Students looking for relief from the stress of college expenses now have one more option to help them get the textbooks and other resources they need without forking out large amounts of cash.
Web sites like www.Chegg.com, www.collegebookrenter.com and www.campusbookrentals.com are all offering something college students have desired for decades: a cheaper way to obtain textbooks. Textbooks found on these Web sites are available to rent for a semester, a quarter, or as little as a 60-day time period at a fraction of the purchase price.
To rent from Chegg.com, for example, a textbook can be searched and if it’s available, it can be selected by specifying the length of time needed for the rental and then clicking “Rent.” The Web site then shows the student how much has been saved in the transaction. The book is sent and returned through the mail - all with free shipping.
Senior John Whalen said he has never used a textbook rental Web site, but he is glad the option is there for students that need a break from the conventional textbook stores’ prices.
“It’s always good to have options,” Whalen said. “I think (bookstores) definitely exploit students. I don’t think there’s any reason for them to charge some of the prices they do.”
Stuart Lewis, manager of Dakota Textbook Company, said despite the store’s efforts to keep prices low with special offers, coupons and price matches with competitors’ stores, the textbook prices are ultimately out of his control. The companies publishing the textbooks set the high prices students complain about, he said.
Lewis said while the textbook rental sites have not directly impacted his store’s sales, he believes it may be the wave of the future.
“Students want to save money, and I don’t blame them,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we might even be doing (textbook rentals) in the next few years.”
The textbook publishers are even catching on to the rental concept. A story by the Associated Press from Aug. 14 said the publishing company Cengage Learning will begin renting titles to students for less than half of the buying price, while the company McGraw-Hill Higher Education announced it will be partnering with Chegg.com, offering textbook titles through that Web site for rental at a lower price.
In the meantime, Lewis said business has been right where it was expected to be and is not currently feeling the effects of the online medium for renting textbooks.
Whalen said despite his opinion of the bookstores’ unfair pricing, he will continue to purchase his books from the stores because he likes finding the books he needs in one place at one time.
“It’s convenient; you don’t have to look around, you don’t have to shop around,” he said. “I just buy them there and pay $40 to $50 to $100 more per book.”
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