Recently, like many bloggers, I have was asked to post around about Campus Book Rentals. While I'm no longer a student {at least for now...who knows what the future may hold}, this seems like a great concept, something I wish had been around back in my day {because I'm 97}.
When Mom and Dad paid for my books, I had no problem heading to the book store with my list to pick up everything I needed, paying no attention to the three-digit total. Once I started footing the bill, that changed-- suddenly Amazon and eBay were my best friends, because like many students, I simply couldn't afford to spend that much on books that I would use for 4 months, especially knowing I would only receive a fraction of what I'd paid initially from the bookstore or by reselling them online. Factor in the time spent on line when everyone and their roommate is selling back their textbooks, or the time and money spent packing and shipping 20 books at the end of the semester, and the whole process seems futile.
Campus Book Rentals saves you 40-90% off bookstore prices by renting instead of buying them. They even offer free shipping option if you're willing to wait a few days, but if you need it right away they can overnight the book to you, for a fee. Once you have it, you can treat the book as though it's your own, even highlight important passages or make notes in the margin.
They have a 30-day risk-free return policy, which comes in handy when you realize that you're not going to stay in that 8 am History of the Old Testament class {hello, speaking from personal experience}. You can choose the rental period that works for you, and send them back in the provided prepaid envelope and drop them into a mailbox-- you don't even have to drive to the post or wait in line! This short video sums up the process:
There's also a Rentback option for books you already own. Send it to them and they will rent your book to other students, and you get paid every time it's used. If you refer a friend and they use the site, you'll get $5 and they'll get 5% off their next next purchase-- not a bad deal for anyone!
There's no fee to sign up, and although students would use this website the most, you don't have to attend school in order to rent a book-- perfect for dorks like me, who actually thought "wow, that looks interesting" as I perused the site to write this post.
What really drove me to write this review as a non-student was the fact that this is a socially-conscious company. In addition to setting aside $90,000 in 2012 for textbook scholarships {source}, they partner with Operation Smile to provide children in need with lifesaving cleft lip surgeries. In 2012 alone they donated over 1,000 surgeries to children whose families could not otherwise afford to pay for this life changing surgery. I was offered $25 in exchange for writing this post, which I will be donating to Operation Smile.
The generous folks at Campus Book Rentals have also offered to give a $25 coupon to one lucky A Day in A Joyful Life reader, just in time for the Spring semester! To enter you must follow via GFC/Bloglovin/RSS. All other entry options are voluntary. The giveaway will run from Thursday, January 10th - Monday, January 14th.
2 comments:
My husband uses them for grad school! They are awesome. :)
I seriously wish I had known about then when I was an undergrad!
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