<p>I'm a class of '15 freshman and have very little experience in book purchases. For my upcoming fall semester I have nine books that I need to buy, though it looks like only two or three of them are textbooks. My friend's parents have recommended both eBay and Amazon as places to buy (used and new) college books for less money. </p>
<p>Therefore, I was wondering which of these websites (or any others) current college students recommend, and also when one should start buying books. Is sooner better than later?</p>
<p>Edit: Additionally, what is the recommended usage quality for books? Is it better to get a more expensive book with better condition so that you can get more for it later, or a cheaper book with a little more wear?</p>
<p>I just got one of my English textbooks from Amazon for half of what I would’ve paid for a used one at my school. I prefer Very Good to New quality, so I will probably end up paying a little more for some.</p>
<p>Both of these search multiple sites at one time so you can compare prices of used books among different vendors. Make sure you search by ISBN number rather than author/title as there can be multiple editions of each book.</p>
<p>If you are buying books for your major classes and they are something you think you will need/want to keep for a permanent reference library, you might want to get higher quality books, perhaps even new ones. If they are just for single classes to meet general ed requirements in subject areas you aren’t otherwise all that interested in, the quality may not be as critical.</p>
<p>I use both (amazon and half.ebay ->more focused on books) and I almost never have to pay for a full priced book unless if my school is being a b**** and wanting special school editions or super duper brand new books that have just appeared on the market >.<</p>
<p>If you can, try and scout out which textbooks your professors may be using for the fall semester/quarter. Some may already have the syllabus up while others may be teaching the same class in the summer (so it’s safe to assume that they are going to use the same book in the fall…but it never hurts to check!)</p>
<p>I second hilaron - bigwords.com is the best! BTW, google Amazon Student if you’re serious about getting books from Amazon. Free 2-day shipping for a year is so awesome!</p>
<p>I got a lot of used textbooks through Amazon and had no problem. The only thing to watch out for is how long it takes to receive the books. If a seller is using Media Mail, it could take several weeks from the shipping date. If the textbooks you need are for large intro classes, you may want to wait until you get on campus and see if upperclassmen are selling those textbooks for cheap. At school, I frequently saw flyers for popular textbooks (Fundamentals of Calculus, General Chemistry, etc). </p>
<p>The one downside to buying textbooks early is that you don’t know in advance how much of it you’re going to use. Sometimes, on the first day of class, professors will announce that you don’t really need the textbook at all. And especially for large intro classes, multiple copies may be placed on reserve. (Not that I advocate not buying textbooks at all - I’m just pointing out the nuances.)</p>
<p>What are the other books you need? If they’re more like novels, it may not be worth it to buy used, since any money you save by buying used is likely to be cancelled out by the s&h fee you’ll have to pay.</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who has responded. All of this information (especially the website suggestions) is very helpful. :)</p>
<p>demeter - I’d say more than half of my list is comprised of novels. You’re right, so far the good condition used copies have been only a few dollars cheaper than Amazon’s listed prices.</p>
<p>Xtrasparklesplz - I received an email about that service today, actually. My friends have told me that it’s a very useful service.</p>
<p>I get used books through Amazon. As long as the books not falling apart i’m fine with it since I know i’ll end up getting rid of it anyways. If you’re say a Nursing Major you might want to keep some of the books for reference later. And the same goes for any major really. If you’re an English Major and you HAVE to buy a book for the class you should always keep the book.</p>
<p>The cheapest shipping is media mail. 95% of the time, the textbooks I’ve had shipped by media mail have arrived within three weeks. (Therefore, if you want your books the first day of class, consider ordering textbooks three weeks before classes start). </p>
<p>Be careful of international editions. They may be cheaper, but they are harder to resell and may not have identical problems to the US editions.</p>
unless if my school is being a b**** and wanting special school editions or super duper brand new books that have just appeared on the market >.<</p>