Amazon.com is truly a wonderful website. It's the place to buy last-minute Christmas items, home goods that you would normally find at Home Goods, a devotional for your bible study, a coffee mug or anything else your heart desires.
In the case of this article, it's a great place to buy textbooks. I've bought the majority of my textbooks from Amazon since I first started college. The textbooks are cheaper, and now that I have Amazon Prime, my textbooks are delivered sooner than I ever expected. However, just like anything else, there are a few flaws with buying your textbooks online. Here are a couple of pros and cons of buying textbooks off of Amazon:
Pro: When using Amazon Prime, you always get free shipping and handling.
If you have an Amazon account but you don't have Amazon Prime, you should probably go ahead and get that taken care of. Having Amazon Prime was a great benefit for me. Not only did I get free shipping and handling, I also received my textbooks in fewer than three business days. All you have to do to get Amazon Prime is pay $50, and the subscription lasts for a whole year.
Con: If you have to do homework for a certain class, you may not get your book in time.
This has happened to me a couple of times. I ordered a couple of textbooks on a Wednesday afternoon. I had homework in one of those classes that was due Monday, but the books didn't make it in on time. Be sure to order your textbook as soon as you get your syllabus. If your class is on a Thursday, order it the day before.
Pro: The textbooks are usually cheaper.
On Amazon, I bought three textbooks for a total of $160. At the bookstore, I saw one textbook that would have cost $160. It's easy to say that I got a much better deal off of Amazon.
Con: Not all of your textbooks have access codes.
For a certain class that I had, my teacher told me that there was an access code that came with the textbook at Barnes and Noble. When I ordered the exact same book from Amazon, I had to buy the access code separately. Make sure to read all of the reviews for textbooks on Amazon before you make your final decision.
For a college student on a budget, I love buying all of my textbooks from Amazon. Buying my textbooks this way is definitely worth it, flaws and all.
