Ideal Bite

Please can you alert your readers to this website, in the US: www.betterworldbooks.com They sell new and used books online, save used library books from being dumped into landfill and their profits go towards literacy projects worldwide. They also offer a 'carbon-free' shipping option, at a tiny extra cost. I think you can also donate your used books to them, if you wish. Looks fabulous to me! What better way to buy books?

Our daughter is in her 3rd year at the local community college & we've been seeing too many teachers requiring new textbooks because there's a "code" that comes w/the new ones. The teachers supposedly have access to this code & if they would make that known to more students then they wouldn't have to keep buying new. Also, another thing we've noticed is that they keep changing the edition that they use (the "new" edition isn't really changed that much - sometimes something as simple as they inserted an extra page or something silly like that). If they would keep w/the old edition then, again, more students could buy used.

Don't forget the most inexpensive option of all: the library! My husband is a graduate student and is able to find 80% of his textbooks at the university's library. Graduate students (at his school) can check books out for eight weeks at a time, and renew online, so he can get through most semesters at no extra cost!

I believe new texts come out every 3 years and with certain subjects, not much new information is added (others;yes). You have the choice: buy an old edition! Instead of a $100 ecology book, I got mine for ten bucks. I also bought a statistics book that goes for cheap because it was printed for Malaysia and countries like that (printed on front), but it was the SAME content. Saved 90 bucks there. If in question, email the professor and ask if they are familiar with any drastic changes from an old addition. Otherwise, just buy used because it's mostly the same material and wouldn't you rather err on the side of $10? I wish I had done it every year considering I still maintained A's.

Oh and I always used a site called Campusi, but it has changed to http://www.dealoz.com. This actually compares prices of the same book across all the major sellers and lists the cheapest first. It's the only way to go.

Don't forget http://www.betterworldbooks.com/ which funds Global Literacy Programs around the world and there is an option when buying to offset the carbon footprint created during shipping!

I have always, as a college student and now as a grad student, opted for used textbooks. everyone I know did, except the few (I think maybe three of the people I have known through college and high school) who felt that a new book, unadulterated, crisp pages, would somehow be beneficial. The biggest problem comes when they just aren't available. I am not sure how useful this tip is. And, unless you are a lit student, I don't see how you can use a library for textbooks. The only book our library had was an answer book that you had to use in the library.

Another great site is http://www.bigwords.com/ Their search engine will search multiple sites and automatically give you prices for new and used books being sold on those sites.

You should always ask your professor how important it is to have the newest edition. Sometimes you'll be using the book a lot in class and your page numbers need to match up with the other students, and sometimes it is just reading outside of class. If you can't avoid buying a new edition, make a reliable friend in the class and share your expensive textbook. Arrange the times you have "custody" of the book and how the handoffs will work, and study together before any tests. At the end of the semester, sell it and split the money (which you'll probably get more of if you leave it in good condition and sell it yourself, online or to another student on campus, rather than selling it back to the bookstore). You'll have a study buddy, use up one less book and save a bunch of money!

Ideal Bite didn't mention the best bit about Chegg: they plant a tree for every book you rent! I just got my 5 books last week and feel great knowing that they're going to put 5 trees in the ground. They've always had everything I need and if they don't have it, they'll get it. Great customer service and such a great option.