The best ways to save money on college textbooks

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Back to school is right around the corner for all students including college kids and a major expense every semester is college textbooks.

So here are some options for you to save money on college textbooks.

First talk or email your professor to see if you even need to purchase the "required" textbook.

Many professors forego the textbook and replace it with other materials.

If the books are required, you have options.

Check online with an Amazon Prime account. There, students can score better discounts.

If you buy your books on Amazon, you can trade your books back in when you are done with them for up to 80% of their value in an Amazon gift card.

Another popular money saving option is Chegg.com.

This is the company that specializes in online textbook rentals both in physical and digital formats.

Finally, while "on campus" bookstores get a bad rap for being expensive you might still want to check with the store to see if they price match.

For example at University of Houston, the bookstore will price match some of Amazon's prices.

You can also rent e-books.

However, consider an additional cost for the latest tablet.