woah hoss!

guess everyone has textbooks on their mind.

you shoulda seen the lines at the bookstore...they were huge.

i noticed that the price of textbooks has gone way up from what i remember. the science books are pretty much going for about the same prices they always do...right around $100 for most of 'em.

what blows my mind is the flimsy softbound numbers that are retailing for 60-80 bucks. wow. probably won't hold together for much more than a semester either.

with that in mind, i've been ringing up students all day long.

so in case you wondered, how do you get around super high textbook prices? well the bad news is oftentimes you can't if you are doing anything sciency or medical related. that's just a fact of life in those disciplines. textbooks change with the time, and that alone keeps the prices in the stratosphere.
For everyone else, here's a few strategies i used as an undergraduate that worked for me:

1. don't ever buy books for literature classes new...at least not retail. all those little novels on your reading list can be gotten very cheaply at annual library book sales for anywhere between 25-50 cents, or at yard sales if you are intrepid. also try goodwill, or for free you can get them at any library around and just check them out and read them. even if you get a few late fines, you still come out ahead of the game. Depending on the class, this tactic could save you anywhere between $20-50 per class. If you need a norton anthology keep your eyes open, those even turn up used occasionally...If you are an English Lit major, you may desire to have nice copies of books you'll turn to again and again, but the rest of you taking that one required class will benefit enormously.

2. A lot of non-science textbooks are often in the library. If not your library, somebody's...try the interlibrary loan service to bring it home. ILL is a wonderful service that most people don't take proper advantage of. If you are especially studious, you may even find some science textbooks in your college library, but you have to be intrepid to get your hands on them.

3. If you are really poor, try asking your professors to use their extra copies of the text. Publishers will often give them half a dozen free samples...which may well be collecting dust somewhere in their office. If your financial situation would make for a good tearjerker, give it a try. You have to be a trustworthy reliable student to get away with this, though. Plan on having perfect attendance in this situation.

4. Classified ads. Post your "books wanted" flyers around campus and see if anyone who took the same class last semester wants to sell you their books. A compelling factor may be the fact that they won't get more than 30% of their money back if they sell them back to the bookstore. If you sweeten the deal, you might benefit from what otherwise is a bad situation.

5. If you have to buy books at a bookstore, go a few weeks before class starts so you have a fair shot at getting them used. If you wait til classes start, you've probably missed the boat.

Well, that's my two cents. I've noticed that a new trend this year is that almost all the new books published this year are bundled in shrinkwrap with workbooks and cds, and cost way more than those of yesteryear. word to the wise, don't open that bundle of joy until you are sure you're taking the class. you open that shrinkwrap and those hundred dollar beauties are yours for life, they can't be returned for a refund.