With student fees already cleaning out the wallets of most students, paying for textbooks has brought the phrase “struggling students” to a whole new level.
Hundreds of dollars are needed to pay for the materials instructors require to help supplement their classes, sometimes trumping the price of the course itself.
However, there are alternatives students can look into to help ease the pain of textbook shopping; renting and buying textbooks from the web.
A student who is looking to satisfy their general credits to transfer could take a class like anthropology.
At the EC Bookstore, a used copy of one of the anthropology textbooks is $71.95, and if it can’t be found, a new copy is $95.
To take the anthropology course itself costs roughly $78, so it just doesn’t seem right that the books cost more than the class.
So, to curb the pain of outrageous costs, students should turn to websites like Chegg.
On Chegg that same anthropology book can be rented for just $52, a definite improvement.
With Chegg, there is the slight hassle of having to wait for the textbook to be mailed and having to mail it back at the end of the semester.
But Chegg does plant a tree for every book rented and that’s better than dishing out the extra $20 if the book was bought on campus.
There are other websites, like Half.com, that students should consider if they want to purchase a textbook they can keep.
The website is an eBay company, so the prices can be hit or miss and students should be wary of the condition of the textbooks they purchase.
For example, a History 101 textbook at the EC Bookstore is $54. used while on Half.com there are copies starting at $14 with fast shipping.
When the end of the semester rolls around, many students attempt to sell their textbooks back to the Bookstore
Students should try selling their books on the web as well on websites like Craigslist, Chegg, and Half.com.
There are plenty of students out there looking for a good deal, so selling textbooks locally or on the renting websites not only helps a fellow student find a good deal.
Renting and selling books online will help to put some extra money back in the pocket of students selling the books.
The EC Bookstore does offer the convenience of being able to walk out with a textbook right away, but that does little to console the poor students around campus.
Students should definitely look to outside sources to find better prices and deals, whether they’re renting or buying their textbooks.-