Although most rental sites offer similar programs, there are some differences between the top textbook rental sites. For the best deal on books, shop around and rent from a site which offers books at the best prices. Some sites stand out far above the others in terms of rental polices and benefits to students.
Try Chegg for Cheap Textbooks
Chegg offers book rental and book buy-back options. They offer free shipping both ways and a 30-day guarantee. Books can be returned for a full refund during the 30 day period for any reason, a useful option for students who register for and then drop classes within the first few weeks of class.
The difference in cost between buying a textbook and renting through Chegg is huge. At the time of publication of this article, American Government and Politics Today: The Essentials 2008 was renting for $21.90 for one semester. Purchase price of the book at the college book store is $140.95.
In addition to renting and buying back textbooks, Chegg is popular with students for their Chegg Champions program. Students can sign up for free to become a Chegg Champion, which is essentially a Chegg affiliate. In exchange for promoting Chegg with their classmates, students can earn credits for books, Chegg swag and cash (via PayPal or Chegg debit card). They also plant a tree every time someone rents a book from them. To date they boast having planted over 4,000 acres of trees!
Campus Book Rentals Offers Great Deals
Campus Book Rentals, another popular rental site offers similar benefits that Chegg does. They have a 30-day guarantee, free shipping both ways and they both rent and buy back books. Their price at the time of this article for the American Government and Politics Today: The Essentials 2008 book for one semester was $28.19.
The cost is only slightly more expensive then Chegg, but they don’t offer some of the student-friendly benefits of Chegg, like an affiliate program for students, free swag or the environmentally friendly plant a tree for each book program.
Another Book Rental Option is Book Renter
Bookrenter is the most expensive of the rental sites researched. For the same American Government book, they charge $54.57 a semester. While Campus book rentals offers a free 15 day grace period, Bookrenter charges a late fee for books not returned by the rental deadline. The late is actually quite expensive, 20% of the book rental fee for up to 15 days late. If the book is not returned by 14 days after the rental deadline, Book Renter charges 140% of the book's list price minus rental costs and the cost of the 14 day extension, plus a $10.00 service fee.
Book renter does offer a charity program like Chegg. They donate one book to First Book, a free book program for children in need. Given their extremely high late fees though, Bookrenter.com should be the last choice on the list of rental sites.
There are numerous other book rental sites that can be goggled for price comparison. For great deals on textbooks, students should also consider the library or used books. If the required textbook is not available on a book rental site, try half.com, abebooks.com and amazon.com for excellent used book deals. Textbooks are one of the greatest expenses involved in getting an education but luckily, they are one of the easiest supplies to cut costs on.
Rhiana Jones - Rhiana Jones is a freelance writer with a business background in customer service, marketing, and copywriting. She is a former ...
Join the Conversation