Textbook Time

可以换车身颜色的汽车? by myuibe.
[Photo by myuibe on Flickr]

With September looming around the corner, I know that a lot of people are about to go back to school. For one more year, I am proud to include myself among them. Still, as an environmentally (and sadly, budget-conscious) girl, I am utterly flummoxed by the wasteful and expensive world of college textbooks. I detest having to shove out tons of money for costly new editions, and I hate the idea of all the older editions being discarded. It's dreadfully wasteful!

Ah, but it doesn't have to be. Here are some of the websites I used this summer in an attempt to avoid the high cost and regretful waste of underutilized college textbooks:

CourseSmart- allows you to buy your textbook as an e-textbook. It costs less (I saved $143 on one book), doesn't involve printing an enormous book on virgin paper, and is SUPER convenient. They even have a free iPhone app that allows you to read your textbook on the go. Fun fun!

Chegg - allows you to rent your book- either for a quarter or a semester. This is a great alternative to buying a book used and then being stuck with it when nobody wants to buy an older edition.

Campusbooks - allows you to compare prices of textbooks from various sites. For each book, it'll give you a summary of the lowest prices (for international, used, new, and rentals) and also list various other price offerings. How AWESOME is it to have a site that does the comparison shopping FOR you? VERY awesome, thankyouverymuch.

If you're not a student, thank your lucky stars you can read what you choose, and pass these sites on to someone who might benefit. If you are a student, happy hunting! It's nice to have so many options these days, no?

P.S. If you know of an awesome textbook site (for used books, e-books, or rentals) that I didn't mention, leave a link for it in the comments!

2 comments:

  1. This was such a smart idea for a blog post! So practical, who wants to pay for full priced textbooks? I'll be sure to use these websites when purchasing mine this year.
    Thanks!
    Amanda
    voyagetoutlemonde.blogspot.com

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