How To Buy Textbooks in Online Bookstores

Online bookstores are sprouting out on the Web, going against traditional campus bookstores, offering lower prices and a hassle-free shopping experience for students. Imagine, without even leaving your own room, with only your computer and the internet, students can already order their books and wait for them to be shipped to their doorstep.

In order to find the best deals and make shopping online easier, students like you only need to follow these simple steps:

• Know the ISBN. To make buying textbooks online easier and error-free, online bookstores will ask for the ISBN number of the books you are looking to buy. These numbers are unique to the book and exact edition you are looking for - making it a foolproof way to identify the exact title you need. You start shopping online with these numbers, so make sure you ask your professor what the ISBN number of the book you need is.


• Use comparison sites to check prices. Not only can you buy textbooks online, you can also find sites to help you look for great deals online. These sites will look at the popular bookstores and with one search, show you which sites have the book you are looking for and their prices.


• Buy safe. Make sure that the site can be trusted before you buy, to not be scammed online. Look for recommendations or feedback on the site before you buy. This is the easiest way to make sure you are not wasting your money on nothing.


• Join membership sites. Most online bookstores offer membership, and give perks to those who are members - either through discounts, rewards or free shipping. You can also sign up for alerts sent via email to be informed if there are deals on the books you need.


• Buy more to save more. If you are looking for more than one book, consider buying them from one online bookstore. The rational for this is that sites might offer buyers more savings for buying more. For example, you might also save on shipping of the books, as well as possibly earning more rewards should the site offer them.


• Add shipping costs. Thankfully, most sites will already ask for your zip code when you start the search, in order to incorporate shipping costs when you get the overall price. A book might seem cheaper, but if the store ships them from out of state, shipping might add up to the cost and make it more expensive.


• Be an early bird. As in the saying, early birds catch the early worm. By starting your search early and buying before everyone else does, you are ensuring that you have your book before stocks run out and prices go up.

These are the simple rules you need to put to mind when looking for textbooks to buy in online bookstores - just follow them and end up with greater savings and an easy online buying experience.