Going to college is expensive, and buying textbooks is a part of that. It’s frustrating to spend hundreds of dollars on books and only get a fraction of that back when you try to resell them to the bookstore. I know. I’ve been there. Is it worth it to even buy new textbooks, or is it better to rent books for college?
Save on Books at Half.com
When I went to graduate school, I had to buy a lot of books on a limited budget. Besides perusing the local used bookstores, I looked online to comparison shop for cheap college textbooks. A friend told me about half.com. This site is great!
Buy and Sell on Half.com
I was able to purchase many of the required books I needed for half or even less than half the price of buying the books new. And an even cooler thing about this site? It’s easy to sell books on there, too. After I used a lot of my college textbooks, I sold them back to half.com for the same price I had paid for them. Now that’s a return on your money!
Current Deals on Half.com
Right now, half.com has a promo code for saving up to 90% on college textbooks and one for paperbacks as low as 99 cents. I bought a lot of paperback novels from them in graduate school, too, since my major was in English, requiring my reading a lot of literary novels.
(Check the lastest Half.com coupons)
Save on Books at Amazon
Most folks know that you can buy about anything you want or need at Amazon. Amazon has been my other go-to place for used textbooks or other reading material. I still buy lots of stuff on Amazon, including random used books that I might want.
Rent Books from Amazon
I have recently discovered that Amazon also rents books to students. What would you think of paying $21 instead of $100 for your English Composition textbook? Well, Amazon offers that deal. Not all of the buying vs. renting prices are that significant, but you can at least save a few bucks with any book by renting.
Current Deals on Amazon
I wish I had known about the rental option when I was in college. There would have been no more paying nearly $200 for a Chemistry book that I would use for one semester. And you can ship back your rented college textbook to Amazon for free! Grab Amazon coupons to shop with while you’re at Amazon. Right now, you can save $20 off their Kindle Fire. Did you know that some college textbooks can be downloaded as e-books, too?
Save on Book Rentals at Ecampus
Ecampus is another store that sells cheap textbooks. Students can expect to save up to 90% on college textbooks, with the option of buying new or used, or even renting. Shipping is free, and students can sell back any bought books to Ecampus. While full price may not be given, students are given an estimate of what they will receive, and it is certain to be more than what the campus bookstore would offer.
Ecampus Reward System
Another cool perk of this site is a reward system for students. Three reward points, called loyalty points, are given for every dollar purchased. These add up to save students even more on future purchases. Grab some Ecampus coupons to save up to 10% or $10 off your purchase at Ecampus.
Buying vs. Renting Textbooks
So should students buy or rent their books? I think it would depend on the situation. As renting textbooks wasn’t an option when I was a college student, I had to buy all of my books. Still, I would always take advantage of sites like Amazon or Half.com to find the best prices on the books I had to have.
Rent Books You Won't Need Again
What would I do now? I would rent college textbooks that I only needed for a short time. Chemistry, for instance. Or an Algebra II book. I didn’t major in those subjects, so why would I need to keep a book I had purchased or sell it back for a fraction of what I had paid for it? I kept a lot of my English and Literature books from college since those books were in my major. I did sell some of them to Half.com after I graduated, but I kept many of them that I now use for reference. Your major—or even your interests—should dictate which books you buy and keep or rent and ship back.
Use Promo Codes to Buy or Rent Textbooks
There are pros and cons to buying vs. renting college textbooks. When renting saves a lot off the purchase price, it is worth it to consider rentals over purchases. What have been your experiences with buying vs. renting textbooks? Which would you recommend?
