I wanted to make tons of money and retire on a deserted island with a hammock and Swiss bank account...Mwwahhahahah! Just kidding! But that IS actually why I started this hub, because it feels like the textbook companies or the schools or professors, maybe a combination of all of them conspire to create some huge prices on school textbooks. It doesn't seem to matter if they are new or used textbooks either, the result is the same - high prices.

This got me really irked after some time because I enjoy taking the occasional class at my local community college. Lately, I've been taking more of them online and it makes it much more enjoyable. Some have flexible schedules and others have more set class assignments and due dates. I prefer the ones that are more independent study types of classes. What I mean is that I can take the pace of the class at my own speed - reading ahead or just going at it one step at a time. It is a bit more of a drag if things are due each Monday at 11:59pm for example or every Wednesday you have to have your 2 posts on the discussion board type of class. Can you tell that I'm getting to rant a little in this hub. Ha! That's another reason why I created it.

So, back to the textbook dilemma. How do these books cost in the hundreds sometimes? I mean, I can appreciate all the work it takes to go into writing a long text that will be used by thousands of students across the country or world even, but $146.50 for a textbook about exercise sciences or anthropology? Oh yeah, and that is for this year only. Next year's edition will make the one you have worth all but nothing if you try to sell it back to your bookstore where you bought it.

If nothing else, this hub is meant to bring some type of grass roots uprising that has the power to bring down that textbook behemoth. Okay, maybe the internet will do that in time. After all, did you hear about the fight that Google is putting up trying to scan copies of all these books in the libraries and such? I think it is the future and this is possibly the textbook's last few decade or two of life. Maybe that is the reason for the price gouging. They know the end is near and are fearful of what's to come. I can't blame them, really, I would probably try to get as much as I could from each incoming class or my publisher as I could too.

In the end, what I'm really trying to help you understand or take action on is that you can shop for used textbooks in a variety of places. I used some of these used textbook online stores in the past with great results. I can't even recall which ones I used, because I just did a search for 'textbooks' and whatever came up, I checked them out. I did do some research just for this hub and posted it below. I used Chegg a few times. Then, when I had an issue once trying to pay for a book I ordered and there was basically no support, I stopped using them.

Yup, tough break Chegg, I'm sure you never expected someone to actually create a site, then post your name next to the sentence on poor service. The people were nice and everything, it was simply a technical problem. A book I ordered could not be rented - this is how their site works (renting books, I address below) - I saw my book in the cart, but could not 'purchase'. I kept getting an error message with my card. It just would not let me purchase. I emailed and called, spoke with someone but he basically told me that I could not get it. This deserves all caps: HE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO PURCHASE IT OVER THE PHONE. Can you believe this?! I was asking him how to buy, right then, and he said that it can only be done online. Well, he was right, I did it online and vowed never to use them again when I'm searching for used textbooks. Our lives and time are just too precious to spend in these dead-end type endeavors, it is all about convenience. Chegg made it inconvenient for me to buy from them. It might sound like I'm a whiny little baby, but I hope not. I'm just trying to get the point across that there are other options available to you when you have to purchase new books for school. Buying used textbooks or even renting them is the way to go. Even if you end up using Chegg...

This is the ultimate formula in my mind.  Why buy new or used if you can simply rent and return?  It works out best for the consumer and the site/company profits from selling the same book over and over again.  I'm not sure how they work it out with the publishers, but I'll leave that up to them.  So, here are a few sites that rent textbooks (remember, I've only tried Chegg with initial success that turned to frustration).

• Chegg
  
• Book Renter

• Campus Book Rentals

If you would rather own your books, then I cannot think of a more smooth and efficient company than Amazon.  I have had a great experience with them.  I even opened a seller account to get rid of my used textbooks when I finished with them.  I've sold several of those after my classes, which, in essence, made my textbooks rentals.  Sweet!