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Post by monklady123 on Aug 5, 2014 17:40:57 GMT
Someone asked in the pencil/vent thread about renting college textbooks. So I thought I'd start a new thread about that so it wouldn't get lost in the other one, and so others can give their experiences with other companies besides the ones we've used.
We have rented a few from Amazon, but most of ours come from Chegg. Chegg even puts a little gift in each box for the students. lol. My dd has received lip gloss, and coffee in hers.
We can also rent through the college bookstore but the prices are more than Chegg. That option is good for last minute additions to the syllabus, but Chegg works for the early syllabus listings. They send them in a bright orange box, and I just stash it on the top shelf in the closet. When it comes time to return the books you get an email reminder and a link to print out your return shipping label (free shipping). Then you just drop it off with UPS and you're done. When we returned dd's first batch last year there was a pile of orange boxes in the corner of the store. lol
We saved hundreds of dollars by renting.
eta: because of something Voltagain said.... Chegg also lets you highlight or write in your books. At first I thought "really??" but it seems to work. Dd has never received anything with really excessive markings.
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Post by liya on Aug 5, 2014 17:42:48 GMT
My DD rents from Chegg whenever she can. They also have great customer service.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 17:44:06 GMT
I"ve only rented through my college bookstore. Easy peasy and about half the price of buying. They didn't mind marking up the book with highlighters and underlining (but you may want to ask)
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Post by jeremysgirl on Aug 5, 2014 17:45:34 GMT
Thank you for that tip. Unfortunately I just looked up my books for next semester and neither of them was available there. Bummer.  But I will try again in the future. |
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Post by snappinsami on Aug 5, 2014 17:46:05 GMT
This is all so foreign to me. Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was in college, there wasn't any options but to buy books (which was great because I could write in and highlight them to my heart's content). My, how things have changed. Now I just feel old...  |
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Post by monklady123 on Aug 5, 2014 17:50:25 GMT
This is all so foreign to me. Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was in college, there wasn't any options but to buy books (which was great because I could write in and highlight them to my heart's content). My, how things have changed. Now I just feel old... Lol.  I was also a student with the dinosaurs. My dd just shakes her head when I tell her that we really had NO other options except the college bookstore. And how we all lined up that first day or two, lines out the door. Now she said hardly anyone actually buys books in the bookstore, and in fact her college bookstore is a franchise (? or extension? ) of Barnes and Noble. They don't keep much in stock right there. Even if you come to campus wanting to buy certain books they just order them and they all arrive in a day or two. But even as a freshman dd knew to get most of hers by renting. And in fact, I think I first heard of Chegg on 2Peas.  And of course back in the DD (Dinosaur Days) there was no Amazon, never mind Amazon Prime. Heck, there wasn't even internet, and no personal computers. Remember taking programming and wandering across campus with a huge box of those punch cards?? |
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Post by cindyupnorth on Aug 5, 2014 17:53:00 GMT
One dd we buy all her books used from Amazon. Havn't had any problems, and then we sell them back at the end of the school yr. This yr after selling back last yrs books, and then buying used ones for her 1st semester, I made money. Even after buying her books for this 1st semester. Have money left over for her last semester.
Youngest dd is going to a college where the books are part of her tuition. She pays 300$ a YR for all her books. She has to submit her class list to the bookstore online, they pull the books, and it is part of her tuition. Which super helps when she took a biology and economics class her 1st semester which was already over 200$ if bought on amazon.
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The Birdhouse Lady
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Aug 5, 2014 18:23:13 GMT
We have rented all of my sons books from Chegg and have never had a problem. They also offer expedited shipping if your little darling forgets to order something. Don't ask me how I know that!  |
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Post by theboydbunch on Aug 5, 2014 18:30:12 GMT
Thank you for posting this!!!! |
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Post by 1lear on Aug 5, 2014 18:56:39 GMT
We've rented when we could from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. My kids are in charge of finding the best prices-I just pay (ouch!).
I love renting the books-it sure beats buying.
I also remember buying all my books. For some reason, I also kept them! They were worthless by the time I finally got rid of them (probably 10 years later).
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julieb
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Post by julieb on Aug 5, 2014 19:23:12 GMT
Another vote for Chegg! We didn't use it with first two kids, but it has saved a ton for youngest ds's books.
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raindancer
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Post by raindancer on Aug 5, 2014 19:30:29 GMT
I have used Chegg, Bookrenter (slow on the shipping but fine otherwise), Barnes and Noble and Amazon. I have had no issues and often find when one place doesn't have what I want another place will. I love renting, have done it for 4 years and will continue for the next 2 as I complete my Master's.
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Post by turangaleela on Aug 5, 2014 19:37:40 GMT
I've also used Chegg and Barnes & Noble. For my summer classes I was not organized so my books came one at a time and in each box I got a thing of Starbucks instant coffee and a Red Bull. That's what you need for summer classes: energy drinks and caffeine. It cracked me up.
Oh, and I'm pretty sure I heard about Chegg on 2Peas, like a previous poster said.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 19:40:58 GMT
Thanks for the tip on Chegg...my daughter uses Amazon...and loves it...Amazon gave her the option to purchase the book if she decided she wanted to keepit and just pay the difference.. Does Chegg offer that?
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scrappinghappy
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Post by scrappinghappy on Aug 5, 2014 19:54:48 GMT
We always wait till school has started. Even though there is a book list it often happens that professors will say you don't need to actually buy the book. They give handouts or link to online websites. We learned this the hard way after laying out tons of money for DS's first semester.
Now I take all the ISBN numbers and do all my research before school starts. Sometimes it's cheaper to rent and sometimes there is an international edition that works out even cheaper. We always try and sell those and usually recoup more than they cost.
