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Where can I get cheap or free textbooks?

College is expensive and textbooks are even more so. So I would love to know if there's a way to cut the costs. #money-management #save-money #college

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Nathan’s Answer

Hi Madison,

The first question I thought to myself when I saw the price of the book needed for a class was "why is this so expensive?". A professor offered a suggestion - to look for older versions of the same book with the same author. This same professor said "you can buy the book for this class from the bookstore for a bagillion dollars or you can get an older version of the book for my class for dirt cheap." The version recommended for the class on the syllabus might have been $100 or so, an older version of the same book could be found on Amazon used for $5 (a couple highlights/pages bookmarked/etc). When I was done with the class and knew I wasn't going to reference the book in the future, I would re-sell the same used book on Amazon that I bought for the class, not making much if anything in return, but knowing I saved $95 not buying the book new. I hope this has helped.
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Paul’s Answer

I always rented my books from Amazon because this is the best option for books that you don't plan on using ever again. For example, courses that are required for your degree but not your major. You have to have an Amazon Prime account which I believe is $99 a year but it's worth it since renting is even cheaper than buying used.


If that's not feasible then the next best thing is to buy all of your text books used, if possible. You can either buy them from the bookstore or off the internet (Chegg or Amazon are popular).

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Lindsey’s Answer

You can find cheap textbooks online via websites like https://www.hpb.com/textbooks and Chegg (https://www.chegg.com/cheap-textbooks). If you can't find cheap textbooks online and have to resort to visiting your school bookstore then always buy used! Another good idea is to ask your peers if they have the books you need! If they've already taken the class and don't plan on returning the book then they wouldn't hesitate to loan it out. No peers who have the books you need? Seek out older students who have taken the course.

The best thing you can do, since so much of getting text books for cheap or even free depends on the university you attend and the classes you're taking, is to ask around. Ask students where they buy their books for cheap! A couple other ideas worth considering:
-Ask each professor if they have any recommendations about where to buy the required reading materials
-Seek out some financial support from the school
-Seek out scholarships specifically for college textbooks!

I hope this helps. If you have any follow on questions please don't hesitate to let me know in a comment:)
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