Rent Textbooks Instead of Buying Them

This unassuming textbook costs $187. “That is more than $1/page,” reports Santa Clara University student Christine Keating. If you are up in arms with how expensive textbooks can be, as an alternative to buying textbooks, consider the option to rent textbooks instead.

1. Chegg.com has been recognized as the #1 source of college textbook rentals (Student Monitor LifeStyle & Media report, Spring 2010). One student said that it was 80% cheaper than his college bookstore.
2. If your school doesn’t carry a particular book, eCampus.com will be your new best friend. They also have the option to customize the book rental length depending on your needs. Their site says, “We know you’re broke. We’ll make you less broke.”
3. Returning your textbook rentals is easy with CollegeBookRenter.com. After saving up to 85% on your textbooks, their site will help you print out shipping labels to get the books returned in a jiffy.
4. There’s nothing like discovering your textbooks aren’t worth anything at the end of the semester. CampusBookRentals.com is used by over 4,000 campuses nationwide.
5. TextbookStop.com actually gives students an option of renting new or used textbooks. If you don’t want a book with highlighting and notes all over the page, renting new will give you a fresh slate to learn from.

Are you a student that has rented college textbooks instead of buying them? What was your experience?