Cashing in on textbooks The end of the semester is parading closer like a marching band on a sugar rush—it's coming quickly and there's no way to stop it. The bad part about that: if finals aren't over, they're coming. The good thing: you can finally sell back those textbooks that cost you a fortune. Here's how to get more of your money back: Make sure you have everything that originally came with your book That's CDs, study guides, posters, maps, or anything else. Not only will you get a higher price if you have these, you might not be able to sell the book back at all if you don't. Clean it up The newer your book looks, the more you'll get for it. That's particularly true of water stains, so hopefully you kept the coffee at a distance. Erase anything you wrote in the margins, flatten out dog-ears, and peel the gum off the cover. The earlier you sell, the better Sometimes bookstores only need to buy back a limited quantity of a book. If you come late, they might not need it. Remember: the campus bookstore isn't your only option And it's probably not the best. You can usually make more money online. Start with our textbook center, which can help you compare your options. Making money isn't usually this easy. And it's almost never this free. We're just a happy exception. |