As college students, we try to save money wherever possible - on tuition, food costs, gas, clothing, rent - but where and when we buy and resell our textbooks can do the most to our bank accounts.
The best way to get the greatest value from your used books is to sell them back one week before finals in the fall or spring semesters at the University Co-op. But I've always wondered if the Co-op was the best place to save on books overall, so I set out to investigate other places to buy books, like Beat the Bookstore in Dobie Mall, Craigslist and
Amazon, and how they stack up next to the almighty Co-op.
I pooled together books required for five classes commonly taken at the University - organic chemistry, organic chemistry lab, first semester Spanish I, microeconomics and calculus - and compared the prices between the aforementioned book venues (excluding Craigslist, as their textbook availability is subject).
I found that Beat the Bookstore's prices are usually, if not always, lower than the Co-op's - sometimes even after the Co-op's 10-percent rebate program is figured in. Also, Beat the Bookstore offers students more money for their used textbooks than the Co-op does. If you're looking for used textbooks fast and cheap, Beat the Bookstore can be your best bet, but it doesn't always have brand-new books in stock. If you're looking for new books, Amazon's the place to go. More often than not, it's the cheapest of the three for new and used books, but there are drawbacks - you can't see what you're buying ahead of time and you'll have to wait by the mailbox for your purchase to arrive.
The best way to save money when buying books is to know what's out there and shop around. Take time to make a chart and check prices at several different vendors. Even if you're using your parents' credit card, there's no sense in paying more than you need to.
Cleveland is a physics sophomore.
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