You can rent a house, a car, and even a purse, so why not be able to rent a textbook?
There are now several websites online that students can use to rent textbooks. The websites offer a cheaper alternative than having to buy all textbooks at the full retail value.
Chegg, Cengage Brain, and Bookrenter.com are a few of the websites you can use to rent textbooks for the semester. The average price to rent a textbook from one of the websites is anywhere between 40-70% off of the list price for the textbook.
Students keep the books for the whole semester and the company sends pre-addressed UPS labels to ship the books back.
The companies give the option to purchase the textbook at the listing value at anytime during the rental period. The amount paid for the rental is deducted from the listing value and the purchaser pays the difference.
Although renting textbooks sounds like a better alternative, the down fall of using these companies is that they expect the books to be returned in the same condition as when it was delivered. If there is damage, the renter will be forced to purchase the book.
Textbooks ship in one to two business days and, if ordered before the start of the semester, will typically arrive before the start of your classes. The companies do offer priority shipping for an extra charge for those of you who are always late buying books.
Renting textbooks online may not be an option if you wait until the last minute to get your books. Many of the books are out of stock after school has started and since they are leased until the end of the semester, the chances that books will come in stock is unlikely.
Chegg and Cengage both offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. You have the option of 60 days, a quarter (85-90 days), or a semester. At the ordering point, you can decide if you need additional days or add additional days throughout the duration of your rental.
Chegg and Cengage both offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. Return the books within 30 days and you are guaranteed a full refund as long as there is no visible damage to the textbooks.
Book rentals are a good option for students who are looking to save money on textbooks and do not want to go through the work of selling their textbooks back at the end of the semester.
Half.com is a website many students use to purchase textbooks in any condition from private sellers. It is still a cheaper alternative because books in all conditions are sold on the site. Students can sell books on the site and get nearly the purchase price back, depending on the condition of the book. The only drawback is that the person wishing to re-sell the book does all the leg work.
As with any website, make sure you read the FAQ’s before committing to any fiscal responsibilities and always read the fine print.
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