As a college professor I am sometimes shocked by how much money my students have to put out in order to get their textbooks; and that is before all the “recommended” reading. I try to make known the textbooks that will be used in class as early as possible so that my students may shop online (much to the displeasure of the campus bookstore).
So, here are five tips I make for keeping textbook prices low:
1. Try to start doing your textbook shopping as early as possible so you can comparison shop.
2. Buy used textbooks whenever possible.
3. Consider e-textbooks. The availability of digital downloads is growing rapidly.
4. If you can talk with your professor ahead of time, ask him/her how extensively the textbooks will be use and share textbooks with a classmate when it makes sense to do so.
5. See if the book is available in the library. If you can check it out in the library before school starts and read it ahead of time, you may not actually need to purchase the book.
Do you have other suggestions how to keep textbook prices low?
