Save big on textbooks at Chegg

Chegg lets you rent textbooks and save big bucks in the process.

(Credit: Chegg)

While I sit here rotting--er, working happily--in the Cheapskate Labs basement, the lovely Mrs. Cheapskate is busily pursuing a degree in nutrition. That means lots of chemistry classes, which, in turn, means lots of insanely expensive textbooks. And I mean insanely expensive: for some classes, the books cost nearly as much as the credit hours!

Fortunately, we've discovered Chegg, which allows us to "rent" textbooks for significantly less than buying them new--and, in many cases, for less than buying them used.

For example, when Mrs. C needed Macroscale and Microscale Organic Experiments, 5th Edition, for an organic-chemistry class, the best price I could find anywhere (including the school bookstore) was about $125. Chegg's price: $79.57, including two-way shipping (the book arrives with a prepaid return label).

I particularly like this outfit because they work with various environment partners to plant a tree for every textbook you rent, buy, or sell (Chegg pays good cash money for any used, unwanted books you may have). So you not only save money, you also get that warm, fuzzy helping-the-planet feeling.

If you're taking classes at the college level, I highly recommend checking out Chegg for your textbook needs.

[peteyboy84]

very cool.

[aka_tripleB]

Are you still able to keep books that you feel will benefit you in the future?

[rickbroida]

Yep, you can buy 'em outright if you want.

[dinojr]

Wait a sec... how much do you get when you sell a book back to the bookstore? I've been out of school for a while but suppose you get 50%, that $125 book only costs you $62.50 in the end which is a lot less than the $79.57 it'll cost to rent.

[rickbroida]

Depends on the book and the bookstore, I guess. I do know that the example book I cited was still going to end up costing more if we took the buy/sell approach.

[karkor3289]

good idia thnks

[victor.cml]

What happens if someone damages the book, writes on it or make some personal notes. There could perhaps be a significant effort to ensure that the books are in good quality, am I right?

[HelloPossum]

I used Chegg last semester and it's great! Unfortunately, I've been trying to log in for three days now for my new books and apparently their servers are down.

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[conteluna]

Chegg.com is a great dissappointment. I ordered a book from them on 1/5/09. Today is 1/23/09 and I have still not received my book. I paid for it and I can't afford to buy another one just to be able to study for my class. I am in the 3rd week of the semester and my first test is coming up and I can't study. I missed 2 assignments as well. Their customer service is a joke. I contacted them at least 5 times via email, begging them to get back to me about the status of my order. No response. I called them 2 times. The first time I was on hold for 25 minutes and I could not hold longer. I am currently on hold with them for over 45 minutes. I think they are not set up for the demand!!!

[muminschool]

Chegg.com is not as great as it sounds. I ordered a book from them on 1/11/09 and as of today, 1/26/09, still have not received the book, which I asked for priority shipping. Tried contacting customer service via email and phone -- no response. Of course, I've been charged for the book and priority shipping. I had to drop the class I was taking -- no textbook for 2 weeks in an 8 week class is NOT good. Now I have to take the class next term. I just filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, whose logo is prominently displayed on the bottom of the Chegg website. I hope I get a better response from the BBB.

[bjones_y]

Renting textbooks 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 <a href="http://www.Cheap-Textbooks.com">Cheap-Textbooks.com</a>

[Father2Cole]

I purchased two new books this term from Amazon. If I had used Chegg, it would have cost an additional $5.43 when you include shipping. For me, I would rather own the book for less. Another thing to consider is that Chegg does not guarantee media that comes with the book or website sign-on. This could be vital to your class.

[ocbreeze4u]

I too ordered from Chegg in Fall of 2008 and again in Spring 2009. In the fall I only received 1 book out of 4 ordered and it took them weeks to answer my emails and refund my money. Forget calling the customer service number, no one answers....ever! You get an automated voice telling you to call back later.

I thought I would give them a second chance so again in the Spring 2009 (first week in February 2009) I ordered three books. I paid for priority shipping, one book arrived 5 days later (priority is 2-3 days) and it was the WRONG BOOK, the second is still in transit and it is now day 7 and the third is lost so far.

I have sent 4 emails and NO ONE WILL ANSWER OR ADDRESS MY ISSUES. Do not order from CHEGG.COM, thier customer service is non-existant and you will not get your books that you need for your classes.

[bookstuckinc]

Chegg.com is good and has some ok prices. I would also suggest using GreenTextbooks.org
Save Money, Save The Planet

GreenTextbooks.org specializes in the recycling of textbooks, DVDs, CDs. Buying used textbooks not only saves you money, but cuts down on greenhouse gases caused by the manufacturing of new textbooks.
With GreenTextbooks.org you're not only saving trees, you are saving some green. http://www.GreenTextbooks.org

[wilderness_wanderer]

I had a great experience with Chegg. All of my books are in great condition, and the ones I didn't need I was able to return for a full refund. I didn't even have to pay return shipping. You can use coupon code CC101954 to get an additional 5% off your entire order.