Buying USED TEXTBOOKS Online Buying Guide**

How do you decide whether to buy a used textbook, an older edition, or a brand new one? Your decision can have important impact on your grades and your pocketbook!There are many options for buying textbooks- new from the school bookstore or mail through new book sellers; used from the school bookstore, through bookstores near the school that specialized in used books, through Half.ge or okay, through other online venues; from ads posted on your college bulletin board (in the student center) or student newspaper, or on any number of online college websites. 1: Schools guard the book lists like they are gold- they are! Schools have tended to rent space to bookstores like Borders and have a stake in the success of those bookstores. It is difficult to obtain a full list before the first day of classes.2. The earlier you know what books you need, the more options you have for finding a bargain. Some creative ways to find out the titles are asking people who have taken the class before (risking the possibility of teacher changes), asking the professor (who probably will be inundated with requests and less than helpful), asking the library what books the professor has put on reserve for that class, etc.3. On-line book dealers who sell textbooks successfully over time are sensitive to the time crunch involved with textbooks, but the postal service will only deliver within the time frame they designate for each service they offer. Media mail takes 4-10 days for delivery, so with a reasonable shipping delay of 1-2 days and the day of purchase/payment- it probably will take 2 weeks for an on-line textbook to reach you. If you can find a good deal on the purchase price, it may be cost effective to pay for Priority Mail shipping. Many sellers gebine shipping on multiple books. If you are ordering a lot of small paperbacks from one seller, a flat rate box is generally a good buy.