<p>So I've had my list of textbooks needed for all my courses for quite sometime - I tallied the cost of all of them using the prices given by the university bookstore and it came out to be about 800 dollars. Knowing that bookstores are notorious for their inflated prices, I took to Amazon to buy them.</p>
<p>I ended up paying a little under 150 dollars for 5 books, an expenditure that would've normally cost me around 475. </p>
<p>However, there's one science textbook that I have refrained from buying. The list price for the book is 350 - but when I went on websites like slug books, Chegg, and Amazon, even the price for RENTING a used version of the book (18th edition, 2015 copyright) is about 180 dollars. Purchasing it used is about 250.</p>
<p>This book is for a class unrelated to my major - it's tackling a science general ed; when I went on ratemyprofessor, students said that the textbook is rarely if ever actually used in the course and that tests are based on lectures.</p>
<p>I wanted to know if it was better to hold off on trying to get the book now (classes start on 9/2) and just wait and see if the book really is used. I know a lot of people don't come to class on the first day with books but I've never been one to come to class intentionally unprepared - I'm paranoid that it'll backfire and I'll desperately need the book that day because of an assignment or something. </p>
<p>Not sure what I should do. </p>
<p>Is there a chance that the library would have a copy? Or is that highly unlikely? Do I have any other options? Do I need the most recent edition? (Older editions - like last year and the year before are considerably cheaper). </p>
<p>usually libraries have a copy, plus you can always pool $$ with classmates if it is really necessary. </p>
<p>Contact the instructor directly to see if the older edition will substitute. Note that you are willing to deal with the inevitable pagination difference. The only real differences would be problem sets (if assigned as homework) and a large chunk of new material, like a whole chapter that had not been covered.</p>
<p>Is there an international edition ?</p>
<p>I remember hearing about international editions - how do I search that? Do I just search the title with the phrase “international edition?” Because when I tried searching for an international edition, I got confusing results. </p>
<p>Try searching the title on Ebay. The search results are bound to contain international versions. If it is listed as new al a low price then it will probably be an international version.</p>
<p>I would wait until classes or email the professor ahead of time to see if you need the book. I stopped buying books before classes started after my first couple of quarters just because it was often a waste of money. Most of the time I didn’t buy the book at all. If the tests are lecture based, then the textbook is likely only used as a reference that you can read to reinforce the material, expand on it, or help you to hear the material in a different way. An older edition will likely suffice, unless they have done a major revamp (added entire sections) or there are required problem sets that are taken from the book.</p>
<p>Check the library to see if they either have the current edition on reserve or if they have older editions. You can also try to compare an older edition from the library to the current edition at the bookstore to see if there are significant differences. It doesn’t matter how unlikely or likely people think it is that the library will have the book. Just go check.</p>
<p>If you really want to have the book on the first day of class, then you could check out return policies at where you’re planning on buying the books, and see if you can purchase the book and then return it if you don’t ultimately use it. At my school, the bookstore allowed returns until the second week of school. You could see if your school has something similar.</p>
<p>If none of the above solutions turns out for you, and you feel you really need to buy the book, keep in mind that you can sell it back on Amazon at semester’s end, especially since class is not in your major. If it’s a 2015 edition that everyone is charging high prices for, you are likely to recoup much of your money, though Amazon does take a portion. You’d do much better to buy used and then sell, than you would to rent.</p>