Rent-A-Book?

By Jennie Bartlemay on January 13th, 2010 • back to school, Books, Budgeting, College, School

If you haven't heard already, textbook renting has become a new popular way to study for assignments without having to sell a limb to cover the price tag. In fact, it's becoming such a big thing that even Barnes & Noble is getting into the game. Here's how it works at most sites.

You rent the books online, use them for the duration of the rental period (usually measured in terms, semesters or months), then send them back.
Highlighting may be allowed. However, as with any textbook, if you aren't going to be the last one to read it, be polite and keep highlighting and notes to a minimum.
Many offer free shipping options. In some cases, return shipping is free as well.
Some offer discounts on re-rentals (retaking a class, for example) or offer a full refund if the book is returned within 30 days.

There are many rental sites around. Check out chegg.com, bookrenter.com, and campusbookrentals.com to start. Make sure to check all the details (shipping, length of the rental and lost or stolen policies) before renting. If you don't find your book at one site, try another.

One last thing: Just because renting is cheap doesn't mean it's the best deal. Make sure to shop around--you may be able to find a better deal on a used book.

--Jennie

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6 Comments

I just ran across your blog and wanted to make sure that you knew that eCampus.com also rents Textbooks. You can link to our Rental Page or search through our available rental books here:

www.ecampus.com/rent-textbooks.asp

Thanks.

by Chris Innes on February 10, 2010

There are a lot of textbook rental sites out there. Thanks for mentioning this one.

by jenniebartlemay on February 11, 2010

have you ever tried out eCampus.com? I tried chegg and was having problems so I thought I would try something else out. a friend told me about them and I loved it! the prices are already cheaper and plus she gave me her code EE15007 and it saved me 5% on top of that. you should try it out!!

by Anonymous on June 3, 2010

Thanks for sharing another site that works. Personal experience is often the best indicator when you're looking for products and services online. Thanks!

by jenniebartlemay on June 3, 2010