Now that the holidays are over and it is a new year, the spring semester is approaching college students fast.
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Winter break always seems to fly by, so it is important to have a game plan for all the textbooks you will need for this upcoming semester. There are so many options on where to get college textbooks, such as college bookstores and hundreds of online services.
Our ultimate goal as college students is saving money, and textbooks are one of the college expenses that we can control. With the craziness of signing up for classes, moving back on to campus, and buying new school supplies, buying textbooks online is the easiest and definitely cheapest option.
Here are the top five websites to get college textbooks from for this semester.
1. Chegg
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Chegg.com is often named the #1 textbook rental site for college students, and they certainly live up to their name. Chegg is an online only book rental company with a slogan of “don’t buy it,” considering students will save money by renting instead of buying textbooks.
Although most students rent books on Chegg, there is also an option to buy their books as well. Chegg has great prices that are frequently more than 50 percent less than buying a book at a college bookstore. They also have a great return policy — within 21 days of purchasing the book rental you can return the book back without any charge (excludes shipping fees.)
This way if you drop a class or accidentally rented the wrong book, returning it is “hassle-free.”
Another great perk that Chegg has over other companies is that they send you all kinds of free goodies in the box with your books. Last semester I got a Starbucks Double-shot, a Tide detergent pod, and a pack of Downy laundry scent beads, for free!
2. eCampus
http://blog.ecampus.com
eCampus is another great site to rent or buy textbooks from for almost all college courses. This website has free shipping on all orders over $59, which can save students even more money.
eCampus has competitive pricing as well, along with many promotional offers, like free shipping on all orders or even $5 off your next order.
3. CheapestTextbooks
http://www.cheapesttextbooks.com
You can save up to 70 percent when renting textbooks from CheapestTextsbooks. Not only do you have the option of renting, but you can also buy books on this site.
CheapestTextbooks also has a price comparison function, where you can see which sites have the best price for that particular book, so you are always getting the cheapest price around.
4. Book Renter
http://cdn.toptenreviews.com
BookRenter was the first online book rental service and is also still one of the best out there. This company also offers both rental and purchase of college textbooks.
BookRenter has over 5 million textbooks to choose from, so students will most likely find the textbook they are searching for. The website also has great customer reviews that any student can read before making a purchase.
5. Amazon: Textbook Rental
http://amazonadviser.com
Amazon is great to resort to when the book you need is not on the above textbook rental sites. Believe it or not, Amazon actually has their own textbook section of their website, where you can rent or buy.
If the book you need is brand new and not on any other sites, Amazon will most likely have it. Amazon offers free shipping on orders $35 and over. It is also great for when you just need one book or need it in a hurry because if you have Amazon Student, 2-day shipping is free.
If you have no option but to buy a textbook instead of renting, you can always sell it after the semester is over to Chegg, eCampus, or CheapestTextbooks.
Also, don’t forget to check out Uloop for all of your textbook needs as well!