Pros and cons of college textbook rental

(WCPO) - Many parents of college students are now breathing a sigh of relief, having signed off on that big fall bill for tuition.

But not so fast: It's now time to buy textbooks. Luckily, there are some new ways to slash those costs.

$200 for a single book?

We spoke with two engineering students facing hundreds of dollars in textbooks fees. "One of them is $200, the other is $130," one student complained. "It's pretty expensive."

So they try to buy used versions, and even share books if possible. That cuts the price by 50%.

But other students we spoke with told us they are turning to an even cheaper option: textbook rentals.

Where to rent

Top rated rental sites include:

- Chegg.com: The "granddaddy of rental sites," it has a reputation for having the most titles, though it's not always the cheapest

- BookRenter.com

- Textbooks.com

- CampusBookRentals.com

- eCampus.com

New this year, Amazon is now renting too, as well as selling used textbooks, though its selection appears more limited, students say.

We could see the appeal of renting, as we browsed some titles in a campus bookstore.

The popular accounting book, Survey of Accounting by Carl Warren, lists for a whopping $264. Used versions are usually well over $100.

- But eCampus.com rents it for $98 a semester.
- Chegg rents it for $80 a semester
- Campus Book Rentals rents it for $22 a semester, though it is not the newest version.

Beware outdated versions

And that's the one catch: The rental may be an older version.

For instance, the new version of Survey of Accounting shows a windmill farm on the cover: Several sites are renting editions showing cash on the cover, that are as much as 5 or 6 years old.

Be sure to check with your professor before renting an older edition: In some cases, the changes are very minor. But in other cases, the chapters and text won't match.

But $300 for a new book? Many students would probably say don't waste your money.