Back-to-school season is upon us, and that means it is time to purchase a whole slew of required course materials. Textbooks can be pricey. And when you’re a college student who’s low on funds, it can be difficult when some textbooks cost up to hundreds of dollars. Here are some websites and apps that you can utilize when trying to buy your reading materials at prices that won’t break the bank.
Pango Books
Imagine an app like Depop and Ebay, but exclusively for books. That’s exactly the market niche that Pango Books aims to fill. Not only can you find used books and textbooks on the app at varied prices, but you can also sell your own materials once you’re no longer using them. Outside of school readings, it’s a great app for every reader to join that can help you both save and make money.
Social Media
While not technically a site for buying books, social media platforms can be great tools to harness when going on the hunt to find used copies of required reading materials at decent prices. Many professors reuse their course materials year after year. So, if you can, do yourself a favor and use social media to find peers who have previously taken the class, as they’re often willing to resell their textbooks. Some may even post about having them at the end of the semester. If you’re lucky, you’ll find someone aiming to give them away for free!
Amazon
One of the most popular sites for buying class textbooks, Amazon is a wonderful source, compiling a list of various price points for a variety of works you may need. They offer new books, used books, and even sometimes textbook rentals. It’s one of the easiest sites to use to buy textbooks, though you may be able to find them for cheaper somewhere else. If you can, try to stick to the textbooks you absolutely need when ordering readings from the site.
Thriftbooks
Like Pango Books, Thriftbooks is an online website and marketplace where you can buy and sell used books. This site may be useful for tracking down hard-to-find books, with the website touting their selections of out-of-print texts. If you’re lucky enough to find the materials you need, you can be sure you’ll be getting them at an extremely affordable price.
Slugbooks
While not a marketplace itself for purchasing textbooks, Slugbooks can be a great source to use when trying to compare prices across a variety of online sellers. And it’s incredibly easy to use. Simply input the ISBN of the book you need, and the Slugbooks algorithm will scour the internet in order to locate sites both selling and renting it. It pulls prices from sites like Amazon, eCampus, and AbeBooks, and can help you find the best deal out there by doing all of the research for you.
Chegg
Chegg is an incredible academic resource for students. It’s a site where you can both buy and rent textbooks and find additional study resources that are uniquely paired with certain texts. They also offer eBooks as a more affordable option. You’re sure to find some incredible deals on Chegg, with some materials up to 90% off their list price. Chegg has over 750,000 books on their site, so they’re likely to have exactly what you need.
Local Used Bookstore
While they may not have much to offer textbook wise, your local used bookstore can be a hidden gem you can use to search for traditional books on your reading lists at great prices, especially if you check those shops near a university. You’re likely to find a great stock of books donated by professors and students in the community. Not only are you saving money, but you’re also helping to support a local establishment.
College is expensive. In addition to tuition and housing, the prices of required reading materials can really add up — especially when you’re taking on a huge course load. When you’re able to find books you need at affordable prices, it can help alleviate some of that financial stress. Here’s hoping all of you college students heading back to class find your affordable books. Best of luck in the new school year!
For a Bookstr required reading list, click here!
To discover more Back-to-school recommendations for all ages, click here!
