Are you buying textbooks for college and wondering whether to buy your copy in print? In today’s digital age, sixty-six percent of college students use an electronic textbook at least once during their education. Although there are pros and cons of buying e-textbooks, there are many times when buying a print copy make good sense, specially when you find cheap college books.
This is an easier decision if you can find the printed version at an affordable price!
Read on to learn when to get cheap college textbooks in print and when to get eTextbooks!
Finding Cheap Textbooks
Buying a textbook in print is a great decision when you can find an affordable copy online.
The average college student spends more than $655 each year on textbooks. One of the ways that authors are seeking to leverage the popularity of eTextbooks is to release their books in a digital format only.
Oftentimes, when a college student buys an eTextbook, they pay for an access code that is able to be used only one time. The reality is that these online access codes can’t be resold which eliminates a student’s ability to buy a used copy online.
When you spend time looking at a reputable website for used textbooks, you can find the best prices on print copies. These savings will keep more money in your pocket for paying other living expenses like food and rent.
The Need to Highlight and Take Notes
A print copy of a textbook gives you the ability to take notes and highlight on the text in a way that you can’t with an eTextbook.
Although you can type notes on a program like Microsoft Word with an eTextbook, this often isn’t as effective as being able to write on a physical copy. A printed textbook allows you to mark-up the text in the ways that are most helpful for you to learn the information.
One thing to keep in mind with highlighting and note-taking is that this may limit the amount of money you will be able to re-sell your book for later.
Minimal Changes From Version to Version
An important part of the college textbook industry is that there are new versions released often.
In fact, there are some authors and publishers that release multiple versions in a small window of time. Although it may be appealing to have the most recent version, it’s worth considering what’s changed and what’s stayed the same in the new edition.
Often times, these new versions have minimal changes from version to version, which means there’s limited value in buying that shiny new copy.
You can save hundreds of dollars each semester by finding old versions that contain virtually the same information as its successor versions.
The Re-Sale Value of Print Copies
A printed textbook can be a better buy than eTextbook when there is a market for that used copy.
E-commerce represents more than $3.5 trillion in sales each year! The increase in the popularity of e-commerce makes selling your used textbook on the internet easier than ever before.
An eTextbook’s digital access code allows you to use it once, which means there’s nothing for you to re-sell later.
For illustrative purposes, let’s take the example of buying five eTextbooks at $150 each. This is a total cost to you of $750. However, if you bought five used print textbooks at $75 each, and were able to resell them for $25 later, your total cost is only $250. That’s a savings of $500 for your textbooks!
Although the prices of used textbooks and re-sale values vary based on demand, there’s no denying that buying used textbooks at affordable prices is a wise decision.
Renting Print Textbooks
Another great way to save money on printed textbooks instead of buying eTextbooks is by making the decision to rent copies.
You can rent textbooks and save up to 70% off the cost of buying one!
Renting a textbook is a lot like renting a car, except much cheaper of course. Once you find the book you want, you will be charged a deposit for using the book. At the end of your rental (often, your semester), you must mail the book back to the retailer.
After the retailer looks over the copy that you’ve been using, they will either charge you for damage to the book or refund your full deposit.
Although you never take an ownership interest in a textbook, rentals allow you the ability to make use of a book when you need it and have no obligation to own it afterwards.
This is a great way to get what you need and forego keeping extra items laying around your dorm room or home after the semester.
Wrapping Up: Buy Cheap College Books Today
You can find cheap college books to buy online for your courses.
Although it may be appealing to go down to your campus bookstore, the reality is that you can find many of those books for sale at a cheaper price somewhere else.
At CheapestTextbooks.com, we are your internet source for the best selection of discounted textbooks. Back in 2001, our founder Chris Manns was a student trying to find affordable textbooks while enrolled at Old Dominion University.
Through his search, he came up with the idea for CheapestTextbooks.com. For almost 20 years, our site has been the go-to source for college students looking to buy books that won’t break the bank.
Check out our online database for books from 1,000’s of sellers at prices up to 95% off!