meta search of all the big discount sites.

 

[circulus vitios]

Amazon.com marketplace.

 

[schrizto]

Amazon.com and Half.com

Amazon has more traffic so the more popular used books get snatched up quickly, therefore the price is usually a bit higher there than Half.com, but it has a bigger selection than Half.com.

 

[kia ora]

cheaptextbooks.com

I've bought books from this site; you often get the international edition, which may be softcover and have a different cover design than the US edition. however, the contents have been the same (in my experience). and on the spine there's a cool "NOT FOR SALE IN THE US" warning (the books ship from Asia). the books I bought cost less than 1/2 of what the US campus bookstore version did

 

[runrunrudolph1]

alibris.com

 

[restlessdriven]

I use dealoz.com which compiles a long list of vendors. I like it because it also includes the international versions which are much cheaper.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

I used to buy used international editions from abebooks.com for about $30.

 

[Dr McSexy]

I vote for half.com.

I would compare prices from half.com and chegg.com(renting). If there's a big enough difference in price, I would consider just renting it so you don't have to put up with the headache of reselling the book at the end of the semester.

 

[orthomyxo]

I use dealoz.com which compiles a long list of vendors. I like it because it also includes the international versions which are much cheaper.

What's the difference between the US edition and the international edition?

 

[whimsical]

What's the difference between the US edition and the international edition?

Usually nothing, except maybe british spellings.
And I've noticed they're almost all paperback.

+1 for bigwords.com though. I save a ton of money that way.

 

[orthomyxo]

Usually nothing, except maybe british spellings.
And I've noticed they're almost all paperback.

+1 for bigwords.com though. I save a ton of money that way.

I don't know, I'm a little hesitant to buy an international edition. With my luck I'd get it for a great price, only to find that it's written in mandarin or something

 

[BlueElmo]

I used Amzon.com. I heard people say Half.com is also quite good.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

International editions = black and white version of regular edition, low quality paper.

 

[whimsical]

I don't know, I'm a little hesitant to buy an international edition. With my luck I'd get it for a great price, only to find that it's written in mandarin or something

Haha, I feel like that warrants poor feedback on the seller. Although, depending on the subject and the quality of the book, it may have been incomprehensible either way...

But to assuage your fears I've never received one that wasn't in English. But the spelling in my microbio textbook did get on my nerves at first.

 

[orthomyxo]

Haha, I feel like that warrants poor feedback on the seller. Although, depending on the subject and the quality of the book, it may have been incomprehensible either way...

But to assuage your fears I've never received one that wasn't in English. But the spelling in my microbio textbook did get on my nerves at first.

Well it's a calculus textbook so I guess spelling won't really be an issue. I'll probably only use it for the practice problems.

 

[whimsical]

Well it's a calculus textbook so I guess spelling won't really be an issue. I'll probably only use it for the practice problems.

Oh, then international is totally the way to go (also way cheaper).

 

[Toastayy]

I switched to using Textbooksrus Now, because in comparison to Amazon and esp. Half.com its a sweet deal, and they always have international books for dirt cheap and they ship rather quickly.

 

[s1lver]

If you're like me who does not like to keep books, use Chegg.com. I rented 5 books there for this semester for a grand total of $43 (one book alone on Amazon costs $155 )! Free shipping and you just keep the box + print a free return label when you're ready to return them.

 

[MDtobe31311]

I've been using www.textbooks.com for 3 years now! It has usually the cheapest prices, and free shipping on orders over $25 (with science textbooks I'm always over $25).

Hope this helps 🙂

 

[RevMD]

Several options:

1. International editions! Try abebooks.com. I have had nothing but good experiences with the site. Even though some books will actually ship from outside the US, you should not have to worry if you pick a seller with 4 or 5 star ratings. Shipping can take up to two weeks in some cases, so I recommend you buy the book temporarily from your bookstore and then get a refund once your book arrives.
2. Ask your friends who took the class already or if they know anyone who has. By thumb rule, you usually can get textbook you are looking for at least less than half the price it is listed in your campus bookstore. Definitely pays to have a lot of friends.
3. Amazon and half.com are probably last resort imo. They will likely be more pricier than either of above options for many books, but still way better than buying from a bookstore on campus.

 

[lstone13]

Amazon.com marketplace.

I second this.

 

[lunchbox_tragedy]

www.addall.com does a meta search of a ton of new and used book sites. I've used it and saved probably half on all of my textbooks over the past 4 years. I've also noticed that it almost always finds the cheapest option at half.com or Amazon Marketplace

Then, after I'm done with my textbooks, I sell them on Amazon Marketplace (often for a profit). This is easier to do if you don't highlight or write in your books.