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Trendy Textbook Rental Market Grows In Popularity



 A new solution that makes books affordable to college students, saves their cash and the environment. Textbooks aren't cheap, whether you buy new or used and sharing with a friend creates logistical issues that tears relationships apart. Now, you can rent your books through Book Renter.

It's not the only business of this type, but it was the first to start this new trend in 2006. There is no reason why this concept would be a bad idea. When I was a student, a new semester brought forth too many headaches; many of which centered around the book-buying process. Not only would I find myself waiting hours in line at the campus bookstore, I'd finally get through the doors only to discover not all of my books were available. And then, to top it all off, when I tried to sell my old books back; I'd find little to no return on my investment because the books were no longer being readily used only one semester later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did try to buy a book with a friend once in a hope to be economically friendly, but custody issues prevailed and when we couldn't work out a suitable arrangement, we ended up having to add a twin book to our scholastic family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are all the issues that Book Renter considered when starting their business. It's cost-effective and convenient, so I'd say they've done their job. Their rentals help student save 75% off the purchase prices, and they can choose from 5 different rental periods depending upon how long they'll need to books. They ship the book selection out the next day, letting users select their own shipping method, and then once the time comes to return them; renters receive free shipping by printing shipping labels from the website and dropping off the packages at UPS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, there are a number of book rental companies dominating the internet, and even colleges are picking up on the trend. Book Renters need to pat themselves on the back for being leaders in this expanding industry.



Beth Hodgson
Innovative Businesses Writer
InventorSpot.com


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Comments

Doh!

I expect those of us old enough to know already make use of long term loans from libraries....the usual place for this old business. (Yes there were private circulating libraries long before Carnegie).


 Very true! I would have

Beth Hodgson's picture

 Very true! I would have to admit that when I was a student, on a few occasions, even when long term loans were not available, I kept relevant books past their final due dates and paid the fines that were substantially lower than the costs of purchasing. That being said, many public libraries (at least here in Canada) don't carry many, if any copies of course textbooks, and university libraries don't offer long-term loans.  So when all else fails, some kind of pay-per-use service may be necessary. In any case, as you point out, this is an old business, because students need to save money, so there's lots of room for business growth in the industry.

Beth Hodgson
Innovative Business Writer


Shipping

Renting textbooks online is a great way to find cheap textbook prices but be careful of the shipping method. Media Mail is cheap but can take up to 4 weeks if the the textbook is coming cross country! I like the price comparison tool at Cheap-Textbooks.com