10 Textbook Websites That Every College Student Should Know
College textbooks are ridiculously, ludicrously, unreasonably expensive. It hurts, watching all your savings from your summer job go down the drain in your first week of classes. But I come bearing glad tidings: you don’t actually have to pay bookstore prices to get this semester’s textbooks! You can save literally hundreds of dollars by buying or renting used books from any one of these ten student-approved textbook websites.
1. ThriftBooks
Thriftbooks saves old books and resells them to you at a used-book price. I’ve always been very happy with the books I’ve bought from Thriftbooks, in terms of both price and quality. They sell recreational books as well as textbooks.
They save millions of books from being destroyed every year, helping the environment and your wallet. Their real mission, however, is to make reading accessible for all. This is why they sell their books at such affordable prices and ship them anywhere in the United States as well as Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and India.
2. Chegg
Chegg boasts up to 90% savings on textbook purchases and rentals. If you drop or switch a class, you can return your physical books to them within 21 days for no charge. And if you buy or rent one of their textbooks or ebooks, you get four free weeks of Chegg Study. Chegg Study is a study program that provides step-by-step textbook solutions and round-the-clock access to expert advice to help you learn to the best of your ability.
3. SlugBooks
Want to find the cheapest prices on your textbooks this semester? Instead of going to each individual textbook website, you can go to SlugBooks.com, where they compare prices from all the major textbook providers, from Amazon to eCampus. Just type in your school and your class, and they’ll show you the books you need and the prices you can get them for at each provider.
They also provide a platform for your to sell your used textbooks directly to students, or to the highest bidding textbook provider, all to help you make money back on your old books! They also sell super cute plushies of books dressed up like your major!
4. CampusBooks
Founded in 1999, CampusBooks has been providing college students with affordable books for over twenty years. CampusBooks offers up to 90% off on textbook purchases, and you can rent books for even cheaper. Not only can you get your textbooks from CampusBooks, but you can also sell your books to them for cash. They also go above and beyond to save you money by searching local libraries for copies of the books you need so you don’t have to buy or rent them at all!
5. Affordabook
Affordabook is one of college students’ go-to websites for finding the cheap books they need for the semester. Whether you are looking for new, used, or online books, for sale or for rent, Affordabook has what you need. You can search by your major or by ISBN. Affordabook also has your favorite novels and recreational reads, so you don’t have to worry about waiting in the holds queue at your school library to re-read Harry Potter when you’re stressed!
6. BookFinder
Bookfinder has been helping college students save big bucks since 1997. You can find textbooks, used books, new books, rare books, out-of-print books; any kind of books you can imagine, BookFinder has got it. They’ll help you compare prices, including shipping, from over 100,000 providers worldwide so you can find the exact editions you need for this semester’s classes.
7. Textbooks.com
Built by students and readers, Textbook.com is dedicated to helping you get what you need to succeed at the lowest possible price, hassle-free. With over 10 million hand-inspected used books in their warehouse and plenty of eTextbooks, too, Textbooks.com is almost certain to have every item on your book list. If you change your mind about a class, you can return your book to them within 30 days. At the end of the semester, you can sell your books back to them, and they’ll even pay for the return shipping! With free shipping on orders over $25, and certain books labelled with a Guaranteed 50% Cash Back, Textbooks.com really goes above and beyond to help students save money.
8. ValoreBooks
ValoreBooks guarantees the lowest textbook rental prices on the market. In fact, if you find another copy for cheaper within seven days, they’ll refund the difference. If the book you receive has any problems with it, you can return it to them within 30 days for a full refund–including shipping–as well. And when you’re done with your textbooks at the end of the semester, ValoreBooks will buy them back from you. Save up to 90% on your textbook purchases and rentals and rest easy with the assurance of their Extra Mile Guarantee.
9. AbeBooks
From medieval manuscripts to the latest bestsellers, AbeBooks is the place to go for all the books, art, and collectibles your heart desires. In addition to affordable used books and textbooks, they also sell rare books, out-of-print books, first-editions, and signed copies. AbeBooks also sells art and and paper collectibles ranging from vintage comics to dead authors’ letters. Whether you’re looking for old movie scripts or a textbook for your film class, you never know what gems you’ll find at AbeBooks.
10. eCampus
eCampus’s motto–“Textbooks: Easy. Fast. Cheap!”–really says it all. A trusted online textbook provider for over 20 years, eCampus is a great place to rent, buy, or sell textbooks and eTextbooks inexpensively. You can extend your textbook rental at any time, or purchase it if you like to re-read old textbooks like I do. You can return your textbook for any reason within twenty-five days, so you don’t have to worry about showing up empty-handed on the first day, even while you’re still adjusting your schedule. You can sell your books at competitive prices to other students through their online marketplace, and your shipping for sold-back books is always free.
Which websites do you use to save money on college textbooks? Share your favorites in the comments below!
Featured Image Source via Metiza.com.
