So the other day I was talking to my co-worker about school, he goes to UofT and the cost of textbooks came up. He said that he literally bought all of his textbooks last year for no more than 20 dollars each...

In Toronto, where they sell illegal DVD's and bootleg copies of stuff they also sell photocopied textbooks... They are ring-bound and not the best of quality, however they are the legitimate textbooks and they have everything you need to know.

He also said that if you have the textbook, or if your friend does, you can bring it in (if they don't have it) and they will photocopy it and give you a copy for free (obviously they photocopy it twice so they can resell it) He said that he would buy an unwrapped one or even a used one, tell them to be careful and return it after we get a cheaper copy...

I'm just wondering if anyone else has bought textbooks from a place like this? Is it actually legal for us to purchase them? Can we suffer any consequences if caught by Toronto police or McMaster itself? Because obviously 100dollars sounds so much better than 500ish...

Also any other comments would also be appreciated.

Screw that, too much work. Be sleuthy on the internet and find/torrent .pdf's!

FREE books > $20 books

Sounds about right. I've heard the same thing. It's illegal I would think for obvious reasons. (illegal copying and redistribution).

Besides in terms of acquiring textbooks there are many LEGAL options that won't get you in trouble. For instance instead of buying the textbook try renting from Chegg.com or another website. Or buying from previous years or even buying international versions from Amazon. International textbooks are like a hidden paradise. It's more or less the exact same in terms of the material (except for Math maybe since the Q may be different) for roughly half the Canadian price. Buy a few books and you can get reduced or maybe even free shipping.

Waste of paper smh.

I'm attempting to get all the textbooks I need in an eBook / pdf format, and plan on just carrying an iPad around campus

Originally Posted by TheBrickWall

I'm attempting to get all the textbooks I need in an eBook / pdf format, and plan on just carrying an iPad around campus

that's pretty much my plan too! so much more practical...and lighter! :p

Originally Posted by TheBrickWall

I'm attempting to get all the textbooks I need in an eBook / pdf format, and plan on just carrying an iPad around campus

so let me rethink this

i pad = starting 500$

all text books =500+

ebook or pdf = free??

is this a good idea??

should i get an ipad too??

Originally Posted by mfattal

so let me rethink this

i pad = starting 500$

all text books =500+

ebook or pdf = free??

is this a good idea??

should i get an ipad too??

I hate ebooks, I've never been able to effectively study with them.. the biggest draw back is not having a solutions manual, which many pdf downloads lack (or they're just really rare releases from textbook publishers).

I don't know many people who actually use the textbooks they end up buying... a large number of students study entirely from posted class notes. Chem/physics/math are the only books I've extensively actually *read*.

What do you think about buying books off ebay??

Originally Posted by mfattal

What do you think about buying books off ebay??

I would go with textbook sites rather than individual buyers off kijiji or ebay... then again I'd never buy anything off of ebay because I'm super paranoid the seller will screw me over

I'm sure many people have successfully bought textbooks that way, but its riskier than regulated textbook sites.

Originally Posted by mfattal

so let me rethink this

i pad = starting 500$

all text books =500+

ebook or pdf = free??

is this a good idea??

should i get an ipad too??

Think of it as an investment. You buy an iPad now, and you're covered for the next 4 years of school. Also an iPad is just slightly more convenient carrying my laptop around.

Originally Posted by RyanC

I would go with textbook sites rather than individual buyers off kijiji or ebay... then again I'd never buy anything off of ebay because I'm super paranoid the seller will screw me over

I'm sure many people have successfully bought textbooks that way, but its riskier than regulated textbook sites.

eBay works with a system of trusted sellers. So when people buy stuff, they get to leave feedback, saying how fast the item shipped, if it was a good product etc.

So when you're buying, look for the seller with the most good feedback, and you'll probably never have any issues with them.

You'd be surprised how much good stuff you can get for $50.

If you want physical copies of textbook for cheap, try international version. Its usually the same content as the american version but sell for about $50 (while titles sells for >$150). You can get those at ebay and have the shipped. I bought 4 or 5 of them, none caused me any trouble and they often offers 3 day shipping for free.

Originally Posted by TheBrickWall

eBay works with a system of trusted sellers. So when people buy stuff, they get to leave feedback, saying how fast the item shipped, if it was a good product etc.

So when you're buying, look for the seller with the most good feedback, and you'll probably never have any issues with them.

You'd be surprised how much good stuff you can get for $50.

I know how eBay works, thanks.