For those kids who have yet to go to college, I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to the fact that buying textbooks sucks. And I think the only reason I have skirted out of sinking a lot of money into a book and getting little in return is because I'm an art major, most of my books haven't been hardcover, and I'm a lucky little bastard.
Now, keep in mind that when I say "whee I'm an art major", that doesn't mean I'm not spending money. No, I'm spending a lot of money (hi Rory), but I'm at least buying things I'll continue to use and can potentially benefit me in great ways. Except pads of newsprint. My God I hate those.
But on the whole, I've fared pretty well. The most screwed I got was having to buy my Stats 208 textbook new (my very first semester too) at $170 because it was a brand spankin' new edition. In defense of many professors who would rather not us shell out that much, it isn't the fault of them, but the companies. The companies bring out new versions, and professors are pretty much forced to make students get them, as things for the old edition vanish. And there's no guarantee of finding old editions, and at least every student can get their hands on a new one so everyone is on the same page. It's like software updates, basically. (I do know my Stats professor was apologetic for us having to buy the book new.)
There is always the glory of book buyback, which...tends to yield very little for what you shelled out. That $170 textbook only got me $30 in return. The only way you might earn a profit is if you a.) don't buy new, and b.) don't buy from the school.
I learned early on about buying from Amazon. And by that, I mean I bought all of my books from there save the few that I had to pick up at the university bookstore because of reasons. There are times when you'll find some cheap little paperback you need for an English class on there for a penny, and while the shipping may be 2.99, you still only spent 3 bucks on it. My thin little copy of Othello was obtained this way, and it sold for a minimum of $8 at the bookstore. Ridiculous.
My biggest triumph was my Grammar book, which was going for a minimum of $20 at the bookstore. I bought it for $13 and sold it back for $15, doodles and all. ...And yes, you can (usually) sell you books you don't buy online back to the bookstore.
Recently, my school picked up on the whole "renting textbooks" thing, and I highly advise against that. The reason is simple: they rent you the book for cheaper than it is to buy it (even used), but you can get nothing in return. And in most cases, the renting price really isn't that much cheaper than buying it.
I do advise trading, borrowing, or sharing books. Second semester, Terumi swapped me the Coms book for my copy of Hope Dies Last. Fourth semester, Jiaqi and I borrowed Kristy's Theater book and gave it back to her at the end of the term. Last semester, Jiaqi, Terumi, and I bought the Photography book and split it (nevermind that we never read the damn thing). And this coming semester, Terumi and I are splitting our Geography textbooks. It keeps costs down, and unless the course is reading/reference intensive (IE, Jiaqi and I didn't share our History books), it works out well.
I've rambled. The original intention of this post was to say that my English professor this semester is having me buy his book. This is the first time I've ever experienced such a thing. In the case of Grammar, when a book made by the prof would've been extremely beneficial due to how much she complained about the one we were using, I'd have no problem with that, and it would be the one book we used the whole class. But as it turns out, this is one of a few we need for my upcoming class, and I can't help but feel it's a bit of ego stroking.
Guess who's buying it off Amazon.