How to Save on Textbooks: ebook and Physical Textbook Rentals

If you’re in trying to save money while in nursing school you are already aware of just how expensive textbooks are. But did you know that you have save money by renting your textbooks? Not only can you save money, but you can also decrease they amount of books you have to lug around by renting ebook versions of your needed texts. Your shoulders and back will thank you for that.

To Rent or Purchase Textbooks?

If you’re thinking about it, you need to check out textbook rental on Amazon to get an idea how much you can benefit from just renting textbooks.

While there are many services that offer text book rental, Amazon is my favorite. I use them for so many things and they are a company who providers excellent customer service and a huge variety of products.

Do you sell your books back at the end of each semester?

Many college students have the desire to hang on to their textbooks after they have completed the associated class. Perhaps they think they might have the need to reference the material again. Perhaps they do not want to face the crowds at the college bookstore only to be told they’re book is worth drastically less than they were expecting. Or in a more severe scenario they are told they’re book cannot be bought back. And take it from me, after you’ve waited in line with a heavy load of books, only to be told nearly all of them are being replaced, and therefore cannot be bought back, it will make you think twice about dealing with the college bookstore ever again.

Some of you are probably reading this right now thinking about that stack of textbooks in your basement that are collecting dusk. (I know I am right now!) If you could go back and do it over again would you rent your textbooks instead?

imageAmazon.com gives greater flexibility to how you obtain your textbooks. Many books are available for rental via ebook. But if you’re more a pen an paper type studier, Amazon has recently introduced the ability to rent physical copies of textbooks.

From Amazon.com:

Rent your textbooks this year and save up to 70%. With our flexible rental program, you can keep your textbooks for a semester. And when it comes time to send your books back, we’ll pay for return shipping. All this means more money in your pocket for the things in life that can’t be learned from a book.

The Amazon Prime membership is available for college students for $49 a year. The Amazon Prime membership will get you free 2-day shipping on most textbooks available (if you don’t want the ebook version, of course). What’s even better is that students can even get a free trial of Amazon Prime.

Here are some of the benefits of having an Amazon Student account with Amazon Prime:

  • Unlimited FREE Two-Day Shipping with no minimum order size.
  • FREE Release-Date Delivery on video games, DVDs, books and more.
  • Plus unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime instant videos
  • Plus unlimited access to over a million songs and hundreds of playlists, ad-free.

So save yourself some money and time and rent your textbooks from Amazon.com. If you can rent an eBook, DO IT! You’ll be saving yourself carrying bulky heavy textbooks. With a lightweight ebook reader or tablet you’ll have access to your textbooks at all times so that you can pop it out and study with the quickness.

And you don’t have to own just a kindle to take advantage of ebooks from Amazon. There is a free kindle app for both Mac and Windows. There are also free apps available for iPhone, iPad, Android Smartphones and Tablets, and many other mobile devices.

While Amazon.com are not the only retailer that offers textbook rentals, they are the preferred among many (this blogger included). This is because of their great policy on returns, easy and intuitive shopping experience, and wide range of products offer free shipping (if over $25 or with an Amazon Prime membership).

Here’s a couple bonus tip for college students:

If you bought your textbook before reading this article, don’t worry. Amazon will buy them from you! Even if you didn’t buy their textbooks from Amazon you can use their textbook trade in program to earn up to 80% of the books value. Or you can even consider selling your nursing books yourself.

Tablets and laptops are essential in college. Many even use them to take their notes in class. But if you’re anything like me, you may find that you learn best by writing your notes out while in class and reviewing that information later. If you own a tablet, you scan in your notes from class into PDF (via your computer or via a scanning app like JotNot Scanner Pro) and you can use your tablet to consolidate your schoolwork and take it all with you on the go.

Have you ever rented textbooks? What do you think of ebook technology and using tablets for textbooks?

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