 "Photo: Albert Ramirez")
As students try to stretch strained budgets, interest in textbook rentals is growing and more companies are offering the service.
Some companies claim renting can reduce book costs by up to 70 percent.
Off Campus Books began offering textbook rentals in 2007 with 10 titles at their disposal, said Director of Operations Rachel Harrop. The service has grown gradually each semester and now provides about to 50 titles.
“We agree with students, textbook prices have gotten ridiculous,” Harrop said. “We’re hoping to soften the blow.”
Anuj Sehgal, Stanza Textbooks director of operations, said cashiers tell students if a book qualifies for rental when they make the purchase.
Sehgal said Stanza Textbooks offers rentals for most high-priced titles in stock, about 100 in all.
A new book priced at $100 would cost the student a $45 rental fee and a $55 deposit on the book, Sehgal said. When the book is returned at the end of the semester, the $55 is refunded. Alternatively, the student can choose to keep the book and Stanza Textbooks will keep the deposit.
The store has a lenient policy about accepting returned books. Filling a textbook with notes or highlighted paragraphs is allowed, as long as the book includes all original pages and remains legible when returned.
Off Campus Books labels textbooks available for rental with a red sticker. Off Campus Books will also allow the student to receive more than their deposit back, depending on the selling price of the book for the next semester.
UTD’s on-campus book-store, operated by Follet, isn’t offering rentals this semester, but is committed to start a textbook rental program this fall, said Assistant Vice President for Business Affairs Peter Bond.
Follet began offering textbook rentals at their UT Arlington and University of North Texas locations last fall. The UTD Bookstore has been managed by Follet since November 2009, replacing Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, Inc.
Textbook rentals are also available through online vendors. Chegg.com was founded in 2003 and has an inventory 2.4 million titles, according to the company’s Web site.
Similar to Off Campus Books and Stanza Textbooks’ policy which allows highlighter use and note taking. Chegg is different from the local vendors in a few ways.
Chegg drops the deposit but adds a shipping charge. The shipping charge is only required for delivery, and return shipping is free. The Web site also promises to plant one tree for every textbook ordered through their service.
Sticker shock prompted business graduate student Darren Ware to rent from Chegg during the fall 2009 semester.
Ware said “Statistics for Management and Economics” retailed for more than $200, while Chegg offered the same title for $75, tax and shipping included. The book arrived in three days in good condition and contained minimal marking.
The only issue Ware experienced was a missing supplementary data disc from the book. Ware said he contacted company management and learned that Chegg doesn’t guarantee that supplemental materials will arrive with any used textbooks.
Ware had to borrow the disc from a classmate for class assignments. Overall, he said his renting experience was good and he will probably do it again.
Textbook publisher Cengage Learning recently began offering rentals of about 1,200 titles through the Web site www.CengageBrain.com.
Cengage also offers eTextbooks and eChapters for purchase, said Lindsay Brown, director of corporate communications. The publisher claims students can save as much as 50 percent on eTextbook purchases and 70 percent when renting through their service, Brown said.
Students receive a free digital copy of the first chapter, if available, to get them started while they wait for their rental to arrive, Brown said. The company also offers free quizzes, flash cards and glossaries for a selection of their titles.
Cengage Learning compensates textbook authors for every rental. This differs from other providers who cut the authors from the revenue stream on rentals, Brown said. Renting directly to students helps the company pass on savings.
“It’s a win-win situation,” Sehgal said. “Everyone gets what they want.”
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