When to buy college text books?

I'm about to start college and I was just wondering when I'm supposed to buy my books? I would buy them now but if I end up dropping or changing a class, I defiantly don't want to be stuck with the book. So is it normal or a good idea to wait till about the first week of classes to buy the books or is that too late?When to buy college text books?
I always buy them before the semester starts because I get them online (usually used on Amazon) and it takes a week or two for them to be delivered. If there was a class I was really unsure about I would wait until it started and then suck it up and buy those books at the bookstore (for outrageous prices).



If you look at your school's website your professors might have webpages with a syllabus already on them. I was able to find one ahead of time for about 25% of my professors. Looking at that you will get a better idea of whether you truly need the books (or even want to take the class).When to buy college text books?
If you're talking about a physical college bookstore (on-campus or off-campus), they usually have a return policy that means you can bring it back within the first few weeks for a refund if it's in the same condition. . . or not clearly worn if it was new. . . and you decided to drop the class, etc.



Online doesn't really work that way as far as I know in general, although some places may do this as well if they specialize in college textbooks only. You're probably still out shipping even then, though.



The one down side to waiting to buy books is that your odds are much higher of only being able to buy new ones. The used supply often isn't enough to cover demand, particularly if it's a higher-level class or the thing would make a nice reference book, so it's somewhat of a gamble to wait. Your odds are best of finding used books if you go in just before the staff starts pulling books for those who reserved them as soon as they registered for classes last semester -- they won't always last through even the week or two before classes start.When to buy college text books?
wait until you start class because the professor might not make you buy a book
I use Amazon for many different reasons. First, Amazon is easy to return stuff to. Second, you can cancel orders easily. Third, Amazon usually has promotion for free shipping and has stuff on sell also. Finally, Amazon has just about every text you would ever need. Just make sure you search by the ISBN number to make sure you get the correct text.