Textbooks & study books

Textbooks and study books: a full year set or a single book

Updated 20 October 2026

First, find out exactly which books you need

The school usually shares a list: author, subject and sometimes the publisher. Syllabuses change, and a new edition can differ from the one your older sibling used. Before buying second-hand, check the edition year and the board or syllabus the class follows (national or regional). For college or exams (entrance tests, IELTS), the list depends on the course or the teacher.

How to search with BlaBlaPrice

Instead of walking round bookshops and phoning around, you write one request: what you need, for which year, new or used. It is checked and you are told what is missing. Sellers answer in the chat: whether they have it, which edition, price, delivery. Reviews are shown next to each offer, and the best match is shown first. Only the seller you choose gets your contacts. See How it works for the details.

What to put in your request

• Subject — maths, English, a foreign language, physics, programming;
• Class or level — Year 7, a college course, entrance test or IELTS preparation;
• Author and publisher — for example, the publisher your school names;
• Edition year or syllabus;
• Quantity — a single book or a full year set;
• Condition — new, or used without markings;
• Language;
• Budget and your city for delivery.

Example: “I need a full set of Year 7 textbooks, 2024 edition, new or used without markings, in English. Courier delivery to Durban. Budget up to R 300.”

New or used textbooks

Used books are usually cheaper, but check that no pages are torn and the exercises in workbook sections are not filled in. Workbooks are better bought new, because they get written in. Ask whether extras such as a CD for a language book are included and whether the covers are intact. For a set, it is cheaper to buy from one seller: delivery costs less and there is less risk of mismatched editions.

How to compare offers

Look at the full price including delivery, and do not mix up similar books: the title can match while the author and year differ. Ask about returns if the wrong edition arrives. For novels and magazines there is books and magazines, and for music or films for lessons see discs and records. Work out the delivery cost of several heavy books separately: a year set weighs a lot, so collecting in person is sometimes cheaper. For entrance tests or IELTS, check the year of the practice books, because the question format changes and an outdated book can let you down. Do not hesitate to ask the seller for photos of the contents page and a few inside pages: they show pencil marks and torn pages.