01-04-2011, 02:43 AM
Quote:Got Online Classes? Don't Buy Textbooks -- Rent Them Instead, Part I
If you're taking online classes, we don't have to tell you that the cost of online degree programs can be quite daunting. If you're receiving financial aid and have all of your expenses covered -- great! If not, you know that the total cost of college textbooks can come as quite a shock at the bookstore checkout counter.
According to CollegeBoard.com, the average cost of books at "four-year public colleges in 2010-11 is $1,137." That's a pretty healthy chunk of change on top of tuition, fees, parking, and other college-related expenses.
Rent Books Instead
Did you know that you can actually rent your textbooks? Unless you want to keep your books, there is absolutely no reason to spend several thousand dollars each year buying them. Although colleges offer buy-back incentives at the end of the semester, you will only be offered a fraction of what you originally paid for the book.
Now, you may want to keep textbooks that are related to your major field of study. For instance, you may want to keep your accounting textbooks or your college punctuation and grammar handbooks for future reference. However, unless you're planning a career teaching history, you'd be better off to rent those books instead.
The cost of online degree textbooks and materials may dissuade some individuals from taking the first step toward pursuing a degree. If you can relate to this scenario, book rentals may be your best option.
When you rent textbooks, you simply order the books online from one of the textbook rental companies and they send them to you. At the end of the semester, you return the books with the postage-free label provided to you. It's that simple
Textbook Rental Companies
It's easy to find textbook rental companies online, but here are some of the most popular websites that provide this service for you:
Chegg.com -- Chegg.com is probably the most popular textbook rental site on the Web, and they also promise to plant a tree for every textbook rented. Chegg.com also offers a 30-day return guarantee if you order a book that you do not need. The only drawback is that if you've ordered a book by mistake, they will not pay the shipping.
Chegg.com also offers a shipping guarantee. They guarantee that you will receive your book by the date on your order confirmation. Additionally, they offer a guarantee of book quality and ask that users take good care of the books, limiting the amount of highlighting and wear and tear. Finally, they "make every effort" to include supplemental materials (CDs, DVDs, etc.), but this is not an iron-clad guarantee.
Chegg.com provides a simple process, as outlined on their website:
1. Rent Them
2. Get Them
3. Return Them
Additionally, Chegg.com will buy your textbooks using this three-part process:
1. Get a Quote for your textbooks
2. Ship Books free via UPS shipping
3. Get Paid upon receipt of books
Compare Prices before You Buy or Rent Books
Before you subscribe to any book exchange, be sure to compare prices. Shop around a little to see which company offers the best services for the price.
Regardless of whether you attend classes in a traditional setting or are pursuing a distance degree, do your best to cut costs wherever possible. In Part 2 of this series, we'll review more book rental services.
Quote:Got Online Classes? Don't Buy Textbooks -- Rent Them Instead, Part II
Online classes are a great convenience, but what do you do when you need to buy your books? You probably opted for a distance degree because you don't want to leave the comfort of your home to attend college, or perhaps you live too far away to make the trip a feasible option. No worries. You can reduce the cost of online degree programs by renting your textbooks instead.
In Part I of this series, we discussed the advantages of textbook rentals and reviewed Chegg.com. In Part II, we'll review three more textbook rental sites for you.
Online Book Rental Companies
CollegeBookRenter.com -- CollegeBookRenter.com provides "cheap" textbooks "because college is expensive enough." They will also allow you to order your textbooks early and keep them late. According to their website, "All orders placed now through January 11, 2011 will automatically receive an extended due date of May 20, 2011 at no additional charge and FREE premium ground shipping."
CollegeBookRenter.com claims to rent textbooks at 85% off college bookstore prices. Once you order your textbooks, they will ship them to you. Once you're ready to return them, you simply print a postage-paid return label. Additionally, if you have some books you'd like to get rid of, CollegeBookRenter.com may purchase them from you.
BarnesandNoble.com -- BarnesandNoble.com allows you to choose the amount of time of your textbook rental, with 60, 90, and 120-day rental periods. Additionally, you may extend your rental, if necessary, up to 125 days.
BarnesandNoble.com stresses the care of rental textbooks and may charge you the full retail price of the book should you return it with excessive highlighting or other apparent damage to the book. They have a 21-day return policy but will grant an automatic 15-day extension if you do not meet the deadline. However, after the 15-day extension, you will be charged the full rental price of the book if it is not returned.
BookRenter.com -- BookRenter.com claims to offer a 75% savings on their textbook rentals when compared to bookstore prices. Additionally, they allow students to write or highlight in the books, which may be ideal for students who study more efficiently by taking notes in the margins or highlighting text. Like other textbook rental companies, they ship the books quickly and provide free return service once you're finished with your books. They also donate one book for each book rented to a program called First Book, which donates books to children in need.
Why Buy When You Can Rent?
There's no doubt about it; attending college is expensive, but there are ways to cut costs. Renting textbooks is just one way to save hundreds of dollars each semester and thousands of dollars over the course of your college education. If the cost of a college education is holding you back from making that first step forward, consider renting your textbooks and other money-saving options that will make your college education more affordable.