<p>Students get 6 months of Amazon Student for free, and then it’s $40/year. It’s not just Amazon-direct products that get sent via 2-day shipping; Products that are “fulfilled by Amazon” also get the 2-day shipping.</p>
<p>The Daughter just buys her engineering books on Amazon Prime and gets 2 day shipping. She even gets her clickers (Iclicker) online. If you want it in 1 day, it’s $3.99. Her total averages are usually less than $50 per semester and she always orders used. Once, she got a brand new Hardback book for $.60 and it ended up being still in the wrapper from someone who must have dropped the class. Seriously though, 60 CENTS! She pays for her own books.</p>
<p>This semester, she’s spent $30 on 3 hardback books, the most she’s ever spent (besides first year when Mom and Dad didn’t know any better). Works for us.</p>
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<li>Amazon</li>
<li>I buy them after school starts because the university-sponsored club I’m in gets discounts from several stores nearby. Check on that.</li>
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<p>My guys can buy their own books. They know how to look on the school website or go to the bookstore and find what they need. They know how to buy online, etc. It’s not that they are technical Amish (if anything, “I” fit that category more).</p>
<p>However, there’s been absolutely no problem in our family with me taking the actual time to find the best bargains. We joke that I’m their secretary in that aspect, except when oldest has scored a book from friends at school.</p>
<p>Should something happen to me, my boys won’t go “book-less” or flounder around confused. It’s not quite that drastic. It’s just letting those who have the time, credit card, and inclination do what they do best. In a way, it’s not unlike division of chores at home based upon who is better at or likes a certain chore better. Anyone can DO any of the chores, but those who like it tend to do a better job.</p>
<p>I will agree that buying sooner tends to be far less expensive than buying later - even if books need to be resold and/or returned. If money is an issue, buy sooner. You can try an e-mail to the professor to see if older editions of a book are fine or not. There can be big savings that way. I wouldn’t skip buying books. One student told me they were bummed that they bought a book for a course they never used, but the last class before the final the prof reminded them that book was required and content from it would be on the final. That student and his friend spent the night reading the book and studying. Several of his friends had to locate the book (bookstore) and pay a bit for it. Some had already resold the book and needed to buy it again. One never knows what will happen until the class is over. I’d rather they have a book they don’t use than not have a book and have to scramble to get one.</p>
<p>Lafalum84–We waited to buy books for our older kids with zero issues. If they get homework the first day of class they either used a book in the school library or just borrowed one from someone in their dorms. It was not an issue at all. They had their books in 2 days (Amazon Prime or rush shipping if needed but only did that once). One prof had 13 books listed as “required” turns out they were all the various editions of the books you COULD use and only needed 2. It didn’t say that on the website. Also, almost every prof they had gave a list of previous editions they could use and what changes they would find. We saved several thousand dollars doing this and never had an issue.</p>
<p>I put the ISBN numbers into google/bing and then compare prices at the places where it’s shown as being available, and additionally compare it to the college bookstore. Of our kids three colleges, I’ve found big differences in how soon the kids find out what books they need. </p>
<p>We’re hoping to save money this semester with a friend of my son’s who is in the same major but a year ahead. He said in the Spring that he would sell the books he doesn’t want to keep to my son.</p>
<p>Romangypsies, people whom have bought the international English language versions of U.S. textbooks say they can be a steal, but that sometimes they can be very different from the American version. I do think that the publishers’ warnings about such books is propaganda, and I don’t think most students would be bothered that the book was printed essentially on standard copy paper and came in a binder, as long as the content was consistent with the formal bound American edition.</p>
<p>Lake, I’ve heard that too but to date the only person who has ever told me from experience was a textbook store owner. My experience and those of those I know has been that they are the same.
It’s entirely possible that somewhere down the line I’ll experience that difference but until then, I’m willing to take that gamble lol.</p>
<p>That’s right, unless it is fulfilled by Amazon. I put a bunch of textbooks in my cart and Prime would save me maybe $10 in shipping - the part from Amazon. I’d still have to pay shipping for the books coming used or whatever from the other sellers.</p>
<p>It is free priority shipping though, so if you need to get a book quickly, say after school starts, it could be handy. You could pay a little more to get it directly from Amazon but not pay the shipping and still get it in 2 days.</p>
<p>Does anyone else have a school with textbook rental?</p>
<p>Wisconsin state schools have textbook rentals covered in tuition.</p>
<p>Having two sons in college, I have become an EXPERT at buying! Go to the school’s website, find the course, get the book’s name or IBSN no and search the internet! I purchased books that required the school’s online code and all you pay for is the online code. I even got a $300 book for less than $100 because it was the European edition, in English, with only a difference in the cover!!!</p>
<p>U of Rochester has both rental and purchase of textbooks.</p>
<p>Nice bonus, SteveMA,</p>
<p>What does a Hybrid version mean? Found this type for my son’s chem textbook.</p>
<p>I have a friend who is a prof at a small college, and she said their bookstore closed due to Amazon undercuts. So, if the book is close in price from the college bookstore, I buy it from the college bookstore.</p>
<p>Hybrid usually means there’s a computer component included (CD or something like that).
For everyone who’s kids are doing e-textbooks, where are they finding them from? I know Chegg and Coursesmart offers e-textbook rentals, but I haven’t been too impressed with either interface or prices.</p>
<p>^ Amazon seems to offer e-text sales and rentals.</p>
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<p>I wouldn’t really wouldn’t recommend doing that. True, you might save money. However, you might end up shooting your kid in the foot later on (metaphorically of course). I ran into a class that expected the students to read 1/4 of a textbook before the next class (two days later). At that point, the only option would be to buy whatever the bookstore had at the time. I dropped the class. I couldn’t get to the bookstore in time.</p>
<p>If you buy a book you don’t need (especially if you buy it used), you can just sell it later.</p>
<p>I’m now officially glad I didn’t buy anything yet. S auditioned into the BM program but decided to enroll in the BA instead (his music major is offered with either degree). He decided today to switch back to the BM, which means a couple of course changes.</p>
<p>Yay :)</p>
<p>Check for international editions on sites like Amazon.co.uk. Often they are the exact same book but much cheaper, even with international shipping. You cannot sell them back at the end of the term though, because the ISBN is different.</p>