7 tips for buying college text books!

We have a lot of questions about how to save money buying college text books. They can be as expensive as tuition sometimes! Here are some of the tips one of our Ambassadors, Virginia Hughes, had for buying books. 

Tip 1:
Buy Books Early! 
The later you wait the more likely you'll have to wait for books to be shipped from the main campus, and you'll have to wait in the monsterous line that happens the days right before classes start. 

Tip 2:
Make Sure You Know What Books You Need!
No sense in buying books and not getting the ones you need. So log on to the bookstore website through your school's website. When you reach the bookstore website you'll find an option to look up what books are required for you classes and teachers. This is helpful because then you don't have to worry about talking to the bookstore people that sometimes don't know about all classes. 

Tip 3:
Look Online!
Price shock will probably come when you realize how much you'll be spending on books from the bookstore. So look online at some websites like Chegg.com or eBay. Sometimes you'll save a couple of dollars to even half the price. So be sure to look into that.

Tip 4:
Think About Older Editions!
Some books can be bought online as last years editions. They will have the same information but just different page numbers and you can save a bundle that way too.

Tip 5:
Facebook Is Your Friend!
There are several Facebook groups through the schools. So make sure to look them up. These groups have special sections on them for buying and selling textbooks. Look on these group pages and also on bulletin boards posted throughout the school! People are always trying to sell their books.

Tip 6:
Be Prepared To Be Required To Buy New Books!
There are some classes that require you have the new books in plastic and sadly there is no way out of this one. Some of the books are the workbooks for labs and of course for classes like A & P. So don't be surprised if you have to buy at least one NEW book. 

Tip 7:
Rember You Can Rent.
Renting books is an option through the school and some websites also. Renting allows you to pay less and not have to worry about the bookstore not buying your books back. So consider this option if you find cash is low. 

-Virginia Hughes, tnAchieves Ambassador