Short of money? (Silly question, I know). Trying to figure out how you are going to pay for all the textbooks for your next trimester? Are you creating new economic theories to balance your meager budget?

So you’re probably not taking advantage of the best and most efficient way to get your textbooks cheap, and I mean really cheap.

Search and buy online. That is all. Thats the secret. And to make sure you get the best value, here are the top 10 tips for buying textbooks online.

1. Buy early. Don’t wait for the first day of school to fetch the books you need. That is the time when demand increases and, inevitably, prices rise with it. Textbooks are selling fast and furiously during that short period of time and the effort required to get the best deals is far greater than the effort required just a couple of weeks beforehand.

If your college or university doesn’t provide the textbook lists in advance, don’t despair, contact alumni of the course you want to take, or even the professors themselves, and ask them about the books to buy. Surely that little extra effort will be worth it.

2. Buy used. Second-hand textbooks are cheaper. That is an undeniable fact. It is not unusual to find savings in excess of $ 50 compared to list prices.

3. Consider the previous editions. Often times, books on classical physics, chemistry, or biology stay pretty much the same for years. If you are willing to use older editions, you can find books for as little as $ 1. Not sure if the International Edition will suffice? Contact your course tutor and ask. Most likely, it will even recommend an older book.

Four. International editions. An international edition is a textbook that has been published outside of the US and Canada and is intended to be purchased and used outside of the US and Canada. International editions are generally drastically cheaper than their American / Canadian counterparts. Here’s the catch, the publishers of International Editions generally do not authorize the sale and distribution of International Editions in the United States and Canada and such sale or distribution may violate the copyrights and trademarks of the publishers of such works.

5. Use the ISBN number to increase the efficiency of your searches. Every book published since 1970 has a unique ISBN, using it in place of the author and / or title will make your searches faster and 100% accurate.

6. Free shipping. Look for sellers with free shipping when you are shopping. Even though shipping within the US is generally less than $ 4, or maybe because of it, more and more sellers are willing to offer free shipping to potential customers to convert them into customers. This roughly translates to an additional 10% off a $ 40 book or a 5% off an $ 80 book.

7. Shopping around. I know you already know, anyway, let me say it again, just in case you landed on Earth from another planet 10 minutes ago. Compare prices from at least three different sellers before making a decision. If you want to compare bookstores online, you can go to Bookfinder.com. To compare thousands of booksellers around the world, you can visit Abebooks.com, the world’s largest book marketplace.

8. Buy local. Check where the bookseller you are buying from is located before closing the deal. The closer the better as shipping costs drop, the planet is happier and greener, and your community will certainly appreciate the additional business.

9. Sell ​​your old textbooks once you are done with them. Most likely, the same online bookseller you bought your books from is willing to buy them back, just go to their site and find their buyback program. Generally, shipping of books is free and payment is immediate upon receipt. This one sells itself, right?

10. Treat your textbooks well. Don’t use them as an umbrella or to kill that gigantic spider that appeared out of nowhere in the bathtub. Don’t write your love interest’s name next to little hearts and don’t use it as a canvas when you feel that artistic urge. Remember, you may want to sell them later and the better the condition of the book, the more money you will get for it.

Follow these tips and I guarantee that you will find more money in your pockets, more time in your hands and, of course, the satisfaction of having entered the 21st century, at last.

Buy online, you will never go back.