Monday, January 23, 2012

How to Find Affordable College Textbooks


The usually steep prices of college textbooks make most students and their parents stressed out every start of semesters. Today, an average textbook is priced at about $100 with specialty and more technical references commanding several hundreds of dollars as tag prices. However, the 'sticker shock' is something that may seem inevitable but in reality can be avoided.
Most college students are in tight budgets. That is because they may be relaying on the financial support of their parents or they may be working part-time to support their studies. It is advisable that they find and buy more affordable college textbooks. How are those references found? There's plenty that we can think of.
Book rentals
Many colleges and universities offer book rentals to their students. Renting out references usually lowers textbook costs by up to 60% compared to buying new books. Thus, book rentals are without a doubt one of the most cost effective options for affordable college textbooks.
College or university bookstores and libraries usually run book rental programs to offer a form of assistance to needy students. There are off-campus bookstores that also offer similar service to college students. Borrowers of book rentals only need to take care of the books and to return the references on specified dates to be able to get back their deposits by the end of the semester.
Used bookstores
Another great way to find and buy affordable college textbooks is through checking out available titles from used bookstores. Second-hand books are popular among students with limited budgets because the price tags are usually more than half of the original prices lower. The idea of owning the textbook is also more appealing to many.
Second-hand booksellers abound across the Internet. Many Websites offer great deals and discounts on used textbooks. Finding and buying such references online is effective because of the convenience it brings. A student can find and compare prices to be able to determine the most affordable college textbooks available. Shipping costs are also often waived so that no additional charge is incurred by students.
There is also an option to resell the used textbooks once the semester is over. It can be a source of money to students. Some also prefer the idea of owning books and not having to return those on specified dates. The used college textbooks can be kept for some time to serve as complementary reference to specific courses.

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