Renting vs Buying Textbooks at ASU: What Actually Saves Money
Should you rent or buy your ASU textbooks? The answer depends on your major and how you use them. Here's the honest breakdown.
The Renting vs. Buying Question Isn't Simple
Every semester, the same debate: rent or buy? The default answer most people give is "rent because it's cheaper." That's not always true. Let's actually do the math.
When Renting Wins
Renting makes sense when:
- You're confident you'll never use the book again after the course
- The textbook is expensive and the used resale value is low
- It's a general education requirement outside your major and you just need to get through it
- The rental cost is less than what you'd pay used minus what you'd sell it for used
Example: An introductory sociology textbook costs $90 used. After the course, it'll sell for maybe $30. Net cost to buy used: $60. A Chegg rental for one semester: $35–45. Rent wins here.
When Buying Used Beats Renting
Buying used beats renting when:
- The book is in your major and you might reference it later
- The used price is low enough that you can sell it for close to what you paid
- The rental period is longer than you need (you finish the course before the semester ends)
- You want to annotate heavily and need to own the book to do so freely
Example: An upper-division finance textbook costs $60 used on ASU List. After the course, the same edition will sell for $45–50 to a student behind you. Net cost: $10–15. A rental for that same book would run $40–55. Buying wins.
The Problem With Campus Bookstore Rentals
The ASU campus bookstore rental prices are usually the worst deal available. You're paying for convenience and the physical location. The same book rents for 30–50% less on Chegg, VitalSource, or through a peer directly.
If you're renting, never start with the campus bookstore. Check Chegg, Amazon, and AbeBooks first.
The Problem With Digital Rentals
Digital rentals through VitalSource or RedShelf are cheaper than physical rentals, but they expire. When you finish the course, your access is gone. If you're the kind of person who references old textbooks when studying for comprehensive exams or the MCAT, digital rentals are a bad deal.
Also, some digital rental platforms have DRM restrictions that make printing or copying content difficult. Know what you're getting.
The Platform Comparison
Chegg: Good selection, reliable, ships quickly. Their used buying prices are sometimes lower than ASU List but you pay for shipping. Return deadlines matter — missing the return window costs you big.
Amazon Rentals: Convenient if you already use Amazon. Good selection. Same return deadline risk.
ASU List: No third-party fees, direct to another student, usually the cheapest option. Takes more effort to find the right copy but worth it for expensive textbooks.
Campus Bookstore: Only use this for speed and convenience when the semester has already started and you're desperate. Otherwise, you're overpaying.
The Hybrid Strategy
Most experienced ASU students use a hybrid approach:
- Buy used for major-specific textbooks they might reference later or can resell well
- Rent for gen ed and elective courses outside their major
- Go digital free for anything covered by ASU Library, OpenStax, or legal free alternatives
A Real Calculation
Here's a W. P. Carey student's typical semester, done both ways:
| Book | Buy Used + Resell | Rent (Chegg) |
|------|-------------------|--------------|
| Principles of Management | $25 net | $38 |
| Accounting textbook | $15 net | $42 |
| Marketing text | $20 net | $35 |
| Total | $60 | $115 |
Buying used and reselling through ASU List consistently wins for high-resale-value business textbooks. The math changes for courses with low resale (niche upper-division courses with small student populations). But as a default strategy, buy-and-resell beats renting for most W. P. