Where to buy university textbooks: a guide to course materials and secondhand books

Start with your confirmed courses and required materials. Then compare your university co-op, bookshops, online shops and secondhand marketplaces by edition, condition, delivery date and total price.

This guide helps students check what they need before buying. Unima is currently in development; you cannot buy textbooks through this website yet.

1. Check the syllabus and your instructor’s latest guidance

Materials can differ by instructor and academic year, even when course names are the same. Confirm whether a book is required or only recommended. Keep this information together before searching:

• Course and instructor names
• Book title, author and publisher
• Required edition and publication year
• ISBN, if provided
• Whether print or digital formats are accepted
• Required supplements or online access codes
• The first class in which you will need the materials

Check your university or co-op’s current instructions for sales dates and ordering arrangements.

2. Compare places to buy textbooks

University co-ops and designated sellers

Start with your university’s textbook sales information. Course-specific lists, where available, can help you match the required materials. Check reservation requirements, pickup locations, sales dates and return conditions before paying.

Bookshops and online book retailers

Use the ISBN and edition to find the correct book. Check availability and expected dispatch dates as well as price. If a book needs to be ordered in, make sure it can arrive before you need it.

Secondhand bookshops and marketplaces

Check the edition, volume and language carefully. Compare the total cost including delivery, and ask about annotations, missing pages and supplements. A secondhand copy is not necessarily the cheapest option.

Other students

A book used at your university last year may not be suitable for this year’s course. Confirm the instructor and required edition, and agree on condition and price before arranging a handover.

3. A checklist for buying textbooks on a marketplace

1. Match the cover, publication details and ISBN to the required book.
2. Check the edition, volume and language.
3. Ask about highlighting, completed exercises, tears and water damage.
4. Confirm that required supplements, discs or answer booklets are included.
5. If an online access code is required, check whether it is unused or available separately.
6. Check the total price and the date you can receive the book.
7. Read the marketplace’s guidance on items that differ from their description.

A useful message to a seller is: “My course requires the third edition. Could you confirm the edition and ISBN, show any annotations, and tell me whether the access code has been used?”

For an in-person handover, choose a public place and a suitable time. Check the item when you receive it and follow the service’s transaction rules.

4. Course materials can include more than books

Some courses require workbooks, language materials, practical equipment or software. Owning a secondhand book does not necessarily provide access to a separate licence or online course. Check whether new materials or a specific purchase method are required.

For occasional reference reading, you can also check your university library’s catalogue. Loan periods and availability may make borrowing unsuitable for a book needed in every class, so confirm your course requirements first.

5. Common questions

Should I buy everything before my course registration is confirmed?

Changes to your timetable or course selection may leave you with materials you do not need. Follow your university and instructor’s guidance, considering both sales dates and when each item will first be used.

Can I use an older edition?

Page numbers, exercises and content may differ. Buy the specified edition or ask your instructor whether an older one is acceptable.

What should I include when selling a textbook?

List the title, author, publisher, edition, ISBN, condition and supplements. Describe annotations and missing items clearly. Check that photographs do not reveal your name, student number or other personal information.

6. Meet Unima, a marketplace for university students

Unima is being built for students to buy and sell textbooks, clothes and everyday essentials with others at their university. The planned experience combines university email registration, in-app chat and campus handovers.

The iPhone app is in development, with a launch planned at Waseda University. Listings and available textbooks are not yet announced. The launch date and App Store link will appear on our home page when ready. Unima is independent of universities and university co-ops.