Cheap Textbooks Online
Buy Used!

Used textbooks from an assortment of sellers at Half.com

There are lots of ways to find cheap textbooks online, but on this page I'm going to focus on used textbooks.

In fact, I'm going to focus on Half.com, the easy-to-use, focused-on-books, less chaotic cousin to eBay.

Half.com brings together an assortment of sellers, so you're likely to find a better price than at, say, textbooks.com.

I just looked for Irvin B. Tucker's Survey of Economics, 6th ed. on textbooks.com. It was priced at $86.50 used, and yet it was sold out! Meanwhile, at Half.com, 18 copies were listed for sale, all for less than the textbooks.com price.

Hello!

And at Half.com, sellers give you details on the book's condition. This is a no-brainer. It's Craigslist for textbooks!

Now, do know that at the bottom of each book's listing at Half.com, you'll see some links to eBay for the same book. Many of those prices are even lower, but buyer warning: though you'll find some lower prices, the eBay sellers don't always state the book's edition! Be careful that you're getting the book you want. (Knowing your edition's ISBN is the best way to be sure.)

Half.com is a real marketplace for used textbooks, with real information on the reputability of each seller. To my mind, it's the lowest-hassle option for cheap textbooks online, and often the best deal available.

The one other place I recommend for hard-copy textbooks is Chegg. They offer textbook buying (and selling) options, as well as textbook rentals. If you prefer to deal with a company rather than a marketplace of individuals, you'll want to visit my Chegg page to learn more.

More on discount textbooks.

Best Children's Books home.