Amazon’s New Textbook Rentals Could Save You Money

Textbooks cost an arm and a leg these days; actually they cost more than that. I, along with everyone else I know, have paid ridiculous amounts of money for a college textbook and the trend does not seem to be stopping any time soon.

Most college students have devised different ways to offset these costs like sharing books, buying used copies and buying books online. Amazon has found a new way to entice college students by now offering e-textbook rentals.

Textbook rentals are nothing new, Chegg.com has been around since 2007 allowing students to rent books at just a fraction of the cost of owning the book.

Amazon’s Kindle is the most popular e-reader on the market right now. The best thing about Kindle software is that it can be used with an e-reader, computer or cell phone. Also, it is free to download.

Students can rent textbooks for 30 days up to a year and will only pay for the amount of the time the textbook is needed with the ability to extend the rental time. Let’s be honest, there are plenty of professors who guarantee you’ll use the book and by the end of the semester you’ve used it twice. Why waste several hundreds of dollars on a book that will never see the light of day after the end of the semester.

For example a Criminal Law by Joel Samaha will likely be used by someone studying criminal justice. A new hardcover version is $126; used versions are about $94 depending on if you want hardcover or not; rent the same book for $38.

Unfortunately not all books are available for rent, but you’ll still be able to find great prices for used books. So whether your taking online classes or hanging out on-campus save some money by renting an e-textbook.