<p>I'm wondering if it's better to buy or rent my textbooks for the coming year? Which way is cheaper? Will I need my textbooks later, as in to keep?</p>
<p>Also, how do I figure out exactly which textbooks I need? I looked on OneStart, but couldn't find the information?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>You can use the IU bookstore or TIS websites and you select your classes and it tells you what books you would need. Renting is always cheaper than buying new, and I would think usually cheaper than buying used as well. But if used is only slightly more than renting, buy it since you can resell it.</p>
<p>And OneStart wouldn’t show me my books either…</p>
<p>Buy a used textbook. Then after your done, sell it.</p>
<p>It would be the cheapest.</p>
<p>buy the used texbooks early, they tend to run out sometimes the early/middle August.</p>
<p>I generally just don’t buy the books unless I absolutely have to. Ask/email your professors before the semester, or wait until the semester starts before purchasing. Some departments require they list a textbook for the class, but the AI or prof teaching the course might never use it, or use it so infrequently it’s not worth buying. </p>
<p>When you do buy a book, I’d recommend either buying them from an IU student, or ordering from half.com, and then reselling them to another IU student (never sell back to the book stores, they hardly pay you anything). </p>
<p>To find IU students in the market for textbooks, go to OneStart. On the left side of the screen, there’s a classifieds section (like craigslist), where people post books they’re looking to buy or sell. Post the books you have and the price you want for it. If it’s an intro course, you’re likely to find someone to buy your books. Works just as well when you’re buying books. </p>
<p>I’ve actually made money on my textbooks by doing this. TIS is my last resort.</p>
<p>alaspooryorick, I agree. I bought my books from Amazon.com and chegg.com. I got great deals on all my books for this semester compared to the prices listed on the TIS website. I also sold some books through the classifieds section of onestart and the return was surprisingly positive.</p>
<p>Renting textbooks is the best alternative, simply because you will not get a good buy back deal from TIS or any other store. Furthermore, you probably don’t need the book for more than one semester. Try Chegg.com, and use this coupon code to save 5% CC132614.</p>
<p>be careful with chegg. check the editions they give you. i almost rented the 1st edition of a book when i needed the 8th.</p>
<p>Be careful with renting if it’s possible the book will be used again in a more advanced class. Neighbor’s son rented his $200+ anatomy book and then found out it was the same text for anatomy 2. After he had returned the rental. Back in the Stone Age, we used the same text for 4 semesters of analytic geometry, differential equations, calculus, matrix theory etc. Quite the bargain.</p>
<p>We usually buying used books and then reselling works out the best monetarily.</p>