subject: College Texbook Rentals- Advantages Over Buying [print this page] College textbook rentals represent a growing trend within the higher education sector. In the old days of acquiring textbooks, students were often at the mercy of their school's skewed pricing standards. College professors, who had written books of their own and then charged exorbitant fees while making a purchase mandatory was one such abuse. Textbook companies could also barter with schools and professors to require students to buy an overpriced product for no other reason than to exploit the free enterprise system. While the word "free" may have been appropriate for the schools and the textbook companies, there was nothing free about what it meant for the students. It was not unlikely for tabs to escalate into the four-digit range, a price that students and their families could not afford.
Then along came the idea of the college textbook rental and sites such as CheapBookRenter, one of the more popular book renting websites, that placed power back into the hands of the student. Textbook rentals work like this: the student takes his syllabus to a nearby computer, visits the website, and types in the book information to the onsite search engine. At that point, there are a variety of locations from which the student may rent the textbook at a much lower price. Cutting the cost of books down to a small fraction of the purchase price brings with it many advantages.
The first is the obvious savings that a student or his family can enjoy. By being able to compare different locations where the textbook is available, the student is able to guarantee that he pays the lowest price possible. There is also no danger of doing without, since many sites like CheapBookRenter police their transactions to ensure the integrity of the service. In other words, you will have your book when you need it.
Another advantage of these services is that they force a more reasonable standard of pricing in the textbook community. While a great deal of research does go into piecing together a textbook and then there are the printing costs to contend with, the markup on these books is often far more than what is reasonable for profit. And the ones paying are those who can least afford it. Giving the strapped for cash student an affordable alternative ensures a more fair and equitable business practice.
If you are a student, or you are financially assisting one through college, then you can stand to benefit from the ways that modern technology has improved life for those who most deserve it. By harnessing the power of sites like CheapBookRenter, you can take control of the out of control textbook industry and pay a fair price without jeopardizing your education.
