| College textbooks are expensive! Prices have | | | | first week or two of the following semester has |
| risen dramatically - up 186% from 1986 to 2006. | | | | the most listings. Listings expire quickly, so check |
| To keep your expenses as low as possible, get | | | | back every couple of days. |
| "textbook savvy", and shop online for significant | | | | If you are a textbook seller on Craigslist, and you |
| college textbook savings. | | | | post in one of the 10 largest cities on Craigslist, |
| Before you go textbook shopping, whether in the | | | | your listing will expire after 1 week, so make sure |
| physical world or online, you need to look at the | | | | that you repost your listing each week. All other |
| total cost of acquiring a textbook. Chasing prices | | | | listings will run for 45 days. |
| can save you money, but if you drive all over | | | | Craigslist's popularity is growing quickly. If you |
| town and spend many hours in the process, you | | | | don't find what you are looking for, you can |
| may not save as much as you think. With gas at | | | | expand your search to other cities. If you find an |
| well over $3.00 per gallon in much of the country, | | | | out of town seller of a book you need, and |
| you can quickly use $10-20 worth of gas to drive | | | | they're selling it at a great price, you can |
| across town to buy just one book! Make sure | | | | negotiate the shipping costs. If the seller is local, |
| you take that into account. | | | | you can make arrangements to pick it up, or |
| If you decide to shop online, you can find great | | | | better yet, ask if the seller is willing to deliver it to |
| deals, but you will have to do some research to | | | | you. |
| find the best textbook bargains. One great free | | | | Many of the listings include images of the |
| website that many people overlook for buying | | | | textbooks, as indicated by a "pic" or "img" after |
| textbooks is Craigslist.org. Craigslist is a great | | | | the description, so you can see the condition of |
| resource to find just about anything. Craigslist is a | | | | them prior to buying. When it comes time to |
| free website - one of the last "commercial free" | | | | resell your books, the condition of your book will |
| websites on the Internet that has intentionally | | | | affect how much you get for it, so avoid buying |
| chosen to stay free to users, and it does not | | | | a book that is falling apart. If there are no |
| allow commercial advertising. How refreshing! | | | | pictures, contact the seller and ask about the |
| Once you have the name and publisher | | | | condition. Also remember that when it's time for |
| information of the textbooks you are looking for, | | | | you to resell them, take a good quality picture |
| simply go to Craigslist.org, and select your city or | | | | before you post it on Craigslist! |
| region. Then begin your search by typing the | | | | I recommend creating an account on Craigslist, |
| word "textbook" into the search box. When you | | | | because it speeds up the process and you can |
| start searching for textbooks on the site, you will | | | | repost expired listings. |
| notice that most of the listings are books for sale, | | | | There are many great resources online for finding |
| but sometimes people will post books that they | | | | college textbooks inexpensively, but Craigslist is |
| need to buy. When it comes time for you to sell | | | | unique because it is a free resource that brings |
| your book, look for these listings. | | | | buyers and sellers together, quickly and easily, |
| The number of textbooks posted for sale, and | | | | without the trappings and complications of |
| buyers looking for textbooks, varies greatly, | | | | commercial websites. Bargains abound on |
| based on the time of year. Naturally, the period | | | | Craigslist, and armed with these tips, you are sure |
| between the end of a college semester and the | | | | to find great deals! |