My first trip to the college bookstore is a moment that I’d like to block out. With most textbook prices ranging between $60 to $120 and five classes – many of which required separate lab books – my first semester of books cost hundreds of dollars. I wish that companies such as Campus Book Rentals were around then.
With professors and publishers changing their required textbook list frequently, it’s often hard to find the newest edition at a lower price. It’s also common to have shrink-wrapped bundles available in your college bookstore when you may only need one of the books.
With Campus Book Rentals, you will save between 40-90% when purchasing rental books through their website. I looked through some of the books for subjects that I studied to see how the prices compared to buying the books. One example that I found was a huge savings. If you were to rent Prescott’s Microbiology for one semester, it would cost $47.10. Purchasing the book new would be $156.46 and used would still be higher at $87.99.
Shipping is free and you are provided with a return envelope to use when you are ready to send your book back. There is also a 15 day grace period that gives you the flexibility to hold onto your textbook longer for final exams. If you are attending a summer session, you can take advantage of the 55 day rental over the full semester rental of 130 days.
Sometimes you don’t know if you may want to keep your book for future reference. Campus Book Rentals offers you the opportunity to buy your book after the rental period has ended. You can highlight in your textbooks, just as you normally would with a book that you own. They also have a flexible return policy in case you drop a class.
Campus Book Rentals also donates to Operation Smile for each book that is rented. Operation Smile provides the opportunity for children with cleft lips to have surgery. They have committed to donating enough money to cover the cost of 1,000 surgeries.
If you’re interested in learning more, you can watch this video.
Sherry Compton
July 11, 2012 at 8:04 pmThank you for bringing this to our attention. My daughter had to buy her books at the bookstore then found online buying. Selling back online was a lot better than the bookstore, too. Renting sounds even better.
Whitney J
July 17, 2012 at 12:19 pmI wish it existed when we were originally in school, too! It would have saved us a lot of money. It is such a great concept!