Where do you buy textbooks?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Parents
1

I am trying to buy textbooks for the upcoming year. Any suggestions about where to buy them? I prefer to avoid Amazon and to keep costs low.

2

My son rents most of his. He’s an engineering student and he spends less than I spent 30 years ago.

3

I remember spending hundreds of books in college. Do you know where he rents them? My daughter’s school said to get them from a vendor of our choice, so I’m looking for suggestions.

4

i’d have to ask him - i’m assuming from the school bookstore…they’re all electronic, etc. will ask him tho.

i had books that were over $100 - and i’d buy used when i could.

5

My daughter has rented from her school bookstore (they usually have new and used rentals). We have also bought a couple from Slug Books but unfortunately, the cheapest option is almost always Amazon. She has one book for this fall that was a new edition with an electronic access code for tests/quizzes so only available new and it was $38 LESS at Amazon, just for that one book. I get not wanting to spend money there but her books this semester were $129 vs $420…

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6

curious - why avoid amazon?

yes, they run the world…but there’s a reason…they provide value and service.

7

If not Amazon, check out Chegg. Check with the prof first; they may be required to list a book, but may not actually use it.

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8

There are a lot of reasons I aim to avoid Amazon, but the primary ones are that it doesn’t pay its share of taxes, treats its workers poorly, and undermines smaller businesses.

This article is a more in-depth look at Amazon’s business practices: https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/515/unfair-advantage

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9

Based on posting history and where she placed the thread, I’m assuming OP’s kid is a HS student, and that the HS is a boarding school.

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10

Totally missed the prep category. Guess no need to check with the prof :joy:

11

While this might be an option at larger prep schools, or for core courses at smaller prep schools, it is not always an option.

I would not count on the school store for books.

@SmallTownParent , I have found a wait-and-see approach to be useful. Some of the classes use online resources (we found that was the case for math and foreign language last year, for example).

We had good luck with used textbooks at biblio.com last year.

At least gone are the days of searching through bookstores in Cambridge…

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12

Yup, a HS boarding school that doesn’t sell books on campus.

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13

ohhhhh - my bad - i thought we were talking college.

14

The Boston area still has independent book stores… More Than Words has an optimistic mission statement.

Sometimes acting ethically costs more…

15

You might try to check with the school if the town has a local book store that handles rentals/second hands. Most students will not need the book after a semester or two -and then it could be sold second hand to the next generation.

Even more frustrating can be how little actual use some instructors make of their books.

Finally, some schools have started to make a conscious effort to choose resources that can be rented online, to better accommodate all income levels.

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16

Thanks for the recommendation. I just checked out their website and they look like a great organization. I will try to get as many books from them that I can.

17

Directing this question back to the Prep school forum :nerd_face:

At our kiddo’s school, the books (except for summer reading) have been waiting for the students in their classrooms at the start of the term. So, at our school you do not buy text books (except summer reading books).

  • Some class materials, books, programs are by online subscription and not a physical book. This subscription is provided to your student.

  • Also, every student at our school gets a computer when they enter. For Geometry, the students get an iPad also.

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18

That’s a large endowment thing.

Schools with smaller endowments don’t necessarily do this. The school in question is such a school. (However, students on FA can request a loaner laptop.)

That said, I noticed that many of my child’s classes opted for something other than traditional textbooks.

19

I noticed that too, and it is very appreciated! For the whole year I just need to buy one text book and one paperback.

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20

We get kiddo1’s from ecampus.com but it’s set up through her school. I assume anyone can shop with them though.