All About Renting Textbooks: A Quick Guide

By Allie Mitchell on September 11, 2016

When a new school year starts, about three main things run through your head.

1. Am I sure I am going to like these classes? Or do I really need to take these particular classes?

2. Will I know anyone in my classes?

3. My books cost how much now?!

The last one is a major one that every college student thinks about within about the first two weeks of school. No one wants to get a textbook if they never end up using it, and no one wants to pay an arm and leg for a book they will only probably use once. And even if you sell it back you will be getting less than what you paid for it, whether you sell it on your own or back to the bookstore.

You are currently thinking about all the debt you will yet again be in because of all these “required” books you have to buy and all the assigned readings, and you feel like you are stuck in a spiraling hole of college costs.

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Alas, there is a solution. No, not free textbooks, but pretty much the next best thing. Well, okay, right next to getting cheap used textbooks online there is this handy invention of renting. You heard me, renting textbooks.

I’m sure you have all heard of it. It is this process where you look for the book you need online and when you find it there is usually an option to basically “borrow” it for a certain length of time for a reasonable price, and all you have to remember to do is keep it pristine and mail it back so you don’t get charged any late fees. Easy as pie really, I promise.

Let me break it down a little more so you can fully understand what I am getting at:

Say you are looking for a science textbook, and let me tell you science textbooks are very, very expensive the higher up in classes you go. I’ve spent over $500 on one book alone.

So, you move over to your computer to look up the textbook because buying from the bookstore is way too much money for your pockets.

•First, check on various websites before you make a decision, like Uloop, Chegg or ValoreBooks.

•Second, make sure you look over their rental agreements and make sure you are renting it for the right amount of time. Sometimes you can rent per semester, quarterly, etc.

•Next, make sure to read everything before putting in your information and renting the book.

 •Then, rent your book and wait for it to show up, but in the meantime make sure to print out the return label for when you go to mail it back, and keep it in a safe place. The return labels are usually all the same and there is a specific place where you can find them on the site.

•When your book arrives, open that thing and start studying!!

•Lastly, don’t forget to keep in mind when your book is due, so that you can make a decision as to when you won’t be needing it anymore so you can return it back to where it came from. Late fees are a thing and they are terrible pests.

Renting a textbook has its pros and cons, seeing as yes it is a good option if you don’t want to pay full price or if you don’t want to take a chance on that used book that only says “acceptable” in the description. Yet, renting books can still be costly — not all books, depending on the edition, are going to be cost effective, especially if the shipping and handling skyrockets the price. No one enjoys the shipping and handling when it comes to anything, to be honest.

Generally speaking, textbook renting is usually done primarily online, seeing as it is a quick, fast and easy process. On the other hand, some schools have it where you can rent from inside the bookstore. Your school should have you fill out a rental agreement and then you just rent on site and bring it back when the semester is over (basically when the bookstore is back to being crowded again and the lines are 20 people long).

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Textbook renting is an easy thing to understand but it is a personal decision, seeing as not everyone needs the textbook. I personally don’t like using textbooks because I can’t focus. I’d rather record a lecture than read about it.

In the end, don’t spend all your money, or even worse your refund checks, on highly expensive textbooks, unless they are absolutely needed. And even if that is the case, choose renting — it is always an option and clearly it always will be.

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