There are many different websites where you can rent or buy textbooks. If you want to learn about some of the best sites, you should click here.
College expenses are not for the faint of heart. Aside from boarding and tuition rates, books cost college students over $1,000 for a year.
With scholarships and grants to offset the cost of tuition, there are other ways to save money on books as well!
If you’re a college student, and you’re pinching pennies to rent or buy textbooks, keep reading for some of the best sites to get your textbooks and save some cash.
- Amazon
Online giant Amazon is the number one website to go to for searching for textbooks. They have over 600 million products, so you’re likely to find the books you’re looking for, whether for purchase or to rent.
One perk of shopping with Amazon: as a college student you receive a free Amazon prime membership for 6 months, through the Amazon Student program. The Prime membership offers free two-day shipping.
- Chegg
Chegg is your go-to website if you prefer to rent books. You get free shipping if you drop the class and return the book. They also come with the guarantee, as well as coupons, incentives, and offers you can redeem.
Chegg also has a program where you can sell your textbooks. You receive a quote fairly quickly, though if they’re not selling the book you can donate to the site instead.
- Campus Books Rental
Looking for the best prices online for your textbooks can be time-consuming, but Campus Books Rental takes care of the hard work for you! The website acts as a resource to find the book with a price that matches your budget, by listing all the possible websites you can rent or buy your textbook.
Campus Books Rental also has an option to sell your book at the end of the semester. The company encourages the students to treat the textbook as their own, even if it’s rented, so don’t be surprised if your book comes with highlights and markings.
- BookFinder.com
BookFinder.com is similar to Campus Books Rental. By searching for your book on the website, you’ll pull up several sites from which to purchase your book.
There are usually many choices to choose from – used, new, editions, hardback, etc. – and you’re able to compare prices.
- eCampus.com
The eCampus is another website that offers textbooks to buy, sell, or rent. You also get free shipping on orders over $35, along with discount codes when the company is running a special. If you need to access the book right away, you’ll receive a digital copy that you can read while waiting for the physical book to arrive.
The eCampus has a program called eWards, which is similar to a loyalty program. With eWards, you earn points for purchases or referring people to the program.
- Textbooks.com
Textbooks.com claims they have the largest selection of used textbooks available allows students to search for any textbook. The website is easy to use and shipping is free when it’s over $25.
If you choose at the end of the year to sell your textbooks to them (which you can!) the shipping is free as well.
- Alibris
While you can certainly find textbooks on Alibris, they sell movies, DVD’s and other books if you’re in the market. They also have a reputation for selling books that are out of print or rare to find.
Alibris is easy enough to use and you can type in several books at once to make the process more streamlined.
- TextbookRentals.com
When you want to rent books online, TextbookRentals.com is fast, effective, and shows you all the best prices. They even give you the duration of the rental time.
If you’re browsing other sites for great deals on textbooks, and you’re not sure which ones are worth renting, you can email yourself a comparison page so you can review it at a later time, or when you’re ready to purchase books.
- Valore Books
Valore Books has a unique feature that lets you track your order even if it’s being returned. They have competitive prices on both new and used books, though shipping is $3.95 per item. For rented books, there’s no shipping charge.
With Valore Books, you can comparison shop and they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied with your purchase.
Things to Keep in Mind When Shopping For Textbooks
The internet makes shopping for textbooks easy. You don’t have to leave your home to find all your books on the college campus or at a bookstore, and they’re conveniently shipped to you. But there are a few things to remember before you purchase all your textbooks.
Make sure you have the ISBN handy when you’re ready to search and that all of the information on the book is correct. This ensures that you receive the correct textbook for the right class. Getting the wrong textbooks means scrambling to find the correct one and could result in time wasted in the class.
Decide whether or not you want to rent or buy the textbook. With renting, you’re likely to get a book that has markings and highlights versus buying new or used. This is a completely personal preference.
