A single textbook can cost hundreds of dollars. Buying used textbooks can cut down expenses, but even with various courses taken each semester, the cost of books can add up. (Jade Lang/CU Independent)
Every semester, students spend hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on textbooks they’ll probably only use a few times in class. Fortunately, for students trying to save some cash next semester, a new way to rent textbooks has arrived.
Paybackbooks.com is an online resource where students can access many of the books offered in the campus bookstore. Through the website, students only spend five dollars for a one-day textbook rental each time they need access to their required textbooks. Students are also able to sell old textbooks and receive more money back compared to what the campus bookstore would offer.
“It’s a day-to-day rental, so you only pay five dollars for when you actually need to use the book, as opposed to 200 dollars for a whole textbook,” said Heidi Dodgers, a sophomore in the business school who works with the company.
“I would try it. I spend around 200 dollars a semester on books and I definitely do not use them everyday, and definitely not enough for me to be paying so much,” said Kaitlin Miller, a sophomore majoring in Integrative Physiology, who is frustrated with how much she is spending on textbooks that she never uses.
The site also makes sure that students do not overpay for the book if they do end up using it a lot.
“If you pay more than the book store is making you pay, then ‘Payback’ just charges you that rate and stops charging you five dollars a day,” said Dodgers.
When you rent a book, it instantly downloads to your computer so you can use it right away. Currently, the site does not offer all the books available in the campus bookstore, but as the site’s popularity grows, its selection should too.
So before you purchase new books for next semester, remember that paybackbooks.com may be a more affordable option, especially if you don’t think you’ll be using the books too often.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Annie Mehl at Annie.Mehl@colorado.edu
