Cheap Textbook Website–One Shipping Charge? Advice needed please?
FlyAwayPhoenix asked:
Hi all. I’m looking for a way to get college textbooks for cheap. Websites like half.com have great prices but having to pay shipping charges to a variety of sellers adds up. I like textbooks.com because the textbooks all come from one seller, but they can be a bit pricey and they don’t have a lot of the textbooks I need in stock.
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Hi all. I’m looking for a way to get college textbooks for cheap. Websites like half.com have great prices but having to pay shipping charges to a variety of sellers adds up. I like textbooks.com because the textbooks all come from one seller, but they can be a bit pricey and they don’t have a lot of the textbooks I need in stock.
Any suggestions? Thanks so much for all your help 
@ Arbitrary Person
I understand that textbooks cost money to ship. They are quite heavy and a charge is not only expected, but necessary. However, when they are coming from a variety of sellers, the charges can accumulate into a hefty total. My sister and I order textbooks at the same time and, if we are ordering upwards of 15 books, a 5 to 10 shipping charge PER book can really add up.
That it why I am seeking a website where all books come from one seller.
Thank you.
July 19th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Check Alibris.com mrsd
July 20th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Textbooks, like pretty much everything, cost money to ship. If you’re buying from different sellers, then you will have separate shipping costs. It’s not like the sellers can get together to consolidate your books into one package. If you’re worried about a $5-$10 shipping charge, I’m not really sure how you afford your books (which typically cost at LEAST $60 without shipping).
My suggestion is wait for “free shipping” days. I know eBay does this from time to time. You could also find out if upperclassmen at your school are selling their books. You won’t have to pay shipping and it’s far cheaper than the bookstore. Arbitrary Person
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:52 am
This is the holy grail/fountain of youth for almost every college student. There is no way to do this: you either pay for shipping online or you pay the retail bookstore markup for shipping. Books just don’t come from one seller, that’s just not how the publishing world works. They are ordered from whichever publisher produced the book.
I suggest if your school does a program like this, order all your textbooks from the official college bookstore and see if you can get a discount on bulk shipping. I did this and saved about 25% over half.com and similar alternate strategies. Boxxy
July 26th, 2010 at 3:40 am
I use amazon.com and try to get all my books from a handful of sellers or just from amazon itself. Barnes and Noble also sells used books online, but amazon is usually cheaper. Splendid Irony