<p>I've heard that you don't buy books until you get the class syllabus and the professor tells you what books you need.
But for one class, the professor posted what book I need.
Should I get that book already or should I just wait.
And should I buy my books at the school store or order them from amazon?</p>
<p>I usually wait a week or so, but that’s just me.</p>
<p>I usually buy all my books before class (my bookstore posts them beforehand and because I have to use my financial aid the first week of class to buy books). That way I can browse the material and look at what to expect and I still get to use my financial aid to buy books. You can wait until you get the syllabus but all the used books are usually gone by then and you end up paying full price, plus expedited shipping sucks. I try to buy from amazon whenever I can. I also use Chegg to rent (if i’m not using the book again) and Half.com to check pricing. </p>
<p>My bookstore has a flexible return policy for the first week of school so if I don’t need a book, I just return it using the receipt. Be careful though and read return policies because most stores have strict policies on shrink wrapped packages, online access codes, etc.</p>
<p>Oh and all students can sign up for a free trial of amazon prime using your school email (its free for a year and you get FREE 2 day shipping, its pretty amazing).</p>
<p>I wait till after the first week. Some teachers tell you on the first day that you won’t need the book for the class.</p>
<p>I buy my books a couple of weeks after the (previous) semester ends. Everyone is selling after classes are over and prices are cheaper. I did a “study” on one of my books off Amazon Marketplace. In June it was $50 used. Now it’s $70 used. (Lowest seller price)</p>
<p>Just email your profs and you don’t need to wait for the syllabus. IMO you can usually recover 90%+ of your expense anyways if you end up not needing the book just because of the fact books go for more at the start of semesters.</p>
<p>I buy my books as soon as I find out which ones I need. This last time, I bought on Amazon, so I kinda had to. Besides, I like looking through them and getting a good idea of what the semester is going to be like.</p>
<p>For me the earlier the better…that way all the places that have the books I need for cheap aren’t sold out.</p>