Textbooks

Patrick's post about Amazon Prime reminded me that I need to do textbook shopping in the near future. As a law student, textbooks are a huge expense every semester, and not always a predictable one. One semester I may only spend $100-$200 on textbooks, and the next semester the bill might be over $500, depending on what books my instructors pick. For those of you who, like me, cringe when you reach for your wallet to buy textbooks, here are a few tips to saving money:

1) Buy used when you can. The difference in price between a used textbook and a new one is enormous. As an example, the Bankruptcy casebook I am using this semester sells for a whopping $194 new at the William & Mary Bookstore. The used price is $145. Still a chunk of change, but by buying used you can save almost $50. The common objection to buying used books goes something like this: "I have my own system for highlighting/making notes in the margins that I have to give up if I buy a used book with someone else's highlighting in it." That's a fair point. I had my own highlighting system that I used during 1L year, and kind of grew attached to. In the end, though, I didn't feel like it was worth it to pay $50 or more per class for the privilege of using my highlighting system. I dropped my system, and have never looked back. My grades haven't suffered because of it.

2) Shop around. Remember the $194 price tag on that Bankruptcy book? The same book sells new on Amazon for $141. The used price on Amazon? $64. That's a savings of $130 over the new price at the college bookstore. Other websites with good deals on textbooks: Barnes and Noble, Half.com, and Textbooks.com. One trick I've learned is to get the ISBN number for the book, so that I can be sure I'm getting the right edition off the website. Online books aren't always cheaper than the bookstore, but it's worth looking for them.

3) Sell back. Let's be honest: you're not going to use that 1L Constitutional Law Textbook again. Ever. Sell it. The bookstore won't buy it back? No problem--there are a couple of ways you can sell your textbooks online. Amazon will pay $22 for my business associations book. Barnes and Noble is offering $51.50 to take it off my hands. Those are the two online buyback programs I have used, although there are others. Both have you put in the ISBN, and then generate a price for the book. You can then print out a shipping label, put it on an envelope or box with the book(s), and send it away (the shipping label allows you to ship for free). Amazon will put a credit on your Amazon account, which can be used to buy books for the next semester. Barnes and Noble mails you a check. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to the prices these websites offer for books. Some books will fetch a really good price, and others hardly anything. Some you won't be able to sell back at all. It only takes a minute to find out how much you can get.

4) Make sure you really need the textbook. I bought an expensive Real Estate Transactions book once, only to get to class and find out that the professor wouldn't actually be assigning any readings from it, and only put it on the list because the administration made him list a textbook. When in doubt, email the professor.