The "back to school" is getting closer and closer, and many parents are taking advantage of these last weeks of the summer to prepare everything the children will need next school year. Planning purchases and comparing prices is, according to experts, the best strategy to save.
But among the main expenses that families have to face in September, the one of textbooks stands out. That is why more and more parents choose to acquire them second-hand, being aware of the significant savings at all levels that this entails. Today we tell you where you can find used books at a great price.
Wallapop: the best known option to buy used books
Probably, Wallapop is one of the most popular buying and selling websites that exist at the moment and that you can use if you previously download the application on your mobile phone.
Use the search engine to locate the textbooks you want through the title, subject or academic year and apply price filters, location or publication date to refine your search. When you locate what you are looking for Get in touch with the seller through a message and proceeds to make the purchase.
In Babies and more Plan, compare prices and purchase textbooks online: this is how we organize the "back to school", according to a surveyVibbo: the "second hand" of all life
The "Segundamano" website is now called Vibbo, and it is one of the largest buying and selling portals of all types of objects, classified by categories. Download the mobile application, both for Iphone and Android, or access through its website.
You can track books for sale through its internal search engine and apply different filters that will make your search faster and more productive. Select the autonomous community (if you want to save shipping costs) and the publisher, and you will see all the results.
When you have found the books that interest you, contact the seller through a message and wait for their instructions to make the purchase.
Amazon: textbook search by school
A couple of years ago, Amazon launched the Cole Books platform. This is a section specialized in the sale of textbooks, which saves a lot of time in the search and purchase process, as it offers the possibility of getting your school's list of books organized by courses.
But If you are looking for second-hand books, use the search engine to search for "subject + course + editorial" and in the result select the option that you will find below the price and that says "used". When you click on this option, all the second-hand copies put up for sale, the state in which they are located and their prices will be displayed.
EBay: quick purchase
The eBay portal offers the possibility to buy products new or used, including textbooks. The transaction is carried out quickly because if we are convinced by the product characteristics sheet that the seller has published, the next step is to proceed with the purchase, without having to previously contact the vendor through a message.
Book House: also for used books
In La Casa del Libro, one of the best-known bookstore chains in Spain, we can also find second-hand textbooks and buy them both physically in stores and through their website.
It has a powerful search engine that even allows us to filter the books by the conditions in which they are (Acceptable, Good, Very good and Like new), and Buy quickly and without shipping costs.
In Babies and moreThe September cost of going back to school: an expense too heavy for familiesRelibrea: hook with your price comparator
On this website the user can access all kinds of publications, including textbooks that are organized by categories and save up to 70 percent.
Once the book is selected, Relibrea offers the possibility to see how much would that same copy purchased new cost us through Amazon ("see new" button), and that's when we really realize what we save by buying secondhand.
Merkatia, Milanuncios and Bulletin Board
Merkatia, Milanuncios and Bulletin Board are three very similar websites for buying and selling all kinds of products, including textbooks.
Personally, they seem to me to be somewhat more chaotic portals than those analyzed so far, but they have search engines that allow you to apply several filters for the search as well as organize the results by publication date or prices.
AbeBooks: buy new or used
As in other of the portals we have analyzed, IberLibro allows the option to buy the new or second-hand textbook. To do this, use the search engine on your home page and find the book you are looking for using the title or ISBN code.
Once located, use the "new" or "old and used" filters (Pay attention because you don't always have the option to find any second-hand title) and proceed to make the purchase.
Truequebook: exchange and win
The philosophy of this website is the exchange of products, so the ideal thing is that to make use of it you register first and publish those products you want to exchange by those of other users.
If you want to find textbooks, use your search engine and locate those users who are willing to exchange their books for any of your products. Sometimes, if a barter agreement is not reached, a price can be set for the transaction.
The Book Tour: leave your books and take others
This bookstore, physically located in Santader, also carries out second-hand textbooks with very competitive prices, and also undertakes to get the title you are looking for if you will not find it through its website.
The initial idea of The Book Tour was born in order to to be able to deliver your used textbooks in exchange for reserving those of the next course, but the initiative was so welcome that you can buy books without having to put others on sale beforehand.
Book bag: publish your search ad
In Book Bag you will not only find second-hand textbooks using your internal search engine, but you can publish an ad with the titles you are looking for on your bulletin board. In this way, the location between sellers and buyers will be reciprocal and without intermediaries, which will speed up procedures.
Second Reading: find all kinds of books
This web, set up in 2011 by parents who sought to save on the return to school, allows to buy and sell all kinds of books, including textbooks. Register, use the categories to locate the book you want and make your purchase.
Uniformesylibros.com: the initiative of an entrepreneurial mother
This platform for buying and selling textbooks and school uniforms was created by an Asturian mother with the aim of promoting savings among families with the arrival of the school year.
In order to use this website you must create a registration account and start the search for the textbooks, material and uniforms you want. It is a simple, intuitive and very easy to navigate website.
In Babies and more How to make the September slope less heavy for families with the return to schoolBolsabooks: for students of higher courses
This bookshop physically located in Pamplona, allows you to sell and buy new and second-hand books also through the Internet, using the search engine by title or ISBN of the book.
This especially focused on high school or university students, so the supply of used books at other lower levels is much lower. Even so, it is worth considering, especially if you live in the area.
Virtual book bank: find and offer through Facebook
Virtual book bank is a public Facebook group from which request or offer textbooks and school supplies. The objective is mutual assistance among all members of the group, so the purchase and sale of products is prohibited.
Other initiatives
Many colleges carry out through the AMPAS, exchange programs or acquisition of second-hand textbooks through what is known as "book bags." And although these types of initiatives are usually launched at the end of the course, it is worth noting that you inform your school in case you were still in time to request the list of books for the next course.
On the other hand, some municipalities start up solidarity markets for exchanging textbooks or buying and selling second-hand, thus helping the families of their municipality to save on the return to school.
The Community of Madrid, for its part, has launched the Accede program, whereby students from public and concerted schools that adhere will have free books for the next school year in exchange for delivering used books from the past year.
Among so many offer, initiatives and second-hand websites, we are sure to find the one that best suits our needs. Just search, compare and save!- In Babies and More How to save on the return to school: 17 tips that your pocket will appreciate, where and how to buy textbooks for the return to school 2017-2018, Textbooks will be free from the 2018-2019 course in Madrid
