Have you purchased textbooks onlilne from eBay's Half.com?
By airnavigator
@airnavigator (369)
United States
November 3, 2006 7:25pm CST
When my daughter started college I began purchasing her books on eBay's half.com. Between buying them and then reselling them on half.com at the end of the semester I figure that her textbook cost (which I pay for) is 1/4 to 1/3 of what we would pay if she purchased them through the college bookstore (new or used). What has your experience been with half.com and similar sites?
9 responses
@TheNightingale (17)
• United States
26 Jan 07
When in college, I often bought used textbooks on Amazon.com, and then (usually) sold them after the class was over. It worked very well for me, and saved me a FORTUNE! One of the marketing books required was a $175 book at the college bookstore - I found it used on Amazon for $80. Still pretty hefty, but a lot better than nearly $200.
@airnavigator (369)
• United States
27 Jan 07
Thanks for your response. However, things are getting better the textbook I have for two of the classes I teach is from a new company, Best Value Textbooks, and it is a very good book that retails for $30 compared to the dull paperback for the third class I teach and which costs $125. Competition is starting to make an impact and it is none too soon.
@elisheva18 (8)
• United States
16 Feb 08
One of the advantages of buying from Half.com or Amazon is that the shipping price is already established and usually does not exceed $5. If you don't need the item in a hurry, you can use the less expensive, basic shipping. If you are in a hurry you can pay a few dollars more for expedited shipping.
You are absolutely right that the cost of shipping and handling on sites like e-bay can be quite high, making a bargain price an expensive overall purchase.
@lectricky (680)
• United States
4 Nov 06
I try to buy used books if I can, and I've used half.com for a couple of things. My only vaguely negative experience was ordering a book and getting refunded because they didn't have it. Which really isn't too bad at all! I think it's great to buy and sell on these sorts on sites, it's really a boon to students (and parents, too).
@airnavigator (369)
• United States
4 Nov 06
Thanks for your comment. I have also, had a couple of instances where I ordered online and then received an email saying they couldn't fill the order and refunded my money. But I have never lost money and every book we received has been in excellent condition.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
27 Jun 08
I usually sell my books on Ebay because I tend to get back 50 to 80% of what I paid for them. Although, I don't buy them online because I don't usually know what book I need in time to do that. So I'll buy them used if I can at the bookstore and then sell them online.
@reipowerhouse (428)
• United States
15 Mar 07
I have actually bought and sold on half.com in fact I actually have some books listed for sale right now. The link below will show you my items.
In regards to buying them for a good discount that it's always true because it depends on how popular the particular book is. I have been using half.com for many years, in fact I had a half.com account before ebay and half combined account and actually bought an item on half long before ebay.
All of my books ship within 1 business day!
http://shops.half.ebay.com/11percentoff
@EndlessKnowledge (105)
• United States
7 Jan 07
I always buy and sell books on half.com. Its a great website.
@my3busyboys (207)
• United States
14 Jan 07
I have used half.com and have come across some great bargains. What I don't like about it is that the prices are set. If I purchase on ebay I have a better chance of buying at a lower price. I have never had any issues with half.com though.
@ma_belle (1357)
• United States
12 Mar 07
I will only buy my books online at half.com. I really don't like shopping at the university bookstores as I feel they are overprices and mark-up their used and new books. I also don't like the prices that they give when you sell back books so I also sell my books on half.com. I have saved significant amounts of money on half.com. One semester I saved about $300! I recommend half.com to everybody I know. My only tip is to find out what books you need way in advance because shipping sometimes may take a while.
