How to curtail your book expenses systematically? Following are few ways that can help you in curtailing your book expenses. In some cases Internet can be very useful, but in other cases proper approach and relations will play a very vital role.
1. Open Courseware (OCW) – It is like taking a course from the Internet, which is offered by many of the prestigious universities worldwide. You can register on their websites and avail the benefits of their free course material on any specific topic or the subject, as per their syllabus and your requirement. It is legal to download any of the topics as per your requirement, thus leading to high amount of cost cutting in books. Some of the OCW’s offer online test as well, which is an added advantage!
2. Barter Exchange Of Books – Though the ‘barter system’ of payments is very old, it can be implemented in today’s world with respect to the books. Two students studying in same grade can decide in advance the ‘subject-division’ of purchase of the books. Each student can keep those books with him or her, for a specific time span. After the specific time span, go in for the barter exchange of the books!
When the book is in your custody, do not forget to jolt down the notes on important topics, which will be helpful during examination, especially on those subjects, whose ownership lies with the other student.
3. Purchase of Second Hand Books – There are various shops offering second-hand books. This can be one of the best options to save on books.
Always check for the year of publication, as very old books will not cover the latest syllabus. Condition of the book has to be inspected thoroughly. It might be tedious, but check for any of the missing pages in advance, because these books does not carry any exchange policy.
4. Repurchase By the Retailer – In some countries, the retailers themselves take the responsibility of repurchasing of the books sold by them. But that has to be confirmed in advance.
Always keep the receipt/bill copy of the purchased books handy. Do not mutilate or deface the condition of the books, wherein the retailer might get the reason of rejection.
5. Sell of old books – Once the Semester or the year is completed, the books can be sold online. Direct sell through online websites will generate sufficient amount of income. This will help in getting the genuine and needy buyers,
Most of the times the purchases is not any businessman but a student, who is in need and understand the value of cost saving in books. Hence more flexibility is expected from the seller!
6. Joining a Library – There are various libraries that offer the best and the latest book on the shelf, for almost all the subjects. Registering with these libraries can be the best way to reduce the costs involved in purchasing the books.
Before joining any library, the credentials of that library should be ascertained and annual subscription costs should be compared with other libraries. Their working hours and weekly off should not affect your studying schedule.
7. Sibling Benefit – Yes, this can be very helpful with respect to the real brothers and sisters in one family. The elder brother’s book can be very well handed over the younger siblings, if the difference is not much.
Always check on the current syllabus for the benefit of the younger sibling.
8. Online Purchase with Appropriate Bargain – There are various websites offering fabulous discounts for the online purchase. It is advisable to go in for this option, which is beneficial to the customers.
Check for the exact discount structure and the delivery charges. Also there should not be any change in the terms and conditions, after you finalize the purchases.
The above-mentioned methods are some of the best solutions that are available to curtail the cost on books. To conclude, you can always use the combination of two or more methods.
Like use OCW and purchase of second-hand books. Thus, this can cover the entire syllabus of your subject with a highly reduced cost.