Where can you find the cheapest college textbooks online? With education costs on the rise, college students are seeking ways to save money wherever possible. However, a person can only eat so much ramen soup or mac and cheese. Enter the online textbook marketplace.
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Providing an online bookstore curated to your learning institution, eFollett - often just called Follett - has partnerships with over 1,000 campuses across North America. Though not all schools will be included, if yours is eFollett will provide the correct course materials for your educational needs. Follett has been in the higher education business for over 150 years. Their marketing programs promote school pride and support education, providing students affordable access to the materials needed for their classes. Additionally, they provide customizable gear for sports fans, graduation regalia, and alumni materials.
What you'll find
Upon entering the eFollett website, you are prompted to find your school's bookstore either in the search bar or by looking through featured schools. If your school isn't included, this is an impossible option since you cannot browse textbooks on this platform. Once you select the school, you're redirected to the page specifically for your university's bookstore. At the top you'll find a link for textbooks before you are bombarded with flashy advertisements for products that aren't texts. Below that are licensed "fan essentials" and pricey "recommended products," designed to get you to purchase more than just your textbooks. If you're easily distracted, put on your blinders or skip this online retailer.
How to shop varies by school
Each learning institution may choose how you can shop at their college bookstore. One prompted us to login with a school ID to receive a personalized shopping list for our schedule - that's convenient. Others permit you to shop by course and term (only the current term will be offered unless you're close to the end of a semester, preventing you from pre-purchasing textbooks). You cannot simply type in a text title or ISBN number and find any book you want. If it's not for a course offered by your college, it won't be found, as was the case for the text we sought at each online retailer.
Rentals available here
The rent-a-text program through eFollett provides a way for students to save an average of 50% as compared to buying. Highlighting and note-taking is permitted, and rentals may be extended or purchased if desired. Their rental program stands out because they allow you to pay using financial aid and campus cards, guaranteeing you have the right book for your class. Additionally, free on-campus pick-up of your rental textbook and free return shipping of online rentals are part of the program. Reminder emails are sent at the end of term so you don't forget to return your rental, either on campus or online for no cost. Be aware that if you do forget to return it, you'll be charged a non-return fee as well as a processing fee - meaning you now own the book and can do with it as you wish. Yikes. Don't forget to return your textbook.
Skip shipping for on-campus pickup in some locations
Some of the eFollett partner schools offer free store pickup, which is a way to save money, though it means making a trip out of the dorm. This may be a great option if you want to make sure the textbook is available before going out, and it can save you some time and money. To have it shipped instead, allow 4-7 days for standard (at $7.99), 3-4 days for second-day (at $19.99), and 2-3 days for next-day (at $23.99). We noticed, however, that different schools may offer specials, such as free standard shipping for orders over $99 (not all schools).
Returns can be tricky
All returns require a valid receipt or packing slip and may be refunded within 7 calendar days from the start of classes or within 2 days of purchase (if after the start of classes) - but this may vary based on campus-specific refund deadlines. Uniquely, there is a different policy for students who have dropped a course, which allows a longer time before you must return it, based on the school's drop/add period. Additionally, rentals may be returned during the normal refund period, as long as they're in the same condition. eTextbooks are refundable for up to 14 days of customer access if less than 10% of the product has been viewed or printed. We do like that there's not a restock fee charged, but it's hard enough balancing a classload without making sure you don't miss the narrow return window on these textbooks.
Shop with purpose
The eFollett redirect for the school of your choice announces on some college bookstore pages that every purchase "directly benefits" your college (scholarships, new programs). However, this means less savings for you as your shop for your course materials, so keep that in mind.
Prices will be similar to campus bookstore
Since the eFollett online store is connected to your college, don't expect any discounts here. There may be an occasional deal, but typically, this is just a more convenient way to get your books than going to the campus bookstore.
Mixed results from the BBB
Looking on the BBB website, there is some confusion regarding this online textbook vendor. The Follett Corporation has earned a stellar "A+" rating, though unaccredited and with some complaints over the past three years. One complaint is regarding an incorrect book purchased due to the bookstore error and having trouble getting a refund. That's concerning since they supposedly guarantee you're getting the right books for your specific course. This excellent rating takes a hit when searching for eFollett on the BBB site. Though both listings show the company is unaccredited, this one rates eFollett with a "C" for failure to respond to a complaint from a year ago. This is clearly a listing for the online retailer that has been ignored by the company since they respond quickly to complaints on the other listing.
Not many customer reviews to look at
Despite this discrepancy, the company is inconsistently rated across online user review platforms. One site with six reviews has them at 4.7 out of 5 while others place the company at 1 to 1.2 stars out of less than 100 reviews. While the high-star ratings did not include any reviews, the poor reviews ranted about rude or unresponsive customer service, poorly wrapped items which arrive damaged, processing errors, and missing packages. Perhaps more users don't rate them separately from the campus bookstore experience, but we'd like to see significantly higher reviews before we can recommend their service.
Skip this retailer and look elsewhere
If you're hoping to save money on textbooks, eFollett is not the place to shop. Limited mixed reviews, narrow return windows, and strict rental deadlines lead us to encourage you to look elsewhere for your college textbook purchases and rentals.
Continued from above...
With education costs on the rise, college students are seeking ways to save money wherever possible. However, a person can only eat so much ramen soup or mac and cheese. Enter the online textbook marketplace.
Instead of visiting the school's bookstore where books will cost the most, countless students are turning to online options to purchase their required textbooks prior to the start of class. These retailers provide unique money-saving options, such as rental titles, eTextbooks, and used books, often at significant savings for students across the country.
Not only can you save money by purchasing a used textbook, but you may even be able to slash costs with a rental text. When deciding between purchasing and renting textbooks, keep your end goal in mind: what will you be doing with the text while you have it and after you are finished using it? Those who don't need to reference a text for a future class may find that renting suits them just fine.
Some companies will even offer multiple rental time periods to meet students' needs. However, if you like to highlight, you should purchase a book, as many companies do not want you to write in their books (though some do permit a limited amount - be sure to read the rental agreement). However, if a book comes with CDs or access codes, your rental (or used textbook) likely won't include them.
Another option many textbook companies have started to offer is digital books or online access to materials. This can keep costs down and reduce landfill waste. But, some people read better from hard copies of books and would like a chance to recoup some of their textbook costs by reselling a used textbook, which isn't possible with digital options.
There are many factors to consider when comparing online retailers for college textbooks. Here are the top ones on our list:
To help save you time and money, we at Top Consumer Reviews have sifted through the most popular online textbook retailers. Check out our top choices, order your class materials, and get back to the business of learning.
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