Back to uni on a budget: Textbook edition

Repeat after me: I will not buy textbooks full price from the uni book store. 

Please, for the sake of all the broke university students out there, don't do it! Here are some of the strategies I've learnt over the years to make sure I save as much as I can on this twice-a-year ordeal:

1. Find out how necessary it is to own the book.
Some courses rely heavily on the textbook for weekly readings and homework questions. For other classes (biological sciences is a huge culprit), the prescribed textbooks are really just recommendations because the lecture material is more than enough. If your lecturers don't indicate which is the case, ask them directly. Also, if you don't quite understand some of the material (or just want to learn more), don't forget about the campus library! There are usually a couple of copies of the book available there.

2. Go second-hand 
I personally haven't bought textbooks second-hand but I have sold some of my old books on Textbook Exchange. You can get pretty great deals from students who are desperate to get rid of their books. Don't be afraid to haggle a little. Even better if you can find a seller who agrees to drop off the book in person (no shipping costs!) Just take care that the edition you're buying is the correct one. Another thing to do is find out if there's a second-hand book shop on your campus. The uni I attended had a system where students could fill out a form to advertise their used textbooks around campus. The store may also sell books itself after buying them back from students.

Renting textbooks isn't a huge trend yet, but it's worth checking out if you don't want to deal with the hassle of selling your textbooks when you no longer need them.

3. Jump onto a price comparison website.
If you've searched everywhere for second-hand books and been unsuccessful (or if used books give you the creeps), try to compare prices for new books online. I've found booko to be a great source for comparing prices on Australian-friendly websites. After checking there, I've saved myself up to 25% off the RRP on a Biochemistry textbook!

4. When online, look for international edition textbooks.
For those of you that don't know, publishers often print two versions of textbooks: US editions and international editions. International edition textbooks are usually cheaper than US editions and the differences between them are purely aesthetic, and relatively minor. The most important thing is that the information within them is identical. What's not to like?


Hope these tips were helpful! I haven't made up my mind on the topic for the third (and possibly last) part of this series yet, so any suggestions on what you would like to see next would be much appreciated. :)