The great debate as to which are the best textbook rental sites when it comes to the lowest priced books has been heating up in recent years. Here we weigh the best options available to most people, and focus only on the big players as it is these that have emerged in recent years as the core contenders when it comes to providing the best service for the average consumer. We will examine BookRenter, CampusBookRentals, and Chegg. We will then add up the scores and tell you which option is the best so that you can begin to find the best prices right away and with minimal ease. Here are our considerations:
Book Renter
Pretty solid when it comes to book availability and our searches were usually quite successfully so no problems there. They have a good refund policy, but do not offer insurance which is a kind of half good, half bad situation. You can buy and sell on the site which is neat for those looking to do more than just rent. Late fees are a little steep, but their return fee is free, which is good. Shipping times are decent enough, and the loan period is also rock solid. There is no monthly fee.
CampusBookRentals
Has fewer books than the other two, is a little bit pricey, and offers no insurance either. You cannot sell books, but you can buy the ones you rent. The late fees are a bit confusing, but you can also return books for free, but all three offer this as standard (since it works in their favour anyway). No monthly fee and shipping is OK. Not a bad place.
Chegg
This is our best choice when it comes to the top textbook rental sites. It has the most books available by a pretty decent margin. Unlike the other two sites it actually offers insurance, which is important for any postal based rental service- especially an online one. Its refund policy is by far the most comprehensive of the three, perhaps because the site is so well established. The selling and buying options are pretty clear and to the point, which is a welcome bonus. There are no late fees and this alone separates the side immensely from the others. As per the norm there is no return shipping cost at the end of your rental period. Shipping time and costs are both rock solid and dependable.
Wrapping Up
Weighing up all these options, it is clear that our winner has to be the well established and immensely popular website called Chegg, which has been making leaps and bounds in the market in recent years, and is clearly the main innovator among the big three currently operating in the market. It is unlikely that there will be any serious challenges to this dominance until the rest wake up to Chegg’s popular mix of keeping things simple, direct, and efficient. Hence our choice among the best textbook rental sites has to be Chegg.
Is it really that easy to save money on textbooks? YES! Just use the sites listed above to compare prices and shipping to find the best deal available. I have always had success between BookRenter and Chegg but there are always competing sites popping up.
Cheap Textbook Rentals 