Buying Your Textbooks: A guide for new or used
By Chad Fullerton
STEP 1: Look up your book list for the year
First you need to find out what books you need. To do this, go to the Titles Bookstore website and click your department(s). Then, if your course requires textbooks... you will see the course code listed.
Click here to view the book listings
STEP 2: Print out or write down your listings
Keep your list handy. Write the books down (title and author) on a sheet of paper or put it into a Word Document and print it out for reference
STEP 3: Get the books
Now this is where you have a whole bunch of options. See below:
GETTING YOUR BOOKS NEW
To purchase your books new, find out where your books will be located. Textbooks are in different places depending on if you're a first-year or upper-year student. They could be in the
temporary bookstore, The Tank, or in Titles Bookstore itself, etc.
Click here to find out where your books are located
GETTING YOUR BOOKS USED
There are four ways to get used books. Used books are great because they are cheaper, and all students love to save money... right? Before getting a used book make sure that it is the correct VERSION or EDITION that your professor wants because sometimes the professor will order a newer edition of a textbook and use it for the class... it may have articles or chapters that are new and aren't found in older editions. Usually students try and sell off older editions from previous years, so be careful!
METHOD #1: TITLES BOOKSTORE
Yes, Titles Bookstore doesn't only sell new books! They sell used ones as well. When you were looking up your textbook list in Step 1, if you CLICK the textbook title it'll bring up a page showing the price of a NEW book, and a USED book as well as how many are in stock. If there are USED books in stock... then head over to your bookstore area on campus and try to pick up a used copy of the textbook!
METHOD #2: FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE
Facebook's Marketplace feature is a fantastic way to buy books because it is easy to use, and everyone selling books on there are from McMaster's network... so they are local sellers that you can meet up with and get a bargain price on your books! Plus you can message the user instantly over Facebook to get in touch with them.
Go to Facebook, login, click MARKETPLACE on the left, then click FOR SALE, and choose the BOOKS category. You'll now see only a listing of used books students are selling! Search for the title of your books from your book list from step 1!
METHOD #3: TITLE's USED BOOK CLASSIFIEDS
Yes! Titles has a classifieds as well, very similar to Facebook's Marketplace.
CLICK HERE to go to the search page, then type the title or ISBN code for your book. It will bring up listings of books students are selling and the price they want. If you find a bargain, e-mail the student using the e-mail or contact number they provided in the listing! Simple!
METHOD #4: UNDERCOVERS MSU-RUN USED BOOKSTORE
As previously covered on MacInsider's, the MSU has a new bookstore they are opening on Sept 4th that is just for used books! It works by letting students (you) sell your used textbooks. All you have to do is bring your books to the used bookstore and they will try and sell them for you (at a price you set). The MSU then takes a 20% commission fee if the book is sold. How sweet is that? Now you don't have to waste time trying to e-mail back and forth with somebody and set up a meeting place to make the money/book exchange. Instead, the books are sitting there in the Undercovers Bookstore in the basement of the Student Centre that you can pick up, touch, and purchase right away! Go and check them out on Sept 4th... books will be coming in each day so keep checking back often. Once again... its in the STUDENT CENTRE BASEMENT across from the UNDERGROUND COPY CENTRE.
More help, check out these MACINSIDERS forum threads!
Used Books = Save Money!
MSU Used Book Store
marketplace listings
Books
First Year Textbooks
Where to get my books?
Goodluck! Hope my little article helps you out!
--Chad