Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 1/16/08 Section: Mixed Plate

Media Credit: Metro Creative Graphics

Did you know that the average college student spends almost $1,000 per year on textbooks? If so, then I suspect you've already found a way to circumvent the prices offered by most academic publishers. In that case, you should skip to the next article. Don't worry, I won't be offended.

If you're like most students, however, you're probably suffering sticker shock at the moment, having just calculated the cost of your required reading material for the upcoming semester. Before you descend into a full-blown panic attack, consider the following suggestions for fighting textbook inflation.

Buy online: The Internet has become a valuable tool for smart shopping on scores of items, including textbooks. New books are often offered at a discounted price, and many sites offer free shipping and handling for large orders.

Furthermore, leading American publishers sell their books overseas for as little as half the price found in the United States. Try visiting http://www.amazon.co.uk/ or http://www.campusbooks.com/ for nearly unbeatable prices on new books, or http://www.half.com/ if you're willing to accept some dog-eared pages and highlighting.

Buy used: Shiny new objects cost more, whether they're computers, cars, cell phones or textbooks. Thus, many students forego the luster of a new textbook in favor of a well-worn, but perfectly readable used book. Unfortunately, there are only so many used books to go around, and they're often sold out within the first few days (or even hours) of the new semester.

One solution is to search campus bulletin boards for postings that advertise the books that you need. Also, take the time to search the shelves of off-campus bookstores that specialize in used books, such as Rainbow Books or Revolution Books, where you can sometimes purchase slightly used texts for the wallet-busting price of 50 cents.

Buy temporarily: One of he emerging fads in combating textbook inflation involves making friends with the photocopier. In this scenario, a student takes advantage of the campus bookstore's one-week refund policy by purchasing all of their books at full price, photocopying the necessary material covered in their syllabi, then returning the books to the bookstore for a full refund.

If you're technologically savvy enough to take advantage of this loophole, then the only cost that you'll incur will be the price of making copies. Unless you know someone with access to a photocopying machine, that is, in which case you can acquire all of your reading material for free.

Borrow: Believe it or not, most academic libraries carry copies of textbooks that can be checked out for a brief period of time. Like any other library book, these texts can usually be renewed.

If you're struggling to make ends meet, which most college students are, consider borrowing your most expensive texts from a library, at least until your financial situation improves. While you may only be able to find an older edition, it's not likely to be outdated, and you can always make sure that you're up to date by meeting with your professors outside of class.

Once you've acquired your books, don't forget to open them every once in a while. After all, a cheap book can gather dust just as well as a new book. Despite what you may have been told by your peers, textbooks weren't designed to serve as beer coasters. Then again, a nice cold beer might make the pain of buying books a much easier burden to bear.

Online Textbooks:
www.Half.com/Textbooks
Amazon.com/Textbooks
http://www.ecampus.com
http://www.bookswap.com/bookswap/index.cfm?
http://www.classbook.com/
booksoncampus.com
Facebook Textbook Exchange
Local used bookstores
Kailua Friends of the Library
Kaneohe Friends of the Library

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