College is expensive. Books are a big part of that expense. Save money by renting your textbooks.
A growing number of companies on the Internet make it easier than ever to rent your textbooks. There are rules, of course, like you can't mark in them, but if that doesn't matter to you, renting might be a great way for you to save a little cash.
Here's our list of rental companies, including the companies from our original list: 5 Places to Rent Your Textbooks
The top three textbook categories at
BookRenter.com as of early 2012 are Business & Investing, Arts and Photography, and Chemistry. For every order, they make a donation to FirstBook, an organization that puts books in the hands of children.
In addition to renting textbooks,
Chegg.com offers homework help by way of "Ask Chegg Experts," the opportunity to sell your textbooks, flashcards, and other student support. They also plant trees--more than 5 million as of early 2012.
Rent Textbooks from Chegg!
3. eCampus.com
At eCampus.com, you can rent textbooks, buy them, or sell them. They also have ebooks, DVDs, and college clothing. The company supports clean water projects in Northern Ethiopia.
Rent textbooks from eCampus.com
Textbookx.com has a pretty good selection of free ebooks to entice students. It offers bestsellers, reference books, and study aids. The company partners with CampusBookRentals.
Textbookx.comYour own campus bookstore will always have the exact books you need for the classes you've scheduled. They often have used books for rent, too, so don't overlook the opportunity you walk past every day on campus.
7. Rent-a-Text
Follett Corporation, which operates campus bookstores across the U.S., launched its own textbook rental business called
Rent-a-Text.com. The difference with Rent-a-Text is that you pick up your rental books at the bookstore closest to you, hopefully on your own campus.
8. TextbookRentals
TextbookRentals.com lists the new price below the rental price of textbooks because, they say, sometimes it's actually cheaper to buy the book. This is really good advice. Know what you're paying for before you assume rental textbooks are the best deal.
9. Kindle Textbook Rental
If you love reading on a Kindle, you can rent your textbooks on it!
Kindle offers textbook rentals for 80% off the list price. You can also add a day at a time to the end of your rental period if you need to.
10. Barnes & Nobel Rental Textbooks
Barnes & Nobel rents textbooks, too. They've got various rental periods, all of which are extendable. They also offer free return shipping.
