Renting books?
By Otanetix
@Otanetix (508)
United States
August 27, 2012 3:14pm CST
I generally enjoy reading novels when I have free time. Going to the bookstore is always relaxing because I always find books I want to read; however, being able to buy those books is not always possible. Although I enjoy reading books, I often read it once or twice and then find another book to read. Renting books via online sites has become my new way to reduce my spending on books; they are also great for locating school textbooks. I love having more control on price, which is based on rental period. Although the library is a good resource, they do not always have new books on their shelves yet; if they do have the new releases, other library patrons usually have holds already on those books. With renting books, the books I finish reading won't just end up somewhere collecting dust. What are your thoughts on renting books?
2 people like this
15 responses
@lucas5 (455)
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
27 Aug 12
well, I have a lot of books, I use to lend them too, but now I don't rent or even read book anymore, I used to read a lot, but I am always with my laptop and my smartphone, so, when I have to read something, I read there, it is much easier, I don't have to buy and I can carry a lot of books, it is much easier.
thank you for your discussion.
1 person likes this
@Otanetix (508)
• United States
28 Aug 12
I am glad you enjoyed my discussion. Reading on electronic devices has certainly made things more convenient, especially for on-the-go situations. Whereas you have adapted toward reading on your devices, I try to avoid reading electronic versions of novels and textbooks. My eyes strain very easily while looking at the screen for a long time and reading line by line on the e-books. Thanks for your comment, lucas5.
1 person likes this
@lucas5 (455)
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
28 Aug 12
yeah, a lot of people say they can't read in electronic devices, for me, no problem, I read all day long.
thank you very much Otanetix.
@MsControversy (446)
• United States
27 Aug 12
I've never heard of book renting before, other than the library. And you're right, their selection is not always up-to-date. I like to go to the book store as well, but I always leave spending more than I intended to, especially at Barnes & Noble with the darn Starbucks in there. Sometimes I go to the second hand book stores, but they, like the library, don't have a very up-to-date selection. Where do you rent books online and how? Do they send it to your kindle or tablet? I'm interested to know.
1 person likes this
@MsControversy (446)
• United States
28 Aug 12
Wow! I am going to look into that. Thank you for sharing! =)
@Otanetix (508)
• United States
27 Aug 12
For me, I use BookRenter.com to rent my books. I have found both novels and school textbooks. On BookRenter, I have only rented physical books. I have never rented e-books for kindle or tablet. It's great because the rental periods usually can be either 30, 45, 60, 90, or 125 days. They even allow you to extend your rental period if you change your mind for an additional fee. Although some of the books I wanted were not there, it was still better than going to the library or used book store. They usually send the book for the standard delivery in about a week or so (in business days). My friends often also talk about another book renting site called Chegg.com, but I have never used it before. If you want to rent e-books, you might want to check Amazon; I think they allow renting their kindle books. So you might want to talk to a representative from Amazon about their procedures for renting their books. I hope this helps. Thanks for your comment, MsControversy.
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
27 Aug 12
I read a lot. I used to buy a book when I wanted to read it. However, it got quite expensive and I no longer have the disposable income that I had back then. I use the library now or swap books via a swap site that I joined a few years back. I didn't want to go the rental road.
If I want a book that the library doesn't carry, I just request that they get it. They've not disappointed me yet.
But now I have a lot of books from the old 'buy-it' habit. I could start my own rental or swap club.
1 person likes this
@Otanetix (508)
• United States
27 Aug 12
Oh yeah, it seems books are becoming more expensive or at least the ones I want to read. Renting books is also better for my situation since I have limited space in my current residence. I have never swapped books before, but I should try it some time. Thanks for your comment, yoyo1198.
@chengping (1)
• China
4 Sep 12
I like to buy books,belongs to own a book is I see more at ease.If I rented a book,Iwill aiways think when return the book,not better appreciate the contents of the book.
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
28 Aug 12
If you want to cut down the cost of your spending on books, then it is okay to rent them. It is much better to just rent it than buy a copy and just forget about it after reading it. But the good side of buying books is, you can resell it too.
@eagletrek2 (5499)
• Kingston, New York
28 Aug 12
Hi I never herd of renting books before
beside the library im going to check in to that to see
how that works today I just down load ebooks
when i need something or have the library see if other olibrary
has one from other county but your right everything costing more
ok have agood day
@Raine38 (12390)
• United States
27 Aug 12
When I was in college I rent books that I want to read. You know how broke a college student is, and if I buy books I'll never have enough for other school stuff and food and fare. So to be able to get my book fix, I go to those small shops around the university that rent out books. It is cheaper plus it doesn't add clutter to my room when I'm done. Lesser stuff for me to pack.
