OPINION
by Emily Huntington
Imagine a world where you can rent textbooks for a quarter, and return them when you’re done. Imagine saving more than $200 or more for renting a book for three months.
This is possible through a Web site I never knew existed. It is called chegg.com, and you can find any book you need by entering the ISBN number, author, or title of the book. Once you found the ones you need, you select how long you’ll need it for (either by the semester, quarter, or 60-day rental, and if you need additional days you simply enter that in), then check out.
After that, you choose the shipping option you need. Shipping is free, but it takes about 4 to 7 business days to arrive. If you need the book sooner, you pay $7.99 for shipping and it takes about three days. This is what most people choose, especially if you order at the last minute.
The most expensive option is UPS next day shipping, which is $15.99. You then enter your credit card information and confirm your order.
Chegg.com guarantees a certain quality from their textbooks. Therefore, there are guidelines to follow in order to keep the books in “good” condition. They ask that students limit their use of highlighting, don’t write in the books, and guard it with their lives to ensure that it doesn’t get lost or stolen (Well, okay, they’re not THAT extreme, they just want to make sure it gets returned in the same condition that it was rented). If you find you really enjoy the book, you can buy it. It is of course more expensive to do this, but less expensive than buying it from the bookstore. For example, a used psychology textbook at Whatcom’s bookstore is $95. On chegg.com, it is $85.55. If you decide not to return the book, there is a replacement fee for the same amount. They have your credit card information on file so that they can charge you accordingly if need be. So regardless, you’d be paying less, but save yourself the trouble and just return the book.
Once all that is finished, you get to plant a tree, which I think is really great! You get, and you give back, so it’s a win-win. To ship the books back is free, all you need is the return label from your order.
I rented two books, totaling at $88 for the quarter. I saved a total of $200.73, and planted two trees. You can also sell older books, which is nice, especially when the bookstore won’t take editions of the textbook you have if the class isn’t using it anymore.
I recommend this Web site to anyone. It doesn’t take long at all, and saves people so much money!
