Holy !@#! Textbooks Are Expensive

Discussion in 'The Rant Section' started by fearless_fx, Aug 27, 2007.

  1. Morgaine

    Morgaine Well-Known Member

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    Lol, that's part of being a student.

    I buy them used - usually cuts the price down by 20-30%. My friends buy them online (from places like India where they're "fake" copies) and they're like 10% of the university bookstore price.

    Sell them and recover some of your losses.
     
  2. bbes

    bbes Incredible

    thats just pointless though cos wouldn't they be different to the actual textbooks in content and the delivery cost is gonna be quite a bit too, so if u want to return it u gonna lose money.
     
  3. reno

    reno Well-Known Member

    6 stupid textbooks of mine costed me 1000usd =(
    bahhhh >.<
     
  4. turbobenx

    turbobenx .........

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    there's no used one? i remember i bought mostly used ones. 50-60% off....but the books r all fuked up wit wrinkles and ripped covers....but they're readible.
     
  5. Ginkaku

    Ginkaku Member

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    I think textbooks are worth the price though. Just think about it, you usually learn more from the textbook than from the lectures anyway. And the classes are what? $500 each? So what if textbooks are $100-$200? You still get more out of it than in class.
     
  6. reno

    reno Well-Known Member

    nup, no used ones...
    new curriculum/textbooks every year
    ah wells... >.<
    just gotta make sure i pass!
     
  7. Mercurius

    Mercurius Member

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    You could do what I used to do after I got smart during the 2nd semester of freshman year. Get the International editions of the text books. They're just soft covered, less color graphic, nonglossy papered versions of the U.S. version and cost less than half of the price of a U.S. text. (got a Bus Mgt text for $40 new IE vs. my classmate's $150 new USEdition) They're the same page for page, except for some minor exceptions. Lots of people sell them on ebay, and some smaller sites that sell textbooks during the beginning of college semesters. Try to get the required text name from the prof. before semester starts to get the best deals.

    (Hint: google or use whatever your search engine you prefer, the ISBN for the international version to get more hits for the more obscure sites. Just make sure you are clear on the terms and conditons of the website before you buy anything.)
     
  8. wheezo

    wheezo Well-Known Member

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    yea, i learned to order online. it cut prices in half basically. there was a $90 text book that i got used on ebay for $20. the only problem with ordering online, is make sure you don't select shipping method to be media mail. sometimes they come in a week, and sometimes they come in 4 weeks. that happened to me and i had a shitty time doing hw/study.
     
  9. Morgaine

    Morgaine Well-Known Member

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    Actually, no. It's similar to buying fake DVDs or cds. It's pretty well the same thing, but just for way cheaper.

    And when you're paying $20 for a textbook instead of $120, the charge for shipping and customs is incidental.
     
  10. wheezo

    wheezo Well-Known Member

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    if you can get the ISBN number of the book, then you can easily find the exact book online.
     
  11. Reifujin

    Reifujin Active Member

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    The only downside to reading books online is that it hurts your eyes.. or mine at least... or maybe it's because I'm old. Ahaha, but yeah, they do cost an arm and a leg, but I guess you can sell them back at the end of the year for like 50% of your money back.

    [​IMG]

    Ahaha, that's funny, I'm using the same textbook in my BIOL331 class. xD; Damn Karp is boring. =(
     
  12. Chibi12

    Chibi12 Well-Known Member

    Ok from britain here so money will be in pounds £!! I think the uni conned me into buying textbks around £55-£75 per textbk. But thats just for 1 subject. I studied biomedical science so lots of subjects so say times that by 7-8, thats alot and thats only in the 1st yrs. After that, it was cheaper to get it from the library b4 everyone else and photocopy everything i needed!! Obviously i still had to buy more textbooks but i only brought the ones i knew i needed!
     
  13. levitage

    levitage Well-Known Member

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    IT books are also ex...
     
  14. Morgaine

    Morgaine Well-Known Member

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    Try being an engineer. You have to buy textbooks, and then all the guides, manuals and standards on top of that.

    Eh, doesn't matter who you are. Students will always be gouged by textbook costs.
     
  15. THEY ARE EXPENSIVEE! If only the school would supply them...then again... Tuition would go up >>
     
  16. i only buy the most important textbooks..... engineering ones.....
     
  17. h0lyAur0ra

    h0lyAur0ra Member

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    just go fotocopy them lol . . .saves u a fortune
     
  18. kdotc

    kdotc 안녕하세요빅뱅K-Dragon입니다

    niceeeeeeeeeeeee i sodl 3 books for $100 lol
     
  19. rsx

    rsx Well-Known Member

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    I saved a shitload of money on books this semester, nearly buying most if not all my books at ~50% off (give or take) the suggested retail price. I'm glad it's my last year in university, just means I'm gonna be spending less on books.

    But seriously, for those of you that are just starting university, "research" the ISBN/edition/author/price of your books and then buy them online (if the price is considerably cheaper than the retail price) one to two weeks prior to the start of classes because if you decide to buy it DURING the first week of classes, you'll be reluctant to buy it online, as classes have started and you feel that the book won't ship fast enough. You'll save thousands of dollars by the time you graduate.
     
  20. lovinglyxx

    lovinglyxx Well-Known Member

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    i got conned into buying a million of books during my first year - and as a fresher you do as youre told :p... i ended up not even using half of them wtf!!