Save Big Bucks on Textbooks

Ouch. If you're heading back to those hallowed halls this week, you've probably just bought 20 pounds or more of textbooks. They might as well have been made of gold. Depending on your major, college textbooks can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 a year if you buy your books new and at retail. According to Freeload Press the price of textbooks is rising even faster than the price of tuition.

Going online for textbooks can save lots of money, but you need to be looking early enough to get the books in time for the start of the semester. If you missed this semester, remember it's only a few months until you start again.

MarketWatch's Marshall Loeb suggests getting book lists in advance from your professors and looking for bargains at these sites, for starters:

• CampusBooks.com: Searches thousands of bookstores for the best price and even calculates tax and shipping.
• CollegeBooksDirect.com: Promises they'll let you know which books they have in stock at the time of your request, upping the chances of getting what you need.
• StudentBookWorld.com: Reports stocking 250,000 books at discount prices.
• Half.com: Owned by eBay, you can buy and sell used textbooks here.

Three new book programs you should be looking at:

• urShelf.com: An auction-like program for used textbooks started by college students from New Jersey Institute of Technology.
• TextbookRevolution.org: A student-run, volunteer-operated web site that provides links to free textbooks and even hosts certain textbooks online.
• Freeload Press: Offers free downloads and low-cost paperback versions of many textbooks. They defray textbook costs with e-advertising.

If you do order online, consider selecting a slow (and therefore cheaper) shipping method.