How Rafter Helps Colleges Cut Textbook Costs

April 9, 2013

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Todays guest post is by David F Car. David writes that Rafter textbook rental broker finds niche partnering with public colleges to lower the cost of higher education.

If expensive textbooks perform a part in the rising price of further education, 2 extra villains are typically professors, who allot books without thinking about the price tag ; and varsity bookstores, which stand in the way of change. The way to turn these villains into heroes?  Rafter  Manager  Mehdi Maghsoodnia thinks he’s got the answer.  Rafter works alongside varsities and school bookstores on textbook rental programs and provides a sequence of Web programmes, including one to help faculty adopt the best textbooks while taking factors like price and accessibility into account.  Criticising  professors for alloting costly textbooks is biased, especially with a lack of tools to help them do better, Maghsoodnia related.  “It’s like medication, where the doctor’s inducement is to cure you.

The professor’s motivation is also to complete the job — to teach you.  It’s hard to ask him to also be a pro in the price of distribution and friction in the distribution channel.” Campus bookstores are often cited as an obstruction to breakthroughs like the arrival of free textbooks and other open tutorial resources.  But they have also got a chance to join the revolution by providing, as an example, print-on-demand variations of digitally distributed books.

Rafter is starting to put more focus on handling digital resources, and Sanders asserted he is inquiring into the print-on-demand option. Rafter evolved out of BookRenter, which sells textbook rental services directly to students. That business continues, winning the 2012 About.com College Life Readers’ Choice Awards as the best textbook rental website. The company name was changed to Rafter last year, reflecting a shift to emphasize working through the campus stores.

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Facts About Chegg Textbook Rentals

November 4, 2012

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Just read Martin Rojas’ post on renting textbooks at Chegg. Good article on textbook renting but not many comments. I would be interested to hear what others have to say. My comment was:

Rental is a great way to save money up front.  Buying a used textbook and selling it back may be ultimately cheaper but also has risks if the resale price  drops. I always use a price comparison service to compare rental rates and used rates.

Read the post here:

http://college-college-life.knoji.com/facts-about-chegg-textbook-rentals/

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Cheap textbooks easy to find

September 6, 2012

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Saw this article by LAUREN IRWIN  on tips to find cheap textbooks in The Maroon and thought she made some good points. What do you think?

Do not let textbook costs become the wet blanket to your new semester excitement. There are numerous tactics that allow scholars to save cash on textbooks from purchasing used or selecting an ebook to looking comparison internet sites or using renting services.  According to  University  Board, the average undergraduate student at a personal varsity spent $1,213 on books and supplies in the 2011-12 college year.  “I’m on a budget,” Caroline Hoffmann, history senior, declared.  “I’d rather spend a day scouring the  Net  so as to find inexpensive textbooks than the convenience and high costs of the bookstore.” That day-long search would possibly not be obligatory with new research tools.  As of 2008, schools are needed by The Further Education Opportunity Act to list textbooks’ ISBNs in course lists, giving scholars advance notice of texts’ costs and permitting them to research prices for a superior deal.  With public access to ISBNs, strong online textbook shopping has ensued.  Many comparison sites ,eg half.com and BigWords.com, have grown in popularity, making online textbook shopping even simpler.  Some students have even taken action ,eg Michael White, previous Tufts  Varsity  undergraduate student and founder of comparison internet site GetchaBooks.com.  “We were provoked with bookstore costs and seeing our buddies get ripped off,” White recounted.  “We made GetchaBooks to keep finding textbooks simple and cheap, collecting ISBNs from universities across the land and costs from trusted online book sellers like Amazon and Half.com.” The comparison format speaks for itself. Let us take the World Civilization to 1650 text “Worlds Together, Worlds Apart” for example : it’s priced around the Loyola bookstore new for $148.50 and used for $111.50, but GetchaBooks shows the same edition can be bought for $70.52 at Half.com, $85.99 on Amazon and $70.61 on Amazon  Market-place .

White means that scholars use comparison sites to buy used books but to also find the best place and time to sell back.  Scholars  can regularly make more cash on a text if they sell them online right before the start of the semester, instead of at the end.  “I buy all my textbooks on Ebay or Amazon because its so much cheaper,” finance senior Crystal Locicero declared.

“I sell them on Ebay and make a descent amount back, but it is often a two-week process.” For those strapped for cash and time, renting textbooks could be a great option.  Scholars  can even window shop for rental costs, comparing eFollet rentals to online rentals, on sites like Chegg.com.  Chegg, commonly referred to as the Netflix of textbooks, saves scholars cash while removing the load of selling back or holding onto texts.

