| I had good luck for summer term with books from Amazon.com. I bought new books with shelf wear, etc. being sold for much less. (About the same as used books with markings sold at the bookstore). So I went ahead and got all fall books for D, using half.com and amazon.com. I paid $66 for a barely scuffed new psych text that was $139 at the bookstore new. I paid $14 for a still wrapped math text from a student who never ended up taking the course--over $100 new. I paid $49 for a used science text and we found all of two markings on the inside cover and that was it. It was $140 new. The best thing was that in searching for book, I found publishers study guides that had vocab, practice tests, etc available. Two texts had paperback study guides with the same covers as the texts for $50-60 new, but students were selling them online for $10-15. Often they had minimal writing in the first chagpter, then were clean. For that price, even if they don't get used much I though it was worth seeing if they might be helpful. So D had the psych and the nutrition guides for a combined $22, one had no writing in it and one had some circles in the first chapter practice test and that was it.
I think the rental idea is not bad, either. But there may be texts that can be used again, or serve as references for the nest semester or two. Or instead of renting for $36, buy it for $50 and then get $10-20 back reselling it to the bookstore at the end of the term. Bill's buys books back also.
Also, there are international versions of texts with the SAME EXACT insides, but with different covers. They are often paperback versions. And they are often brand new, shrink wrapped for less than half, esp on half.com. But I waited and didn't try this time. D didn't want to "risk" it being different. But the listing for them will say when they are identical.
Also, we found a helpful page on the math department's website about older versions of the text they use for precalculus (its the same test they use for college algebra and trig) and how the problems are exactly the same from edition 2-4, and the assignments listed for all versions. More folks should know that they don't have to buy the latest edition, esp if they already have the last edition from another class, or purchased before the publisher came out with a new edition the month before!!! | 
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