Get the Most Money for Your Used Textbooks
You paid a lot for those books, so here's how to get the best price when you sell them back at the end of the semester.
Before the school year started, we told you how to cut your textbook costs in half -- or more. Now that the fall semester is almost over, it's time to sell those books back and get a little spending money for the holidays.
The campus bookstore may be a convenient way to do this, but you'll likely get more money back if you sell your books online. I did a little comparison shopping to find out how much more.
I teach a journalism course at the university where I live, so I used the book from my class, Writing and Reporting News. The retail price is about $120.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
First I checked the buyback price at the university bookstore: $37.
The I used two of the comparison Web sites we recommended in the story about cutting textbook costs -- Bigwords.com and CampusBooks.com.
Of the 13 purchasers Bigwords.com listed when I did a buyback price search for Writing and Reporting News, eCAMPUS.com was offering the best price: $50.16 in store credit or $41.80 cash. Plus, Bigwords.com provides free, printable shipping labels and will send you a check or credit your Paypal account within seven to ten days. (Chegg actually had the best buyback price listed, $80.14. But when I clicked through to the site, Chegg said it could not buy back this book.)
My search on CampusBooks.com turned up a better cash price from Bookleberry.com: $49.95. And shipping is free on books more than $25.
So before you tote all your books to the campus bookstore, do a little searching online to see if you can get better buyback prices elsewhere.
-
9 Types of Insurance You Don't NeedFinancial Planning If you're paying for these types of insurance, you may be wasting your money. Here's what you need to know.
-
Are You Putting Yourself Last? The Cost Could Be Your RetirementIf you're part of the sandwich generation, it's critical that you don't let the needs of your aging parents come at the expense of your future.
-
Time to Prepare for Disasters Like They Could Happen to YouYou can no longer have the mindset that "that won't happen here." Because it absolutely could. As we head into 2026, consider making a disaster plan.
-
21 Last-Minute Gifts for Grandparents Day 2025 to Give Right NowHoliday Tips Last-minute gifting is never easy. But here are some ideas to celebrate Grandparents Day.
-
Texas Sales Tax-Free Weekend 2025Tax Holiday Here's what you needed to know about the Texas sales tax holiday.
-
Alabama Tax-Free Weekend 2025Tax Holiday Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 back-to-school Alabama sales tax holiday.
-
The Sweet 23: States Where Twix and Kit Kat Avoid the ‘Candy Tax’State Taxes There’s something spooky this Halloween, and it’s not just the ghouls. Find out if your state’s sales tax takes a bite out of sweet savings.
-
Florida Back-to-School Tax-Free Holiday 2025Sales Taxes The new tax-free holiday in Florida brought month-long savings on computers, clothing and other school supplies.
-
Five Reasons You Shouldn't Shop Amazon's Prime Big Deal DaysSmart Buying Are Amazon Prime Big Deal Days still a good deal? We'll break it down.
-
Five Ways to Save on Vacation Rental PropertiesTravel Use these strategies to pay less for an apartment, condo or house when you travel.
-
How to Avoid Annoying Hotel Fees: Per Person, Parking and MoreTravel Here's how to avoid extra charges and make sure you don't get stuck paying for amenities that you don't use.
