Whether you are a college student or an avid reader, looking in the right spot to buy can result in finding your next textbook on sale at the best prices. Here are a few tips that go beyond thumbing through the sale bins and isles at your local bookstores, to help in your search:

• Membership Clubs - those that offer .99 deals bring immediate savings although be sure to check the shipping and handling fees that sometimes exceed cost savings. Know the future purchase obligations -- how many additional books must you buy and what are the normal prices of these books -- not just the deals being promoted upfont at the introductory rate. Because remember, here is where they make their money. Then there is return policies along with who pays for shipping there.
  
  Doubleday and Oprah are both popuolar book clubs.
  
  
• Non paid for Retail Book Clubs. Borders Reward Club offers no fee to sign up for this and they send you coupons on future purchases that amount to 30% off the retail price.
  
  
• Paid for Book Clubs such as that of Books-A-Million.com. With their Millionaires Club card you pay $20 which gives you 10% off all book purchases and an additional 10% off in-store sale items.
  
  Barnes and Noble also offers a $25 annual card that entitles members to 20% off hardcovers and 10% paperbacks. Even if the textbook is on sale you get 10% beyond this amount.
  
  
• If you are a student in search of a text book, several online book dealers like ecampus.com offers pricing incentives, sale titles under their clearance section and free shipping with minimum purchases.
  
  
• Half Price Books features some new books bought at cut rates that have sale markdowns. Normally found at the isle end displays.
  
  
• Yard sales are a prime opportunity for finding books on sale but supplies and titles are limited. Great for those by former students.