Wow, college textbooks are expensive!  Anyone can walk into the campus bookstore and pay full price.  You can do better.  We need strategies for curbing the cost of college textbooks.  Recall The Money Skinny™ mission is to save you time and money.   Purchase textbooks with money invested in a 529 College Savings Account.  Use The Money Skinny™ Value Sourcing Technique and other resources like Craigslist to reduce college textbook costs.   Let’s review each of these three strategies.

Use 529 Plan Funds for College Textbooks

Purchase textbooks with funds invested in a 529 College Savings Plan.  529 College Savings Accounts provide incentive for saving for college through federal income tax advantages.  Gains accumulate tax-free and are tax-free upon withdrawal provided the money is used for qualified educational expenses.  Including textbooks.  Think of it like this.  Tax-free growth alone on money deposited today can turn into textbooks by the time the beneficiary is ready for college.  Review IRS Publication 970 for 529 tax benefit details.  Information on how to set-up a 529 College Savings Account is available in The Money Skinny™ article What is a 529 College Savings Plan?.

Value Sourcing College Textbooks

Use The Money Skinny™ Value Sourcing Technique to find the lowest prices on college textbooks.  Some semesters you may find the cheapest prices on Amazon or half.com.  I’ve bought and sold many textbooks successfully on both websites.  Buy from whichever is cheaper.  Consider renting college textbooks from a website like Chegg.com for the convenience of not reselling the book.  Just ship it back at the end of the semester.  Check with classmates who have already taken the same class.  Will he/she resell that book?  In summary, investigate all options to find the lowest price for each textbook.

Try Craigslist for Buying and Selling College Textbooks

Don’t forget about Craigslist.org in your college town.  Often other students will list textbooks and other student items for sale.  Prices can be very low at the end of Spring semester for books you’ll need in the Fall.  It’s worth a glance to check availability and prices.  Use The Money Skinny™ Craigslist Selling in 5 Easy Steps for help.

The Money Skinny™ College Textbook Advice

I didn’t use any of my college textbooks on the job.  Unless it’s a reference manual, sell those textbooks quick.  As soon as the class ends.  Newer editions lower the resale prices of textbooks.  Similar to an expiration date.  Even if it’s a book you think you may need in the future.  Sell it now.  Rebuy if and when needed.  It’ll be cheaper.

An Extra The Money Skinny™ Tip

Save the packaging from textbooks you plan to resell.  That way you’re not searching for mailing materials at the end of the semester. Or worse, having to purchase them.  That will eat into your profits!