Save Money on Textbooks

            Many college students seem to share the same universal complaint: college textbooks are too expensive.  After interviewing many students, they all reported that they would benefit from saving money on textbooks.

            “I came to Bucks as a freshman this year, and I was astonished to pay almost $300 for books on top of tuition,” said Rebecca Sorrento, 18, a Pre-Allied Health major from Bristol.  Sorrento reported to have bought all of her textbooks new, which she said significantly raised the price.

            The most notorious way to save money on textbooks is to buy used copies of the books, which are available in our own bookstore.  Buying a used copy of a book can knock off about one-third of the price.

            Aside from our bookstore, there are many online websites to find cheaper textbooks.  Amazon and eBay are among the leading websites for buying and selling used textbooks. 

            “I used Amazon this past semester to buy my books, and did not pay over $40 dollars for any of them.  I was very satisfied,” said Gregory Asbero, 20, a computer science major from New Hope.

            Other popular websites to find used textbooks are Craigslist and Facebook.  Although when using these websites, as opposed to Amazon and eBay, one is not able to find information about the seller’s reputation.  When using these websites, some students have found it to be a very cheap, easy way, while others have felt ripped off.

            “I bought my biology textbook after joining a Facebook group, and the owner claimed that the book was in good condition.  Once I got it, I found that a good amount of pages were written in, I felt ripped off,” said Mia Hughes, 21, an early childhood education major from Langhorne.

Hughes and many other students reported to be weary of buying textbooks from these sites.  Nonetheless, they are still a great resource to get in touch with students you might know and trust for textbooks.

Zachary Green, 19, a criminal justice major from Doylestown reported to have used the “Affordabook” iPhone application.  This application searches and compares textbook prices from many various websites.

Another way to save money, but must be approved by professors, is to buy an older or international edition of the assigned book.  Many versions of books coincide with one another, and have very little differences.

There are even a few websites, such as “chegg.com” that allow students to rent textbooks for one-third of the price.  When renting a textbook, students are only able to use it for that semester, and then must mail it back.

A money-saving technique that many teachers have begun utilizing is electronic textbooks.  These can be found online, and are significantly cheaper, even free in many cases.

“My professor gave us the option of using the free online textbook, or paying about $100 for the paperback copy.  The decision was easy to say the least,” said Kiernan Suphrin, 19, a graphic design major from Washington’s Crossing.

About half of the students interviewed reported to have paid for their own textbooks this past semester, as opposed to their parents.

“I had to pick up many night shifts at work, just to have the extra money for textbooks,” reported Green.

One way students are able to raise some money for an upcoming semester’s books is to sell back their own used textbooks.  At the end of each semester at Bucks, the bookstore buys back students books for a higher price than usual.  If students save the money received for their previous textbooks, it could benefit them in buying textbooks for the next semester.

Students are also able to sell their own textbooks on all of the websites listed above.