There are many reasons why renting textbooks might make sense for you. Renting is not for everyone, so reading this list is a great start for anyone considering renting a book instead of buying.

A. Less Hassle. If you typically buy your books, and then find yourself dreading the process of selling back your books at the end of the semester, rentals are a great choice. Selling books back for pennies through bookstore buyback can be annoying.

B. You're low on cash. The main benefit to renting textbooks is that they require less cash up front. The potential downside to this is that while friends are selling their books back to the bookstore at the end of the semester, you rented books so there is no cash coming back your way. Any textbook that you do not end up keeping is effectively rented - the book is purchased for a price at the beginning of the term, and it is sold at the end of the term - the difference in the purchase and selling prices are your rental "fee". Textbook rentals are convenient because while renting college books, you only pay that difference up front - you don't pay the full amount for the textbook.

C. Your book isn't a custom edition. Customized edition books are often not available at rental websites, so there is usually no way you can rent them.

D. Your book doesn't require an access code. If your book comes with a mandatory homework or access code, you are probably better off not renting the book (you should probably avoid shopping online at all). Publishers bundle homework codes with textbooks in many cases to force students to purchase new editions. Access codes might be sold separately, but it is often pretty difficult to get information about where you can buy them individually, and the price point might not make sense. Every rental site has fine print that they cannot guarantee that rentals come with access codes (sometimes they will, sometimes they won't).

E. Fast Shipping. Websites that rent cheap textbooks are very dependable when it comes to shipping. These companies understand that you need your books, and you need them fast. If you choose to rent discount eTextbooks, delivery is even faster - it's instantaneous!

F. Temporary Digital Access. Some websites, like Chegg, will even give you free digital access while you are waiting for your used textbooks. That's a pretty useful feature if you absolutely need your book immediately. If you are renting an eBook, you get this immediate access as well.

G. Easy Returns. Textbook rental websites are known for their student-friendly return policies. Most of will allow for no questions asked returns within three weeks of the order date. If you cancel your class or find a friend has the same book and can share it, you can send your book back, no harm done.

H. FREE Return Shipping. The rental company will provide you with a prepaid shipping label that you print out and stick on the box when returning the order and the end of the school-term. You don't have to pay anything extra when returning the books!

Factoring all of these things in, you should have more than enough support for the decision to rent or buy cheap textbooks. Remember that when you are shopping around, EVERY BOOK IS DIFFERENT. The cheapest website to buy one book might be the most expensive place to buy another. If one of your books makes sense to rent, that doesn’t mean all of the books are rent-worthy. Comparing prices on college textbooks is the only way to ensure that you’re always saving money, and lucky for you, SlugBooks facilitates that process! Search by book above and you’ll be able to compare all of the rental or purchase prices for every book you desire.