As an example, the same “Worlds Together, World Apart” text can be rented new at the Loyola bookstore for $96.53 and used for $71.28, but may also be rented for as little as $41.48 on Chegg.  “Most of my pals use Chegg it is an extremely cheap and simple service,” enterprize management senior Ali Burdig declared.

“They even give you a box to send it back in.” However before renting ensure you understand the renting agreement.

The result to using Loyola bookstore renting services is that they are in harmony with the end of Loyola’s semester.  “I like rentals –the bookstore allows you to keep the book till after finals and are typically new copies,” Hoffman declared. Don’t really want to hire or buy?  For those cosy sans physical textbooks, using electronic books may become the new best alternative.  Scholars  could even be capable of finding electronic books free online on sites like Flat World  Data  and Textbook Revolution.  Today, even a straightforward Google search with the text’s title and “PDF” may produce a free online copy.  White advises to save cash scholars should not buy their textbooks far ahead.  “Go to class the 1st week or 2 and judge how much you might need a text before purchasing it,” White related.  “If you are not going to want it that much, it’s always possible to share a copy with a classmate or borrow it from the library.

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Rent Textbooks Online to Save Money

January 12, 2012

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With the increasing of education costs, many students are facing tight budget for their college degree studies, especially the students who did not get a scholarship and have to fund their education fees with their own money. If you are one of these students, then rent your textbooks instead of buying them will help you financially.

Many students spend hundreds of dollars a semester on buying textbooks that are required by their courses, but after the semester end, they don’t need the books anymore and these books will end up being sold back to the bookstore as the used books at a fraction of the original price.

One alternative to save the money uses to buy the brand new textbooks is simply rent the textbooks from any of textbooks renting service. Ever better, you can rent the book from online textbook renting websites easily from your computer and the books rented will be delivered to your door by mail. Most often, the rented books will be attached with the return labels, which enable you to send back the book with free shipping. Just in case you need to extend the renting period, you can make a request to extend 15 or 30 days added or another quarter/summer/semester period.

There are many textbooks rental programs offered online, which you can rent the textbooks required for your study. Here are the three common resources where you can find the required textbooks and rent them at a low price. If you still want to own them, you could also buy them at a fraction of the cost.

1. Chegg.com

Chegg.com is one of the biggest internet textbook renting sites. You can find most of textbooks used at the colleges. The site contributes in forest saving activities; every book you rent from Chegg.com, they plant a tree through American Forests. You are allowed to highlight the important points at the rented textbooks, but you are prohibited from writing on the books.

2. Bookrenter.com

Bookrenter.com has been recognized as the first and the best online book rental company. It provides a flexible rental period and hassle-free renting and return process, which can be done online with intuitive interface offer unparalleled convenience. They don’t allow you to highlight or write on their books.

3. The School’s Bookstore

Your school’s bookstore may have textbook renting service. Check it out. The benefits of renting textbook from your school’s bookstore are most of textbooks used by school can be found, you can instant get the book and you have a chance to check the condition of the books before renting them.

Summary

The expenses needed for buying textbook may involve a substantial portion of your education budget. One alternative to save same money from buying textbooks is simply rent them. You may not need the books after the semester end, but if you really want to keep the rented books for future reference, you can buy them at a fraction of cost.

Amelia Turner, an educational article writer focusing on online education. Visit Amelia at http://www.your-online-degree.info to find out more details information and free resources about the Best College Degrees, financial aids and other accredited online education options that can help you to make decision to earn your degree online.

 

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Rent Textbooks Online and Save Money

December 23, 2011

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Every college student is looking for various ways to save money. To purchase textbooks, it can cost hundreds of dollars each semester for a book that you probably will not need once that class is completed. Unfortunately for me, I did not have the option to rent textbooks online when I went to college and I in turn missed out on a potentially huge savings and benefit.

Not only is the savings a key point, but also the convenience of shopping at home and not having to stand in lines at the bookstore after searching the store for the books you need. In a tough economy, every student should look for ways to save every dollar while still getting every textbook they need at a great savings. Online textbook rental is a very simple process, simply browse through the site and locate the books you need. Shipping and handling charges are often free and books can be delivered right to your home. Many companies also offer free return shipping once you have finished with the book.

Of course there is the occasion when you really like a certain textbook that is filled with tons of useful information that you would prefer not to have to return. If you decide you wish to keep one, or all of the books, many companies provide the option to purchase rather than return it. I know I have several books that I found valuable to keep, but for the most part, I have many textbooks in my bookshelf just taking up space and collecting dust. If I would have had the opportunity to rent textbooks rather than purchase them, I certainly would have.

I recently assisted a family member of mine in researching some of the websites that offer this service and I would like to share with you what I found out about various options that you have. Please visit my blog: http://my-favorite-reviews.blogspot.com for my recommendations.

 

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