Textbook Troubles: A Guide to Finding Your Course Materials

Photo by Lily Morgan

With the Fall 2024 semester quickly upon us, every student goes through the dreaded song and dance of figuring out what materials they need to succeed in each class. However, every student will tell you how expensive course materials can be. With the tips provided in this guide, you can save a buck or two and be even more prepared! From vendor recommendations to price comparison websites, buying textbooks has never been so easy.

The Basics: Elmhurst University’s Bookstore, Chegg, and Amazon

When it comes to buying books, EU’s very own bookstore functions entirely online. It’s important to note that the Spirit Shop is located on the second floor of the Frick Center, but the physical store is reserved for merchandise or book returns.

By visiting “elmhurst.ecampus.com,” you can easily shop by course and see what books you will need for the upcoming semester. You can find some good deals on the site itself, with the option to order a physical book sent to your home or a digital code sent to your student email. The website also gives you access to each textbook’s ISBN, which will be useful later on.

Chegg is another reliable site that generations of students have relied on semester after semester. To find your book, you can either type the name and author or ISBN on the website’s opening page.

After a few quick seconds, Chegg will give you a breakdown of the book and pricing; if the edition you are looking for happens to be out of stock, you have the option to look at other available editions. Chegg often includes goodies in their boxes as well, such as free samples of a product or even promos for streaming services!

Lastly, Amazon is consistently at the top of the student textbook food chain with its wide library and quick delivery, especially if you are an Amazon Prime member. However, as of April 1, 2023, Amazon no longer rents physical books, so keep that in mind during your purchase. If you are a fan of digital books, rentals through Amazon are still available despite the recent change.

The Niche: Slugbooks

Remember ISBN? This section is all about those useful codes. Slugbooks is not as discussed in textbook buying circles, but it is a great tool to find the best prices for your books.

When you visit Slugbooks, you are greeted with a search bar to copy and paste your book’s ISBN. From here, you are shown eight different websites and their respective prices. Four of the options are for buying, while the other four are for renting.

These websites include, but are not limited to, Chegg, Amazon, Textbooks.com, Abebooks and Valore Rental. The best part? The side-by-side comparison allows you to see how much you are saving instead of buying at a retail price while also highlighting which site has the best bargain.

There are a variety of websites that operate similarly, such as Bookscouter, but I find that Slugbooks is the best out of the bunch in a variety of areas, like user experience and best prices. Slugbooks even has its own section of book-buying tips available to view on the website!

The Last Resort: Ask Around!

While the websites above have been successful for many students, some books are just harder to find cheaper than others. Not all books are created equal. But you will often find students who have purchased a book, finished the class with it, and are looking to get rid of it. Some students are eager to sell their books, but others just want it out of their hands ASAP.

Maybe you have a friend who took one of your classes in a previous semester who could give you the book. If the class was for your major, perhaps fellow classmates still have the book or can tell you how they found their copies.

Whatever the case, it never hurts to ask around or talk to people you know because you’ll never know what you can find out.