Buying used textbooks
Plan
Know ahead of time what classes you are going to take, and what textbooks you need as soon as possible. TextSurf helps you find the best price for your books — whether you want to buy or rent — by searching all book retailers at once.
Buy your textbooks used, online, or from the local bookstore
Your campus bookstore is sometimes the most expensive place to buy your books, but not always. You won't know where you can save the most money until you compare. That's where TextSurf comes in.
If you do buy from your campus bookstore, make sure you purchase early
The used books are usually the first to go. Shipping times from online sources are pretty fast these days — especially from rental websites. All of the rental sites we feature are maniacally focused on customer service - and they know college students need their books quickly. Buying used from an Amazon marketplace is also pretty quick - in most cases you're actually buying from another college student, and they want to get a positive rating so they'll have success in future sales.
Ask your professor if previous editions of the same book are OK
There is often little to no difference between editions - and you can save a lot of money that way.
Check your college library
You may be able to borrow the book — for free!