{"id":13656,"date":"2020-12-15T11:25:52","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T18:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/?p=13656"},"modified":"2024-02-05T10:47:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T17:47:05","slug":"textbooks-should-you-buy-or-rent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/textbooks-should-you-buy-or-rent\/","title":{"rendered":"Textbooks: Should You Buy or Rent?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attending college carries a number of expenses ranging from tuition, library fees, parking passes, textbooks, and more. Textbooks can be pricey, sometimes costing over $200 for a single book. When you factor in 4-5 classes a semester with some requiring more than one book, the cost multiplies. Don\u2019t despair<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014with a little research, you can find ways to save on textbook costs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before your next semester begins, you have to decide whether to buy or rent your required textbooks. To help you choose, we\u2019ve outlined considerations for each option:<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buying Textbooks<\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The good:<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buying a textbook means it\u2019s yours to keep in case you feel like referring back to it later in college or during your career.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go ahead and mark it up with endless notes, underlines, and merciless highlighting without penalty.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lend it to a friend or family member down the road to save them some money if they need it as a reference or it\u2019s required for their class.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bad:<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buying textbooks is the most expensive option.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on the class, you may have paid a fortune for a book you hardly use.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If it\u2019s a class you aren\u2019t majoring in, you may not want to pay full price for a book you are not likely to refer to again.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Added savings:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sell the book(s) to the college bookstore or another retailer to recoup some of the money you spent. Online stores such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abebooks.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AbeBooks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/textbook\/textbook-buyback.jsp\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Barnes &amp; Noble<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cash4books.net\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cash4Books<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are just a few examples of where you can sell your textbooks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renting Textbooks<\/span><\/h1>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The good:<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renting is the most affordable option of acquiring textbooks. Since more retailers are offering textbook rentals, you can shop around for the most competitive pricing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retailers have made returning books fast and easy. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/New-Used-Textbooks-Books\/b\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;node=465600\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amazon<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> includes free shipping and printing labels when returning books to ease the process.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many rental retailers give you the option of buying the book if you change your mind and want to keep it.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bad:<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must keep the book in good condition, so put that highlighter away. Returning a book in poor condition may result in you paying extra or even full price.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be aware of rental agreements and terms. Make sure you send the book back by the return date or you will be charged an additional fee, or even the full cost of the book.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you lend the book to an unreliable friend or classmate, or lose the book, you will be charged the full price of the book.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Related: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/15-ways-to-save-money-while-going-to-college\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">15 Ways to Save Money While Going to College<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider your options when purchasing required textbooks for your classes. You may choose to rent some books for your elective classes, while purchasing others for classes in your major. Weigh your options and see what makes the most financial sense for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Attending college carries a number of expenses ranging from tuition, library fees, parking passes, textbooks, and more. Textbooks can be pricey, sometimes costing over $200 for a single book. When you factor in 4-5 classes a semester with some requiring more than one book, the cost multiplies. Don\u2019t despair\u2014with a little research, you can find<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":15721,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[5406,5381,5405,5380,5382,1809],"class_list":{"0":"post-13656","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-colleges","8":"tag-book-rentals","9":"tag-buy-textbooks","10":"tag-college-costs","11":"tag-rent-textbooks","12":"tag-save-money-on-textbooks","13":"tag-textbooks"},"better_featured_image":{"id":15721,"alt_text":"","caption":"Top view on colorful stacked books. Education and learning concept background 3D Rendering, 3D Illustration","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":1023,"height":341,"file":"2024\/01\/iStock-1411029939.jpg","filesize":311910,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-300x100.jpg","width":300,"height":100,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":16564,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-300x100.jpg"},"thumbnail":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":13225,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-150x150.jpg"},"post-thumbnail":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-270x180.jpg","width":270,"height":180,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":20427,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-270x180.jpg"},"contentberg-main":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-770x341.jpg","width":770,"height":341,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":80042,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-770x341.jpg"},"contentberg-slider-stylish":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-900x341.jpg","width":900,"height":341,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":91045,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-900x341.jpg"},"contentberg-slider-carousel":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-370x341.jpg","width":370,"height":341,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":42103,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-370x341.jpg"},"contentberg-slider-grid-b":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-554x341.jpg","width":554,"height":341,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":59253,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-554x341.jpg"},"contentberg-slider-grid-b-sm":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-306x341.jpg","width":306,"height":341,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":35829,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-306x341.jpg"},"contentberg-slider-bold-sm":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":13225,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-150x150.jpg"},"contentberg-grid":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-370x245.jpg","width":370,"height":245,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":30688,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-370x245.jpg"},"contentberg-list":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-260x200.jpg","width":260,"height":200,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":20775,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-260x200.jpg"},"contentberg-list-b":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-370x305.jpg","width":370,"height":305,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":35580,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-370x305.jpg"},"contentberg-thumb":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-87x67.jpg","width":87,"height":67,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":9029,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-87x67.jpg"},"contentberg-thumb-alt":{"file":"iStock-1411029939-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":13225,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939-150x150.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"Getty Images\/iStockphoto","camera":"","caption":"Top view on colorful stacked books. Education and learning concept background 3D Rendering, 3D Illustration","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Top view on colorful stacked books. Education and learning concept background","orientation":"1","keywords":[]}},"post":null,"source_url":"https:\/\/wp-media.petersons.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/11072242\/iStock-1411029939.jpg"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>College Textbooks | Should You Buy or Rent Textbooks?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Textbooks can be expensive! 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