Where can I find used curriculum online?

I start with my list of books I want to buy. See the January 2007 post titled "Home school books, how do I decide?"

I buy alot of curr. from E-bay http://www.ebay.com/ . Once I search for the title of an item, I save it in my favorite searches. Then e-bay e-mails me for the next 6 months if that specific item gets posted. I bid some rediculously low bid (what I'm willing to pay - I'm a serious cheapskate) and if I don't get it, I just wait until someone else posts it. I've gotten TONS of incredible deals that way.

I look for a lot of Catholic items and have tried Catholic Swap, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cathswap , but prices in other parts of the country and Canada are not the "yard sale" prices we're used to paying here in the midwest, so I don't find much that's a bargain. I have bought a few things from there, though. You just join it as a Yahoo group and when your membership is approved (a few days), you can post & search for what you want.

I've had good luck for Catholic items as a member of the message board at Oro Et Laboro, http://p105.ezboard.com/boroetlaboro . It's a message board you ask to join. They accept posts as (For Sale) FS: Title or (Want To Buy) WTB: Title of book. In the body of the message you can put whatever you're looking for and even how much you'd like to get it for. I use it more often as an INCREDIBLE resource for loving, grounded homeschool moms who will guide me in any quandry from finding yarn at Wal-mart to homeschool reviews and from pregnancy questions to graduation parties. Those women are God-sent. Read Catholic reviews of books & buy through http://tiberriver.com

Throughout the year, I'll buy used books through Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/ . I put in my book title and if there are used items for sale, they'll show up. I always keep in mind, though, that shipping for used items is $3.50 (about), so I add that to the price of the book to see if it's worth it to me.

We have 2 homeschool used curriculum sales in town in April & June put on by different groups. I rarely find Catholic materials, but BOY, do I find great prices on misc. books and curriculum!!

I have non Catholic friends who use All Used Homeschool Curriculum Board, http://homeschool.crecon.com/classifieds/classifieds.cgi (just type the title in the left-hand column search bar) and they also find things at a local bookstore that caters to the homeschool crowd. I haven't found things at either place - I guess I'm just difficult that way!

Then when I've exhausted these resources, I know, I'm going to have to pay for it new. This is where the final pare down happens. Is it really worth it to me? Will I really use it? Then, when I'm done with my last most painful deletions of the list...

I'll give what's left on the list to my little, local Catholic bookstore. I give them my list of book titles, author and publisher with the cheapest prices (such as Amazon) I can get it new and where I can get that (in case they need to look up an item they're unfamiliar with). I discussed it with them beforehand and they can get me 10-20% off the retail price of many new items when I spend a chunck at one time. I usually end up with $200-500 worth of new items I buy through them at a one time purchase. I don't get that discount if I buy just a few books at a time.

P.S. If that's not enough links for you, try www.geocities.com/Athens/8259/used.html - THAT ought to keep you busy for a while....