The USPS should be happy the next couple of weeks as I have ordered books for K, B, and myself. Gads, it's expensive. I've tried to figure out the best prices by comparing as many sites as possible. I've purchased used books when available. I don't see the advantage of using Ebay, as the prices there are not cheap. I guess it's all about timing. If I went there in September, I'd probably get good prices, but not in August!
K's books were pretty reasonable. K doesn't need many at this point, which is good. But K did need a digital SLR camera. That was $600. The camera, I believe, will be worth more than the books after the year is out, so maybe that is a redeeming quality? I hope K will get many years of use (and I hope K takes great care of it!)
B's books were expensive, considering B's classes are all 100 level, general intro stuff. I really can't stand the price of books! $120 for a paperback algebra textbook and then another $40 for the solutions manual? What???! I did find those for way less on Amazon marketplace. My fear, of course, is that I will end up with something I didn't want, or isn't acceptable and have to return it (when I'm too busy to take the time to work through it all...but this is a fear. Maybe everything will work out ok?)
The whole textbook scene is a scam which I abhor. But I, like thousands of others, are victims who willingly continue to moan and complain while we hand over our credit cards. The best site I found this term was Cheaptextbooks.com b/c it allowed for a comparison of prices from several sites. I have used bestbookbuys.com in the past, but I didn't find them as useful. Amazon marketplace and half.com were pretty often the best prices around. Plus, I could look at the seller ratings which allowed me to pick only sellers who have been around for a while and who had a successful record of fulfilling orders/handling problems. I didn't buy anything from a 'new seller'. I just didn't want to take the chance. Textbook.com was good for new books with about a 20% discounted rate. Most of the nursing books I bought from them.
Total number of books ordered: 18
Total number of books received: 0
(I'll update when I get books and tell of my experiences, good, bad or otherwise.)
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