<p>I have yet to come across any campus bookstore that offers textbook rentals at an affordable and competitive rate. To me it seems like a logical and profitable venture for a campus bookstore to undertake.</p>
<p>My campus only deals with buying and selling, both at uncompetitive or affordable rates. I usually turn to online retailers or rental services, but would consider renting from my campus if it were offered.</p>
<p>Does you campus over textbook rentals? If so, how does it work and have you tried it?</p>
<p>Yes, but since it usually costs about the same as buying the book from Amazon, I just buy them instead so I can at least get some money back at the end of the semester.</p>
<p>My community college offers textbook rentals. I’ve never tried it, though. I prefer to buy my books fro Amazon. Not sure whether UCD offers it, though.</p>
<p>It’s interesting that colleges are offering textbook rentals. I still find it hard to understand that such a service would be profitable for a campus bookstore. It almost seems that campus’ offering the service would feel more inclined to use the same textbook longer on average than a campus that does not. </p>
<p>It wouldn’t make sense to offer rentals on textbooks that are only used for a year two, then you’re just left with large inventory of used textbooks. I doubt the publisher would buy them back.</p>
<p>How do campus rental rates compare to buying new/used? Do they have ridiculous deposits/rules?</p>
<p>My college offers rentals, but they’re anywhere from 50-80% of the price of just buying the book. It costs a lot less to simply buy used and then sell it back You should be able to fetch the same price buying used and selling used, theoretically, barring an edition change.</p>
<p>My school does…the prices are somewhere around 40% of the new book (and the price of a new book is like $30 more than it is from Amazon/elsewhere). Renting from them is only a couple dollars less than buying used from Amazon.</p>
<p>@Flustard, I can buy books online for the same price I would rent them from the college bookstore. Buying books on campus is often a massive ripoff, with a few exceptions like cheap books that are cheaper to buy from bookstore for $15 than to pay $12 + shipping for online.</p>