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I know it's summertime and the last thing you want to be thinking about is school coming back around in a couple months, but you can never start preparing too soon! Scouring the internet for the best deals on that textbook for class can be a huge pain and much too expensive, as if college isn't enough to pay for. I have just recently finished up my freshman year of college and I have spent hours looking for a good deal. If you have no problem with eBooks and reading the text from a computer screen, I would definitely suggest googling your book for free PDF files someone has posted for download. You just can't beat free! But you must know that not all textbooks will have a download and you may have to opt for an eBook and they are often cheaper than a physical book, but still, look for the best deal even though it's just an eBook, the prices can still seem kind of ridiculous when it's just words on a screen.
I have become very fond of BookByte, although I would always keep my eyes open for other places that may have a better deal. Don't stick to one website. It may be time consuming to find a reasonably priced book, but it is worth it! If you are like me and is helps having a physical book to look at rather than a staring at a screen for hours trying to read a chapter, here are some good websites to start with! But never keep your options too narrow!
♡BookByte: There is free shipping on orders of $49+, you can return your book within 14 days, and if you plan on selling the book back, you get 10% bonus cash coupon. Sometimes toward the end of the semester or year, they will send out other promotions such as an additional 5% bonus or something similar. I have never had a problem with this website or this company; I actually find them quite student friendly compared to many other websites I have visited. Also when you plan to sell them your textbooks, they pay you in cash and it is free shipping! I returned 2 books from last semester and I ended up getting $93 when I originally payed about $160 total (note: I had lost my 10% bonus cash coupon, so that is not included). I also love the variety. You can buy used, good used, like new, and new; typically there are multiple of each as well. They also give the option of renting the books for 30, 60, 90, or 120 days. I know I'm raving a bit about this site, but it has become my favorite thus far.
♡Amazon: Have an amazon account? Maybe the student membership? I have an account, but I have not tried the amazon student membership or prime. It seems like a pretty good investment since it is free for 6 months and then $39/year for after that, giving you amazon prime as well for half the cost (usually $79). With this, you get free 2-day shipping, promotions and with the Amazon Prime, unlimited instant streaming of 40,000 movies and TV shows. Returning your textbook to amazon when you are done is free shipping and gives quite a good trade in quote (a book I bought last semester for $125 gives me an $82.11 trade in). You may not always find the best deals, but the prices aren't bad. It's also a bonus that it is widely known for amazon to be a secure and trustworthy website, not to mention you can almost always find what you are looking for!
♡Alibris: I have stumbled across this website multiple times but have not actually used it to buy any textbooks. The books seem to be a great price but one of the major cons are that shipping is not constant. Some items may have Super Value Shipping, which is free to the continental United States when the order is at least $49. Although if it isn't, it is $3.99 for the first item and $2.99 for every item after that. Make sure you add the shipping cost into the total amount so there won't be an surprises! The website is similar to Half Price Books, if you are aware of the chain's website. It gives you prices of the book from different websites and sellers, cost from high to low. This may be a good place to start and see how the book prices compared to other dealers. Remember that these websites don't always give the sources that have the best deals, so if you are disappointed with the prices, just keep searching!
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