Life is difficult enough for college students. Not only must they juggle the laborious hours of studying each week, with exams right and left, and sometimes the pressure of a part-time job, but they also have to worry about money. Food, board, and especially textbooks take up a great deal of a college student’s limited income. The excitement of starting a new term is always daunted by the ominous task of buying textbooks, some of which can cost almost $200 new! The average college student can spend up to $500 dollars on just one semester of books.

“The first semester of my freshman year of college I spent $517 on textbooks alone,” laments Emily Prince, freshman at the University of Tennessee. “I found out later that I could have saved almost $150 of that if I had bought my books used or gone to secondhand bookstores.”

Even used books can be expensive. Bookstores have a monopoly on the textbooks students need. The only price constraint is competition with other textbook stores in the area. However, students started taking advantage of the Internet. Now websites like Ebay and Amazon offer great discounts on both new and used textbooks.

Ebay has a whole section dedicated just to college textbooks. The infamous site, which sells products via auction, has a slew of popular textbooks, used and new, for prices ranging from $20-$100. If one is diligent, one can score amazing deals on textbooks.

Amazon also offers excellent deals on textbooks. Unlike Ebay where shoppers bid on merchandise, Amazon sells the book for the listed price, much like a bookstore. Instead of searching under textbooks, one searches under the broader category of books to find textbooks.

The only drawbacks to Ebay and Amazon are shipping fees and times. If the original book costs $117, the $100 one offered on Amazon seems like a deal, but add to that shipping time (especially rush delivery) and the prices are almost equal.

Also, if classes start Monday, and a book order is placed the week before, the books may not arrive in time. Always plan for shipping costs as well as times and delays when ordering books online.

The latest in textbook websites, Chegg.com was created to relieve students of the financial strain textbooks cause. The business, formally known as Chegg Inc., offers a completely revolutionary service. Chegg Inc. allows students to rent, buy, or sell textbooks. That’s right, rent textbooks!

First, students must set up an account with Chegg Inc. that includes their shipping and payment information before renting, buying, or selling textbooks. Each book in the extensive database has its own set fee. Students have the option of renting textbooks for a semester (defined as 125 days from the order date), a quarter (85 days from order date), or a summer (60 days from order date). Shipping is included in the rental price, and return shipping is free (a return shipping label will be available in the student’s Chegg Inc. account).

Like all libraries, Chegg does have a late fee. If the book is not postmarked by the rental due date, the student’s account will be charged a 25% late fee. If the textbooks have not been shipped within one full week following the due date, then Chegg Inc. will consider the textbook a purchase, and charge it to the student’s account.

Students can sell old textbooks to Chegg Inc. Shipping of these textbooks is free, and packages should be postmarked to the Chegg Inc. address. Payment options include check or credit for Chegg Inc. Credit will appear in the student’s Chegg Inc. account immediately after the textbook has been received. Checks take a little longer, and will be processed in three to five business days. Chegg Inc. also accepts textbook donations. All textbooks must meet the Chegg Inc. “good condition” criteria, which includes no stains, minimal highlighting and note taking, no missing pages or water damage, etc. Chegg also promises to plant a tree for each textbook they buy or receive as a donation.

All of these sites offer excellent service, and great deals, but how do they stack-up against one another? I decided to test this out using my French textbook, Debuts: an Introduction to French (second edition). I bought this book, which requires a computer key code, from the bookstore for $118. On Ebay, I found a copy up for bidding at $20! Amazon offered used copies for as low as $64 and new copies for $75. Chegg Inc. rents the textbook for $9.99 a semester.

Besides the fact that I was completely mortified to learn I could have saved more than 80% of the original price, I was shocked to see how little the textbook cost to rent from Chegg Inc. For only $9.99, and I wouldn’t have to worry about the hassle of selling it at the end of the semester! Of course, for those who love to doodle in their textbooks, Chegg Inc. is not the way to go. Still, $64 to $20 was a far cry from the original price I paid, and, for those who want pristine conditions, $75 was a bargain price for a new copy!