I never realized how much college texts books were until I started my first year of community college at City College in San Diego. I was able to qualify for free classes which were only $60-$100 per course, however the books for some of those classes were $100-$200. There is no ‘waiver’ for that!

CampusBookRentals

To avoid those costs, you can use CampusBookRentals.com to save 40-90% off bookstore prices. If you BUY your book, chances are you will never even open it again. The best option would be to sell it, but that takes time and you won’t get close to what you paid. So why not RENT it from the beginning?

CampusBookRentals offers free shipping both ways, from when you rent it to when you send it back. They also offer flexible renting period in case your class times are different from a “traditional” one.

One of the really cool things I found from their site was that they donate to Operation Smile with every textbook rental. I’ve heard of this before, but if you haven’t it’s a children’s medical charity that performs surgery for cleft lip and other operations.

RentBack

I mentioned before about buying books. What if you purchased your books then are stuck with them?

RentBack.com is a site that allows students to rent the textbooks they own to other students. This allows you to earn a bit more money than selling it or selling it back to the campus book store.