Where and how to buy textbooks for the return to school 2017-2018?
Although there is still summer to enjoy, the school is approaching and the most cautious parents already think of where to buy textbooks for the next 2017-2018 school year.
To help parents in the search, we take a tour of the main places to get textbooks with time and without stress. So, you are sure and calm that your children start the course with all the books they need in their backpacks to start school on the right foot.
Amazon: your school's list of books
As of this year, Amazon has launched a specialized platform called Cole Books that allows you to locate the complete list of textbooks of each course by school. Entering your place of residence, your child's school and the course, and you will see the list of books requested by the center.
You save having to go looking for each book one by one; You already have them all, although you will always have to do the check with the list of your center since the list has been compiled from unofficial sources. It also offers you the option to share the list with other people.
Once you have them located, select which ones you want and add them to your shopping cart (you can add them one by one or all together). It only remains to confirm the order and pay, and at 24-48 hours you have the books at home. He shipping is free if you are an Amazon Prime member or the purchase exceeds 19 euros.
To access, you have to enter this link and have the advantage that you have everything given in one place. In five minutes you can get rid of buying books. Maximum comfort
The drawback is that it does not have all the courses of all the schools in Spain. That is, probably, even if your child's school appears, the list of your course does not appear. In that case, you will have to go to the Back to School portal and locate the books by title or by ISBN. Also know that Amazon has the possibility of buying used books, which is a saving, although they are not all.
El Corte Inglés: finances you back to school
The English Court It also has an online sale for textbooks, which can be found in the search engine through the ISBN (the 13-digit number that identifies each book). When introducing it, the book appears with the option to buy it online and receive it at home before August 31 (a disadvantage if we compare it with the speed of Amazon) or pick it up at the centers of El Corte Inglés or Supercor. Shipping is free.
The advantage for customers who have the Purchase Card is that The English Court finances you back to school. It allows you to create an open Back to school account through which you will be able to pay everything you have purchased (textbooks, material, uniforms, etc.) from October 31, 2017. Payment can be made in a payment or financed in three, six and nine installments.
Carrefour: gift voucher of 10 euros for school supplies
In the Textbooks section of Carrefour you can find the book by entering the ISBN (without hyphens) or directly the title, or if you prefer, guided by the menu on the left according to subject, course and editorial. Search mechanics are quite precarious compared to the competition, since you have to enter the ISBN of each book.
It offers a gift voucher of 10 euros for every 70 euros of purchase in books of Primary and Secondary Compulsory in a single purchase. Said coupon You can exchange it for the purchase of stationery, school bags, computers and school uniformity from August 16 to September 25, 2017. If you return the books you will also have to return the amount of the discount coupon.
You can receive textbooks at home for free in 48 hours or pick them up personally in the hypermarket, and has financing in three months without interest.
Book house: your money back
Your school's list is not only on Amazon. In the specialized portal Textbooks of Casa del Libro you can also find the list of textbooks of your school by courses. Only when doing the same search in the two I have found a difference of five books, so it is convenient both here and on Amazon to always check the list you choose before proceeding with the purchase.
You can also find the books you need by entering the ISBN codes separated by commas or by course. Once they appear you can add them all or those you want to the shopping cart and proceed to the payment.
Like the previous ones, Shipping costs are free and gives you the option to pick them up in store. In addition, it has the advantage that if you return the books before the start of the classes, they return the money.
Dideco: discount for large families
The Dideco toy store also gives you the possibility to buy textbooks for the next course through its website. To search for them, you can do so by ISBN (without hyphens or periods) or title, or narrow the search by subject, editorial or course.
You receive your order in 48 hours, but you have to pay shipping costs up to 90 euros shopping. If you prefer, you can pick it up at your nearest store. It has a return term of 120 days for textbooks. It is not faster or cheaper than its competitors, but large families can benefit from a 10% discount with the Dideco card.
Neighborhood Bookstores
Small businesses tend to be at a disadvantage compared to the services and prices offered by large stores and online sales, but be sure to check the conditions in your neighborhood's bookstore.
It may surprise you or there is hardly any difference and in the way you contribute to small local commerce.
At school: comfort and confidence
The option of the school is very practical if we consider that on the first day of school, students receive their full pack of books for the entire course.
There is no place for error in the books requested since it is the school itself that supplies them. It has the advantage, in addition to some schools, deferring the payment of books in two or three months, which the parents' pocket is grateful for.
All sites offer very similar prices; The purchase decision goes through the services offered by each one: cost and shipping time, availability, discounts, financing, shopping experience, trust, etc ...Where is it cheaper to buy textbooks?
We have made two purchase simulations to find out which of all sites offers the best price.
1) Unit purchase
We have chosen a Savia Primary (Quarterly) Language book - Grupo SM (ISBN 9788467575057) and we have found that in general the prices are very similar everywhere, except in Dideco which is more expensive. If we also consider that they charge shipping costs it became the most expensive by far, except if you are a large family that has a 10% discount and would be at the average price.
€ 29.60 on Amazon, El Corte Inglés and Casa del Libro
€ 29.80 in Carrefour
33.96 euros in Dideco
2) Complete purchase for sixth grade books
We made the second purchase simulation with a complete list of 11 textbooks for Primary Sixth from a school in Madrid. The prices ordered from the cheapest to the most expensive:
Book House: 230.13 euros
In Casa del Libro I have found total availability of the eleven books. Those in English have a 5% discount and an ** automatic discount coupon of 4.04 euros was applied ** I don't know what it corresponds to (you can see it in the screenshot, I have not entered any promotional code). Shipping, free.
Carrefour: 246.85 euros
In Carrefour I have found the 11 books with total availability, but when paying them they are separated into two shipments. On the one hand those managed by Carrefour, all of Spanish, and in a separate shipment those of English, managed by another company for whose shipment they charge 2.99 euros.
For the purchase, give away 20 euros in two coupons for purchases of school supplies other than textbooks.
Amazon: 252.65 euros
In Amazon I have achieved total availability of the 11 books and free shipping in 24-48 hours, the fastest.
The English Court: 252.81 euros
The shopping experience on the El Corte Inglés platform has not been particularly fluid, since despite having spent about an hour with the process it has not been possible to add the selected products to the basket. (Notice: At this time it is not possible to add the product to the basket. Please try in a few minutes).
Apart from that, one of the English books is not available and the dictionary has no home delivery so you should go to buy it from a center personally.
Dideco: 229.35 euros (10 books)
Regarding Dideco, I've got ten of the eleven books (One of English does not appear registered on the web although you can probably order it personally in store).
When comparing prices, it is the most expensive, but if we include the English book that costs about 32 euros, the total purchase would remain at 261.35 euros, and if we apply the 10 percent discount for a large family, It would remain at 235.35 a price only surpassed by Casa del Libro.
Conclusion
With all these simulations, we have got quite similar prices on all platforms (except Dideco which is more expensive without discount) so when buying I recommend look for the difference in services that each platform offers you as a shopping experience, shipping cost, delivery time, if it has availability or not, if you get special discount or financing in installments.
The key is not which is cheaper (the difference is minimal) but value which one offers a better service to the buyer.
