[ot] College textbooks online?

[Heretic Apostate]

My local community college is using the thumbscrews on me, forcing me to take a bunch of b/s classes to complete my degree. In spite of the fact that I've taken four English classes (including one upper division one!), they're making me take yet another class. In addition, they want me to challenge (and pay the tuition for) three other classes, just to show that I know how to use a calculator, know how to type, and know how to use a computer. Blech.

Anyway, after the sticker shock I got from looking for my textbooks in the bookstore, I'm hoping someone can help me find the books for a HECK of a lot cheaper. (For point of reference, I paid less for my calculus book, which I could use for two semesters, than they're charging for this book. It's not even a third of the size of my calculus book! Of course, I did take calculus about 15 years ago, but still...)

Amazon isn't being much help, so I'm hoping other people know where to find books online.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Okay, so far, I've found the following:

Textbook: Business English at Work, ISBN 007830566X (January 2003 edition, with CD-ROM)

Barnes & Noble: Special Order, at $92.00 (same as bookstore, but if no S&H and no tax, that'll still save me $8.00)

Amazon.com: Used at $81.88, New at $84.64 from high rating seller (plus $3.49 S&H for using the marketplace, probably no tax)

eBay: they've never heard of it.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Used $69

 

[Avatar_V]

I buy a lot of my textbooks at www.addall.com They have the best prices I've found anywhere. They basically just search a few dozen other sites and tell you which one is best. Sometimes though you get a discount for going through them.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Used $69

Unfortunately, the $69 one is for the January 1999 edition, whereas my college requires the January 2003 edition.

The AddALL page seems good. It found one for $85.18 (including media mail S&H) from TextBooksx...

Might as well buy from Amazon, though, because a good-quality used one is slightly cheaper... (I'm just going to sell it to the bookstore when the semester is over, so what the heck...)

 

[orbitalfreak]

...and once again I'm thankful that my university has a rental system. ~$100 max to rent a semester's worth of texts.

Tell your wallet "good luck" and hope to find a deal!

 

[DerianCypher]

check out this web site: http://pdxbooks.com/

I've hunted for books there and a lot of them I found for way cheaper than our bookstore sells them for.

DC

 

[alsih2o]

the wife unit uses half.com and has been paying 1/4 to 1/10th cover

good luck

 

[Heretic Apostate]

the wife unit uses half.com and has been paying 1/4 to 1/10th cover

I think that's why colleges change their required textbooks every year or so, so that there's not a bunch of used books floating around.

I checked, and the January 2003 edition is the one that matches the ISBN. Dang it... Can't find it for a good discount, best I found was $7 off plus no tax (for a total of about $15 saved, a 15% discount overall).

It's stupid things like this that keep me from taking classes for fun at the college. That and the fact that they pace the class for the slowest student. Argh, I'm SO sick of being held back! (And the sad part is, I'm incapable of taking self-paced classes... I need the competition. I just wish the competition was a little more on my level...)

 

[starwolf]

I think that's why colleges change their required textbooks every year or so, so that there's not a bunch of used books floating around.

Please, please realize that it is not the the college, or the bookstore that makes the decision to change the book every year or two. The majority of the time the change of editions is forced upon the bookstore by the PUBLISHER of said textbook.

(like WOTC and 3.5)

Believe it or not, any college textbook manager worth a flying flip would much prefer to sell a used book.

Just to show you the math.

That NEW $92 dollar textbook costs the store $69 dollars NEW from the publisher, for a gross profit of $23 dollars, out of which we have to pay shipping and handling (yes bookstores have to pay shipping on textbooks).

So NEW:
Publisher = $69
Bookstore=$23

Where that same textbook USED would cost $46 dollars(purchased from students at buyback, or from a national used book wholesaler) and sell for $69 dollars USED, note that the store makes the same $23 dollars, but saves you $23 dollars.

So Used:
Publisher = $0
Student or National wholesaler =$46
Bookstore= $23


So you can see why the publishers are the ones who are really pushing for edition changes as fast as possible.