1 person likes this
@Otanetix (508)
• United States
28 Aug 12
Oh yes, besides the books collecting dust, I cannot afford to have more clutter in my room. While I can't say I am super tidy, I am not a complete slob. As a student, I know how learning to spend wisely is important. I already have to worry about loans; so less expense for books with renting is a blessing. Thanks for your comment, Raine38.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
4 Sep 12
In the past the libraries in my country weren't free, and you weren't able to borrow books, you had to rent them. Today we can borrow books and I think that it is great, because I love to read and it would be expensive if I had to rent the books instead of borrowing them. I am not sure if it is still possible to rent books in my country, and I have never heard about it. I usually borrow books at the library or buy cheap books in the one of the shops that sell used books. Sometimes you can find some very cheap books there and when I have read them I donate them to charity or give them to a friend.
@angelkarah050182 (4980)
• Philippines
28 Aug 12
It's good to rent books especially if we don't have money to buy all the books we want to read. It's cheaper to rent so we can read more books than buying only one book. It gives us excitement. We have to finish reading the book we have rented so that we can rent for another one. I don't have time to read now so I don't rent books nowadays. I hope to have some free time in the future. Happy mylotting.
1 person likes this
@maezee (41988)
• United States
31 Aug 12
I was considering doing that, but I could only find 60 day rentals and not semester-long rentals! Maybe I was looking in the wrong place. What sites do you use to rent them from? And what if you accidentally damage one of them? I just bought mine all used for a pretty decent amount.. Well, not decent, but definitely better than full-retail price! Best of luck with your schoolinG!
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
2 Sep 12
I have never considered renting books before, although the idea sounds intriguing. Like many others who have commented here, I too have spent a small fortune on books that now take up tons of space! And I do utilize the library as well, but, as you say, often their selections are limited.
I have been using my Nook more and more because of the convenience. One of the services my library offers is being able to "borrow" ebooks, just like you would borrow a library book. There is often a waiting period for a particular book, and the selection is somewhat limited, but the great benefit (besides the books being free) is that once your check out period is up, the book just disappears from your Nook; there is no need to return anything, nor is there any "overdue book" fine.
When you rent a book, what happens if you don't return it on time? or are you just renting downloadable books? I would be afraid that I might forget to return it and then incur huge late fees.
@astroversion (210)
• Philippines
28 Aug 12
I rented books before. The real books which I used for my school work but not the ebooks. About ebooks there are tons out in the internet that are provided free for download but i'm not sure about the legality of those books. I have tons of medical ebooks handed down to me from a friend, who knew that I was considering to enroll for medical school (though I didn't push through). I found sites such as www.textbookrevolution.org and bookboon.com. You should try to look at those.
@vidhyaprakash_2 (7116)
• India
28 Aug 12
Hi friend, good to hear about your reading activities, i am also interested in reading previously and went to library to get books, but now a days i don't have time for reading. There is nothing wrong in renting books and we can rent book and return it after finishing it, it will save our money which is used to purchase a book
1 person likes this
@Angelpink (4034)
• Philippines
28 Aug 12
Reading is an outstanding hobby , i appreciate people who will read and read.Renting is an alternative if we can't buy and it's just a practical way . Just take down notes important matters or lines for you can't reread it again. But i can't really understand why books are that expensive , when sometimes we can't even afford it , books must be sold in an affordable price so all can have a copy especially inspiration or religious books.
@Otanetix (508)
• United States
28 Aug 12
Books are expensive because of copyright fees, which publishers are to blame for being greedy. For school textbooks, publishers take advantage of the fact there are few substitutes for books specifically written for special type of courses. By that reasoning, they have more control of setting the price of books; when new editions come out, they change very little compared to the previous edition and still increase the price. Where's the justice in book retail? Thanks for your comment, Angelpink.
@soraya452 (127)
•
19 Sep 12
I think renting books is a great idea, especially for someone like me is always buying books. I probably spend far too much money on them. I'm going to look online now and see if there is a place to rent books near me.
@youless (112603)
• Guangzhou, China
28 Aug 12
Reading is a good habit and I am glad that you like it. As to renting books, I prefer to borrow books from the library much more. There are two libraries nearby my home and I often go to one of them. It is free of charge and there are many books there. This is why I like going to the library.
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