So you have heard of textbook renting, and now you want to try it out. Where are you going to go to rent your textbooks? Chegg and BookRenter.com are two of the top textbook renting sites. Before you try to venture into textbook renting territory, check out the basics of both sites below.
Chegg
The first thing you want to do, if you choose to use Chegg to rent your textbooks, is create an account with them. In the top right hand corner of their home page is a row of five links. Click the ’sign up’ one and fill in the form. It asks for your email, name,the name of your university, and what your class standing is (freshman, graduate student, etc.), as well as asking you to create a password for signing into your account. Once you’ve completed that, you are good to go! The features you get with Chegg are:
- Renting textbooks (they claim you can save up to 80% this way).
- The option to buy your textbooks, if you prefer to own them outright.
- If you buy your books, you can return them for credit to use on Chegg again, or cash.
- The option to sell your old textbooks to Chegg (once again, you can either choose to receive cash, or credit to use on Chegg).
- Refunds for textbooks rented or bought for a class that is canceled or dropped.
- Minimal highlighting is permitted in rented books, writing is not.
- Supplemental materials may or may not be available.
- Returning textbooks at the end of the term is free.
(Click to see if Chegg is still running their 30-day free trial)
BookRenter.com
Once again, as with Chegg, you will want to register with the site before you start renting textbooks. On the right side of BookRenter.com’s website is a box labeled ‘My Account.’ Within that box is a link labeled ‘Register.’ Click on this link and fill out the form. BookRenter.com asks for a bit more information than Chegg, but it should only take you a few minutes. You will need to fill in your email, and choose your gender, date of birth, the state your school is in, the name of your school, your projected year of graduation, as well as whether you will accept third party or promotional mail. The features you get with BookRenter.com are:
- Possibly saving up to 75% by renting your textbooks (as they claim on their homepage).
- Can opt to extend or purchase a rented textbook.
- Textbooks can be returned within ten days for a refund.
- Highlighting and writing in the rented textbook is not permitted– this keeps the book in good condition for the next renter.
- All supplemental materials have to be returned with the textbook, so there is a good chance you will receive the supplemental materials when you rent textbooks from BookRenter.com.
- Returning the textbook at the end of the term is free.
Chegg and BookRenter.com’s additional features
Chegg offers gift cards. Now friends and family can help you rent your textbooks by buying you a Chegg gift card! Also, Chegg promises to plant a tree for every book rented, bought, or sold. They push the idea of planting a tree when you rent, making your Chegg experience more green. BookRenter.com is currently running a sweepstakes: 15,000th Book Renter Contest. A lucky renter could win a year’s worth of rentals and the choice of either cash or an iphone. For those renters who like to have gear emblazoned with their favorite sites’ logos, there is the Tiki Store. It sells t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and other accessories. Also, renters who really love the mascot of the site, the Tikiman, can visit his profiles on myspace and facebook. Both websites are fairly easy to navigate, with links across the top of all pages. This makes it easy to go from the home page to another and back again, without having to hit the back button on your browser. Happy textbook renting!
Useful resources
- How it works - Chegg’s FAQ page. If you have a question about any of the stages of renting, buying or selling textbooks with Chegg, this is the page you want to go to. If your question isn’t answered here, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the small ‘Contact Us’ link.
- BookRenter.com Help Page - BookRenter.com’s FAQ page. As with Chegg’s, this should answer all your questions about renting textbooks from BookRenter.com. If you still have unanswered questions, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the small ‘Contact Us’ link.
