Textbooks are notoriously expensive, with the average cost ranging from $655-$1,168 per year. As expensive as they are, prices seem to keep going up every quarter. What’s a poor college student to do?
Even if you only end up using the book once all quarter, textbooks are still required in every class. Beyond dropping out of school to protest capitalism, there’s only one thing you can do to avoid paying so much for textbooks: try these tips to save some money.
- Buy used. You can sometimes find the same book for half the price if you’re willing to deal with some light wear-and-tear. Think of it as using the textbooks you checked out from the library in high school, only sans the juvenile genitilia drawings on every page.
- Rent. Are you one of those people who takes notes in your notebook or doesn’t believe in highlighters? Save yourself the trouble of actually buying the book and just rent it. Pro: it’s a lot less expensive than buying, and the Seattle University Bookstore actually has a pretty decent system. Con: if you realize the magic that is highlighting, you have to refrain from doing so until next quarter.
- Search 3rd party sellers. Amazon, SlugBooks, and even just searching Google are all excellent options. Whichever site you use, remember to search by the ISBN instead of the title. You don’t want to end up having to find your own reading pages because your book doesn’t match the professor’s.
- Peruse used book stores. There are so many used book stores on Capitol Hill it’s almost ridiculous. Try Twice Sold Tales on Harvard Ave. or Horizon Books on 10th. Twice Sold Tales has crazy low prices, but Horizon Books is more likely to carry what you need.
*Bonus*
5. Sell your books at the end of the semester. Sometimes the bookstore won’t buy back your books for whatever reason (condition, overstock issues, etc.) but it’s certainly worth trying. As frustrating as it is when you have to walk out of the bookstore with your arms still full, it’s such a gratifying feeling to walk out with $20 in your pocket. You won’t make back everything you spent on books, but something is always better than nothing.
Good luck and happy shopping!