I just wanted to say, if you are careful, you can get new books much cheaper online. In fact even "used books" that I have ordered looked brand spanking new when I got them (with unopened CD's etc.). Also, usually they are delivered within 3-5 days.
I know this isn't exactly headline news. I know there have been posts about online textbook buying before, but I think it bears repeating. It really surprises me how few people actually do it.
Here is what I did:
Got the list of books containing the Name, Authors, Edition, year published and cost
Went to the college bookstore to get the ISBN numbers (no one at the college would give them over the phone -- big surprise)
Went online and searched for the books (you can even do this at AllNurses.com -- go to the top right of the screen and click on "books")
Found the cheapest new or used versions (including any shipping)
Ordered the books
Please, please, please give this a try. I saved a good $250 on my 1st semester nursing books. They were all pristine condition. Admittedly I did order them a month ago, so there was greater choice, but I bet there are still good deals.
I will be checking now to see what books the seconds semester requires and if my college will be changing editions. Then I have time to find screaming deals on them too.
Go forth and get a deal. Use the money you save for some cool gadgets for clinical or whatever.
This is so true! Im glad that our school gave us a list of books with the ISBNs listed! I needed 13 books for this semester and it wouldve cost me at least $900 bucks, but thank God for amazon, half.com, and ebay I only paid like $450 in total! We are in a Recession, gotta save as much as u can!
For me, the trick to saving the most money has been purposely buying old editions. I have been doing this for years (my undergrad and now nursing). For example my nursing peers may spend $600 a semester in the bookstore (brand new), others may purchase new editions (but used) online for $300-350 (shippping included), while I purchase old editions online for $100-150 (shipping included).
I'll admit that there may be changes especially with drug books but the truth is that drugs change all the time and for me it has been worth the rare inconvenience. I have shared my book buying strategy with many and find it quite surprising that some students feel that online purchasing isn't worth it. If you are organized and start early, it's quite rewarding.
I am happy to know that I am not the only one out there who sees the advantages.
If you can't get the ISBN number from the bookstore, you could just ask the teacher for it. All the teachers I know care more about their students getting the books than they do about the bookstore gouging them. You can also ask previous students.
You can also search Amazon with the author name, textbook name and edition, and get the ISBN that way, then use that to shop elsewhere.
Me, I used Amazon. My shipping came to $14 on three books, and I'll be getting them in the middle of next week. I saved around $150 from what the bookstore would have charged me. I really like that you can go read the feedback - it made me feel much more secure in ordering.
our bookstore got wise to this and has roped off the book area. You tell them what class you're taking and their employees select the books for you. I don't know what they'd do if you whipped out a notebook, copied down the ISBNs and handed them back. Could be funny though. :chuckle
A bookstore I worked at did this- it was a shoplifting prevention thing. You absolutely could go, wait in line, get the books, write down the ISBNs and hand the books back. They also didn't give out ISBNs over the phone- because that was too time consuming. We were already dealing with long lines of students in the store, and the priority was to get them through as quickly as possible.
Our school holds back financial aid disbursements until 2-3 weeks after school starts. You get a line of credit at the bookstore to use, so it makes buying books elsewhere prohibitive. Especially if you are unemployed/don't have the cash on hand/credit card to buy them. I certainly can't wait that long to get my books! I'll hold back some as a "book allowance" for next semester though!
What the heck are you supposed to do for books for the first 2-3 weeks of class? If you've got a 12 week semester, you can't spend 1/6 of the entire class doing review!
Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear...they do give you a line of credit to use at the bookstore before classes start. However, they don't release all of your remaining financial aid (after they take out tuition and what you spent at the bookstore) until 2-3 weeks after classes start. In essence, they force you to buy your books at the bookstore unless you buy them out-of-pocket elsewhere. Sorry for the confusion!
I will never buy from the bookstore again. I have saved a ton of money buying from Amazon.com. I am taking my pre-reqs, and I found a psy book online brand new for 60.00 (including the study guide and cds). The same book and study guide was in the book store for 190. I also try to see if the book is in my library, that way I spend 0.00 bucks on the book and keep checking it out until I don't need it anymore.
I started doing this a couple of semesters ago - Now I look online first before I hit the college bookstore. I've actually gotten new books still in the shrink-wrap with unopened CD all for a fraction of the bookstore cost.
My school did the same thing, and I have copied the ISBN numbers for the ten books I needed! They were not happy =) but I explained that if their books were cheaper it would not be an issue for me to spend MY hard earned money! Thankfully they are not spending it, I am so they have no choice in where I purchase my books!
I paid $294 buying the books used/like new on Amazon and the school is selling the package for $489. And to top it off they told us at orientation that you would save about $100 by buying the package of books through the bookstore rather than individually. This is for 3 books mind you.
try renting your books .... that is what i do now -- unless you want to keep the book for some reason, there is no real need to purchase them http://www.chegg.com/rent/
xcitednsgstudent87
10 Posts
This is so true! Im glad that our school gave us a list of books with the ISBNs listed! I needed 13 books for this semester and it wouldve cost me at least $900 bucks, but thank God for amazon, half.com, and ebay I only paid like $450 in total! We are in a Recession, gotta save as much as u can!