Buying textbooks

Mike,
in response to your question...yes, before you buy any books I would check with the professor. At the very least you can check the bookstore. They have each class and section number listed with the required texts (Be careful because it's not always 100% accurate). Confirming with a teacher is the best. A good website to search for a book is campusi.com. It searches 40 or so online stores including Amazon and Half.com for the best price. Always use the ISBN number (the number by the bar code on the back of the book) to search for the book so you make sure you are getting the same one. Always read the seller's description before you buy something. Sellers will sell their paperback version of the text with the hardback versions (even though the ISBN is different). Sometimes buying the paperback version of the book isn't a bad idea because you can get it for half the price and sell it online after the semester is over. What I used to do was go down to the bookstore and right down the bookstore prices for all of my books along with the ISBN. Then I would go online and compare prices. If an online book was significantly cheaper and I could guarantee it would be delivered in a timely manner, I went with the online vendor. It sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't. I've saved over $200 in one semester by comparing the two sources and buying cheaper books online so it is definitely worth it. One additional note, when you sell your book back at the end of the semester you can sell the book you bought online back to the bookstore. However, if they tell you they've 'reached their buy back limit' and only offer you a pittance, don't be afraid to sell your book online. A lot of times you'll get more money selling it that way, as the bookstore doesn't offer you market value for your books. If any of this stuff sounds complicated, it shouldn't. Try it out once and you'll get the hang of it. By the time I graduated it was almost like a game to me to see how much money I could save. Good luck!
WFFL,
Brad