My Secret to Buying Cheap Textbooks

Just Between You and Me Ok

My Secret

I buy more textbooks than I need. Yeah. On the Super Cheap

The Plan

First of all, you gotta have a plan for your entire school career. It doesn't have to be set in stone. This is just a working list of the courses you will be taking over the next four years. You can add or delete classes as you go along. Be flexible. Take chances. It doesn't matter. Check the syllabus for the ISBN numbers of the books needed for all of your planned courses. No ISBN? A quick email to the professor is all it takes.

Secondly, scour the net for super cheap bargains. They are out there. At the end of semesters and quarters you will see an influx of textbooks onto the net.

Some owners just want to get rid of their textbooks and sell low for fast cash. These are the people you are looking for. Check ABE, Amazon, Yahoo classifieds, school newspapers, bulletin boards and Craigs List.

Thirdly, like I said in the title. Buy more than you need. If you come across a super bargain - snap it up. Cuz, in case you haven't figured out the next step...

You will sell your overflow of textbooks just before the beginning of the quarter or semester when students (all the sheep who haven't planned ahead like you!) are desperately climbing over themselves to get the textbooks they need.

Keep your ISBN's in a spreadsheet, so you can keep track of average, low and high price. This is a simple arbitrage on textbooks.

This takes a few hours a week, make no mistake, it is work. But by following this simple method - you can not only save a ton o' cash - you can actually make money.

It's like your textbooks are comp. Not only that, you get to peruse textbooks of classes on your planned list. I have dropped classes from my plan after checking out the scary textbook!

Partner up with a friend and pass out business cards. Charge a finders fee for getting other student's books for them super cheap. Buy their books back. Work your own hours. It's a job, all of a sudden.