AdventureIsOutThere Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Hey guys, just looking for some opinions here... Has anybody had some success saving money on textbooks (for college) using e-readers such as an iPad or nook or anything of that sort? I know the savings wouldn't show up in the short run, but maybe in the long run? Looking to save some money next semester on books... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest threegcoalman Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Can't give you a direct opinion on the whole Ipad/Ereader thing for textbooks, as I don't do it myself. But did you look into renting the books? That;s what I did this semester and I ended up saving around $400. Was around 40-50 for each book for the semester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureIsOutThere Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 yeah, I've rented before... but the book stores around me rent books at crappy prices where I would have better luck buying the books used and trying to sell them at the end of the semester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriss Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 It depends on what you want in a tablet - if you're wanting it primarily for book reading, you could snatch a 1st gen iPad on the cheap for a couple hundred bucks most likely (especially now since the 3rd gens are coming out in a few months?). Aside from zines, I do most of my reading on my iPad (I read tonsss of comics and the full color display is perfect for the set up and dimensions of comics - I've also read traditional text exclusive books on it as well and it's great) and I'd say it may be advantageous for you in terms of having less of a physical load to lug around. There's not much of a downside really... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest threegcoalman Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Oh, gotcha. I didn't do it locally, as I think my school is affiliated with some online place, which where I got mine.Got the books about a week week and a half after ordering them, and was a pretty smooth transaction! All you have to do is make sure to send it back in the same box they sent you by the deadline date (Free shipping back), and you're good! Here's the site if you are interested man! http://www.collegebookrenter.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureIsOutThere Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 hm, I'll definitely look into it! Thanks for the suggestion! and Kriss, thanks for your input as well. I was also thinking about looking up a first ten (or even refurbished 2nd gen), or just waiting until the 3rd gen comes out and buying a 2nd gen; the 2nd gen display is really appealing (; Anyways, the idea of being able to do all this reading has got me into it even more because I've been meaning to do some more reading that is recreational, but besides the reading, the iPad obviously offers much more qualities to it as well (: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipsterasfolk Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I download the Kno app on my iPad 2, It's nice to have w/ its features. But if I buy used from Amazon and sell to the campus bookstore I break even. Even if the books are 50% off it comes down to how much you value portability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtw88 Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 If you decide against the ebook thing, check ebay and amazon for 'international editions'. They should be the same text books with a different cover, but much much cheaper because they are able to negotiate lower prices in other countries, which is sad. At least that's how I understand it. I just stopped buying textbooks altogether, unless absolutely necessary, and my girlfriend went the amazon/ebay/international route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papermonsters Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I miss selling my books at the end of the semester. I could drink so good for a couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureIsOutThere Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 I download the Kno app on my iPad 2, It's nice to have w/ its features. But if I buy used from Amazon and sell to the campus bookstore I break even. Even if the books are 50% off it comes down to how much you value portability. have you found it easy to find all the textbooks that you need, or have you hit some walls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
controlthebleeding Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I miss selling my books at the end of the semester. I could drink so good for a couple of days. +1 because i did exactly the same thing.. haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riddle350 Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 www.chegg.com is a great place to rent books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryq Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Hey guys, just looking for some opinions here... Has anybody had some success saving money on textbooks (for college) using e-readers such as an iPad or nook or anything of that sort? I know the savings wouldn't show up in the short run, but maybe in the long run? Looking to save some money next semester on books... it seems to me like you want to buy an ipad, and you're trying to justify it by saying it's going to save you money on textbooks. I'm not judging you (I bought a smartphone because "it would save time"), just simply stating my opinion. as for your question, between old editions and international editions of textbooks, you could probably save a lot of money, and google has a lot of textbooks that you can preview for free (at least they have a lot of statistics textbooks; that's all I've ever looked for). if you /really/ wanted to be cheap, I think a combination of paying attention in class and frequent trips to the bookstore (e.g., go to the bookstore, read a chapter, and leave) would have been sufficient for most of the brain dead general classes I took in my undergrad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureIsOutThere Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 Haha you're probably right, I have been wanting an iPad for a while; and recently a buddy of mine got one to use for e-textbooks, so it seemed like a good idea to get one and save money at the same time.. I'm also trying to justify it by thinking about my future.. I have a life plan to attend NYU for law school, and I have a feeling it would be very helpful in the long run.. And as I write this, I can see where you say I want one and I'm trying to justify it, which is definitely somewhat true haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriss Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 hm, I'll definitely look into it! Thanks for the suggestion!and Kriss, thanks for your input as well. I was also thinking about looking up a first ten (or even refurbished 2nd gen), or just waiting until the 3rd gen comes out and buying a 2nd gen; the 2nd gen display is really appealing (; Anyways, the idea of being able to do all this reading has got me into it even more because I've been meaning to do some more reading that is recreational, but besides the reading, the iPad obviously offers much more qualities to it as well (: It totally does. Now trying to choose reading on the iPad versus playing Angry Birds or Nyan Cat, that's a whole different matter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureIsOutThere Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 hahahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
000000 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I miss selling my books at the end of the semester. I could drink so good for a couple of days. +1 because i did exactly the same thing.. haha. so true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appletree Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 personally, i would have not been able to read my books other than a physical book. something about highlighting, making notes, bending corners, etc. plus i would be really worried about your more advanced classes. once i made it to upper-level courses, usually jr and sr year, it was all very specific classes with books that were generally harder to come by. usually just bought all my books via amazon used or something. good luck but overall i agree, ipad would be the way to go. try to make sure and confirm that a lot of text books are available via ipad. maybe someone who already graduated in the same degree at the same school or something would have their syllabuses still so you can get insight on books to look forward to. idk just a thought. regardless not much buyers regret if unable to get a particular textbook on the ipad, i would guess you could find a few other things to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almightyseancore Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 my wife got a nook. i put a bunch of comic books on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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