Where to buy Varsity textbooks in
South Africa
Profgrad has researched where it is that
students buy there textbooks. Is it better to buy a new textbook at a reputable
store or buy a second hand textbook? Where do you start looking for a textbook?
Universities all over South Africa
prescribe different textbooks for different courses. As any student knows,
textbooks can become very expensive. Course content is always being updated and for
this reason texbooks can become outdated from one year to the next. Profgrad
will discuss the major chains selling new textbooks as well as where and how to
buy second hand textbooks.
One of the bigger Bookstore chains in South
Africa is Van Schaiks Bookstore,
calling themselves the official Unisa bookseller. This bookstore will usually
have the majority of the textbooks prescribed by the universities which will
save you time but not necessarily money. From a convenience point of view, the
bigger bookstore chains are definitely the way to go. For more information
about what you can find in a bookstore such as Van Schaiks, visit their website.
Prices are usually not available online so it would be difficult to do
comparisons on prices without visiting the store.
Another big Bookstore Chain in South Africa
is Protea. They however offer both
new textbooks as well as second hand books for Unisa and Tukkies. Students
often go for this option as they do not know where to start looking for second
hand textbooks. This can still be expensive as the bookstore will be an
intermediary between the seller and buyer. As selling and buying of textbooks
is a business to these stores, a profit will be made for this service. For more
information around the books available visit their website.
Second Hand Textbooks – Is it worth it
buying second hand textbooks, even if it does mean you will save a lot. Authors
are constantly updating their textbooks and newer versions are almost available
every year. Universities update their requirements just as often to include the
changes in minor details from one version to the next. This could be a
disadvantage when buying second hand textbooks as the newest version is not
always available second hand. This could include information that might be in a
test that could be detrimental to you and as a result, you could end up making
a career from being a student. There are many places to find second hand
textbooks such as social network sites. Below is a site that profgrad found
very helpful.
Would you prefer a new or a second hand
textbook?
