Shop around to save money on textbooks
To start off with, you're going to have to figure out what books you need. First, try visiting the university bookstore's Web site. You'll need to know the department, number and CRN of the course to find the books. Some professors will have them posted ahead of time and others will wait until classes begin to give you the titles.
Always be sure to save your receipts because sometimes the listings online are wrong and you won't actually need the books you see listed there. Most of the bookstores give you at least a week's grace period where you can return your book for full price with the receipt.
There are three bookstores where you can go to purchase your textbooks in person. The on-campus University Bookstore is located across from Newman Library and near Squires Student Center. Volume II Bookstore is off-campus and is in the same mall as the Math Emporium on University City Blvd. The Tech Bookstore is also off-campus and is on Main Street, across from Cabo Fish Taco and next to Starbucks.
All three bookstores will also let you order your books online and pick them up in the store if you want to beat the rush at the beginning of each semester. Bring your class list from Hokie SPA and they'll have people there who can assist in finding what you need. You can also try finding it yourself if you can figure out the system that they use.
The bookstores recommend that you wait to buy your books for an English class until you've gone to the first day of classes and looked over the syllabus so you'll know exactly what you need.
You can also find most books online at Web sites like half.com or amazon.com. It can be cheaper to go this way, but you'll have to wait for the books to be shipped to you and sometimes professors require that you start reading as soon as class starts. If you're reading classic novels for an English class, you may be able to find them at Barnes and Noble in Christiansburg or at local thrift stores.
The Marketplace on Facebook can also be another way to find books for cheap from fellow students who have already taken the classes you'll be in.
You need to contact the seller as soon as you know you need it to ensure that you get the book before someone else does and then set up a time to exchange everything. If you know any upperclassmen, you can also see whether they're selling their books.
When classes are finished, at the end and beginning of every semester, you can also sell your books back to the bookstore if you don't need or want to keep them.
The bookstores will give you some money back for them, but they typically they won't give you your money back in full.
It can be worthwhile it to sell your books back to bookstore if you don't want to try to sell them yourself. If the professor decides to use different books for next semester's classes, the bookstore may not take them back at all.
You can try selling them online, but if the publisher has come out with a new edition, people may be literally giving them away for pennies.
Yes, sometimes, you will be left stuck with a book that you may never use again. At least you usually won't have to carry it to class.
