Textbooks – To Buy or Rent?
Students need textbooks to complete their class work. And, unfortunately textbooks are not free. Many sites offer new and used textbooks and a new option is renting. As with all choices there are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches which are discussed below.
Buying
Traditionally students bought textbooks and they gathered dust on their shelves for many years. Some students saw the value in selling back their used textbooks to recoup a portion of the expense. Recently online sites have made it easy to sell back their textbooks at the end of the semester and most campuses offer the option to sell their books when they are finished with them. As a result there are constantly more used books available. Generally it seems that if you are not particularly concerned with the condition of the books, buying used textbooks is the best option. They are much cheaper than the same versions when new and you still retain the ability to sell your books back when you are finished using them. However, often times, the publishers, in an effort to increase sales will print new versions with some minor changes. Professors ask students to purchase the newest versions and are thus often unable to purchased used books. This is a problem that is difficult to avoid. A less expensive option which has gained popularity in recent years is the online textbook. You can download a book and read it online. The upside to this option is the cost. However, not everyone can read off of a computer screen and many students prefer to highlight or underline their books and this is not an option with the online versions. Additionally, whereas you can often sell textbooks back with the online versions you cannot so whatever you spend will not be reduced whereas if you can find used, cheap textbooks you still have the ability to sell them back and spend less on the frontend so this seems like the best option when possible.
Renting
Recently a new option has presented itself and that is renting textbooks. Renting involves keeping the textbook for a semester or the period outlined in the contract and then returning the book when the term is up. Rental prices are often half the price or less than buying a new textbook. Renting offers big savings on the front-end but obviously you will not receive anything for giving them back. Renting books online is a fairly simple process as the books are delivered to you and then you can ship them back in the same box that they arrived in and the company will often cover the cost of postage. Obviously it can be quite costly if you damage or lose the book. That being said, if you generally keep your textbooks in good condition, renting can be a great option for you. In addition to the online option, most universities offer students the ability to rent textbooks from the school store. Many students are deciding to go with this option.