Many students spend hundreds of dollars a semester on books, and just end up selling those books back to the campus bookstore for a fraction of what they originally paid. While its nice to get some cash back from a book you might not need in the future, the buying and selling process can be time consuming – and there’s no guarantee that your particular edition of the book will still be in demand at the end of the semester. Even when bookstores do buy back used textbooks, they often pay pennies on the dollar of what they originally charged you!
One alternative is to simply rent the textbooks in the first place. Instead of paying full price up front, you can save 65% to 85% of the cover price by agreeing to return the books when you’re finished with them. Even better: You can order textbooks for rent online through Chegg.com.
Semester rentals are 125 days, and there are other quarter-long and summer-length rental periods available as well. If you need an extension, you can also get 15 or 30 days added or another quarter/summer/semester period at a discount price. If that still isn’t enough time with a book you end up really enjoying, you can quickly and easily convert a rental into a purchase. Just make sure you take good care of the book and don’t wreck it!
There’s no fee to search for available books or to create an account, so be sure to check out how much the books you need cost online. Once you’ve got an account, you can order your books from the convenience of your computer and you can expect them to arrive shortly after that.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
There are more options to choose from to save on textbooks. Sometimes it may be better to buy a new textbook but now there are more places to save by renting or downloading.
The best selection I’ve seen so far is at:
http://www.DontBuyTextbooks.Net
April 29th, 2010 at 12:58 am
Yeah this guy is right. Chegg does save you lots of money. When I used it they were offering 70% discounts for putting in code CC126137 when you ordered. When my friend told me I could rent my books I felt so stupid. No wonder my financial aid check was always short.
May 2nd, 2010 at 6:55 pm
i like the idea of renting cheap college textbooks but i prefer to buy the book and sell it off later when i’m done, on my own time. i did check out another site where i can get the book i wanted just by trading another book i already completed using for the semester.
September 9th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
I think renting text books is a great way to save money in college! Another option is to share a textbook with one of your classmates. This way you can both split the cost of the book.
October 17th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I rent textbooks from Chegg and save a lot of money every semester. I wanted to share a Chegg Champion code to get a discount on your text order. Put in the code when ordering and hit the “apply” button. The code also gives you back an additional $5 when selling Chegg your used texts. The code does NOT EXPIRE so it can be used every time you order. Use code: CC123047
Feel free to share the code with other starving students.
October 31st, 2010 at 9:48 am
That’s a great idea. It’s much better than buying the book and hoping to sell it back at the end of the semester for a reasonable price.
November 28th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
This is a new site where you can post your books to rent out yourself. I haven’t tried it yet, has anyone else?
February 24th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
i like the idea of renting cheap college textbooks but i prefer to buy the book and sell it off later when i’m done, on my own time.
January 17th, 2012 at 11:20 am
I really like Chegg they make it easy free shipping, and coupons! I have never had a problem with using their service.