We've used Chegg, Bookrenter and Amazon and so far are very happy with all three. International Editions are purchased through eBay as is the occasional std book if the price is right.
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momto4kiddos
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Post by momto4kiddos on Aug 5, 2014 21:13:05 GMT
One dd we buy all her books used from Amazon. Havn't had any problems, and then we sell them back at the end of the school yr. This yr after selling back last yrs books, and then buying used ones for her 1st semester, I made money. Even after buying her books for this 1st semester. Have money left over for her last semester. Youngest dd is going to a college where the books are part of her tuition. She pays 300$ a YR for all her books. She has to submit her class list to the bookstore online, they pull the books, and it is part of her tuition. Which super helps when she took a biology and economics class her 1st semester which was already over 200$ if bought on amazon. Older dd liked to rent hers, but I compared some of the prices we'd pay outright and there wasn't much savings in renting. She liked it because she could send the book back at the end of the semester and be done. ds we bought a lot through Amazon. We had good luck there and you can always go back and put the isbn in and see if they'll buy it back. They buy back and give you a gift card on your account. Really easy to do and they pay shipping back. This worked out very well for us. |
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naby64
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Post by naby64 on Aug 5, 2014 21:27:54 GMT
Both of my kiddos use Chegg. BUT neither of them have ever said anything about a free gift. Will need to ask them about that.
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sunnyday
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Post by sunnyday on Aug 5, 2014 21:39:27 GMT
I have rented my textbooks from Amazon, Chegg, and the college bookstore. All transactions have gone very smoothly.
I'd check ebay though, too. I once bought a textbook on ebay for $2 that would have cost much more to rent/purchase.
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Post by Scrapbrat on Aug 5, 2014 21:43:13 GMT
DS usually rents from Amazon but he's used a couple of other places too. I was super happy not to have to BUY that $200 math textbook!!
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ddly
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Post by ddly on Aug 5, 2014 21:50:43 GMT
My ds went to a private high school for the last 2 years and we had to buy books. Last year I didn't just blindly buy books, I did some research to save money. I looked into renting and was able to buy the chemistry and geometry books much cheaper. He also sold them back at the end of the year.
Lisa D.
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Post by fotos4u2 on Aug 6, 2014 2:48:13 GMT
We've been using Chegg off and on. I usually compare prices to make sure it's the best deal. We did get burned a little bit last semester. Both dd rented a few books and they were due back before the semester was over! So we ended up paying about $75 in penalties (for 3 books) to keep the books to study for the finals. We only needed the books for an extra week and at least one of the books ended up costing twice as much as it was going to (and ended up not much less than what we would have paid new).
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Post by tidegirl on Aug 6, 2014 3:06:33 GMT
Cool thanks for the tip. Our oldest is heading off to college later this month. So many options and so different from my days in college.
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Post by doesitmatter on Aug 6, 2014 3:16:47 GMT
We do a rent/ buy used / buy new combo by whatever mAkes sense.
We use our college bookstores / Amazon / chegg / Barnes & noble with a coupon.
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Post by theboydbunch on Aug 6, 2014 4:40:30 GMT
This thread is like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...as my son enters his sophomore year and last year's books are still in the trunk of his car, that he couldn't sell back! Thanks again!
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IPeaFreely
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Post by IPeaFreely on Aug 6, 2014 6:05:56 GMT
i love renting the e-book. even cheaper than renting the regular book.
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Post by monklady123 on Aug 6, 2014 9:56:50 GMT
This thread is like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...as my son enters his sophomore year and last year's books are still in the trunk of his car, that he couldn't sell back! Thanks again! Yep, good advice comes from the Peas. I'd never heard of renting books until I read about it at the old board. |
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Post by Patter on Aug 6, 2014 10:15:05 GMT
i love renting the e-book. even cheaper than renting the regular book. Anyone know if you can rent the e-book on multiple devices? For instance can dd read on her kindle and her laptop or is it usually only for once device? |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2014 12:38:05 GMT
I was one of those who bought and saved all of my college textbooks for years. I'm talking about huge nursing/medical books, which I moved with me several times because I didn't have the heart to get rid of them, knowing I paid a fortune to buy them. The worst part is, I left Nursing about 20 years ago and just now got rid of the rest of them. We're moving again and I guess I finally got a clue. That being said, I was still sad to see them go and I have to confess, I piled them up, threw my old stethoscope on top of the huge pile and took a picture for memories sake. LOL!
ETA: I'm glad to know my kids can rent their books and they won't be saddled with the same burden!
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Post by JustKim on Aug 6, 2014 13:47:25 GMT
I am doing online classes so most of my books are ebooks, but this last class it was not an option. I use bookrenter and have had no problems. I get the book in just a few days and you have 14 days to return for full refund. I saved $200 on 1 book this class. I will have to check out chegg next time.
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Post by JustKim on Aug 6, 2014 13:52:03 GMT
shop around..I just checked out chegg for the current book I am using and it was $39.99 and on bookrenter I paid $26 for the same amount of time. still way better than buying it at full price.
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But I will try again in the future.
I was also a student with the dinosaurs. My dd just shakes her head when I tell her that we really had NO other options except the college bookstore. And how we all lined up that first day or two, lines out the door. Now she said hardly anyone actually buys books in the bookstore, and in fact her college bookstore is a franchise (? or extension? ) of Barnes and Noble. They don't keep much in stock right there. Even if you come to campus wanting to buy certain books they just order them and they all arrive in a day or two. But even as a freshman dd knew to get most of hers by renting. And in fact, I think I first heard of Chegg on 2Peas. 
