Buy Home School Curriculums at Book Fairs Like a Pro

Many great home school curriculums can be found at used home school curriculum fairs. By reviewing a current homeschool catalog or website, you can gain helpful information on potential used Pre-K, high school or onlineresources.

For example, you can learn the actual retail value of items to help determine a fair asking price for homeschool used books and save on your cost of homeschooling.

Shopping Tips

Shopping for used homeschool books is similar to hunting for bargains when shopping for groceries or going to yard sales...

• eat a healthy meal before leaving home
• wear comfortable shoes
• have a specific list of homeschool curriculum items needed
• have a budget in mind
• leave young children at home if they will distract you
• remember your cash, checks, debit or credit cards

You can expect to see numerous tables covered with used curriculum resources. If the fair is a small one organized by local homeschool groups, there might be blankets on the ground displaying the homeschool books and resources.

My husband refers to certain cars as having great resale value. I won't mention them here since this site is all about homeschool curriculum. The same thing can be said about certain types of home school books, too.

I know because they are the highly sought-after books that everyone is trying to get their hands on during the fairs. And, for the cheapest price, of course.

They all want to know if I have any homeschool used books from publishers such as:

• ABeka
• Bob Jones
• Saxon Math
• Apologia Science
• Sonlight curriculum

These are tried-and-true, traditional, homeschool resources that work. Often, not only do home educating parents use these favorites but many homeschool co-op groups and tutorials use them as well.

Preparation is Key

You can find some tremendous bargains on used home school curriculums when you are a savvy shopper who does not get distracted by all the stuff there. That's why it is imperative that you shop with a list or at least a recommendation or some idea of what resources to look for.

"Caveat emptor"..................... Let the buyer beware!

Once you spot a resource from your list, you'll want to talk with the seller about several of the following questions to make an informed decision before purchasing. Don't worry about offending either, because this is part of the buyer-seller pre-sale discussions.

• Find out if the book is the current edition
• If buying a Teacher's Edition, ask if the student workbook is still available
• If buying a workbook, check to see if there are any pencil marks or highlighting in the book
• If buying a complete set, make sure all components are from the same edition
• Ask the seller for the grade(s) she used the resource with in her homeschool
• Ask the seller whether she and her children enjoyed using the resource

When buying used home school curriculums, be sure to do your homework before attending the fairs.

Check out the homeschool curriculum catalogs to compare new prices to the used prices.

Don't be afraid to ask for a cheaper price for something. Most times, they are willing to negotiate. When you buy several items from one seller, you can often negotiate for an overall cheaper price for everything.

Go back to Home School Books Page

Return from Home School Curriculums to Homeschool Curriculum
Home Page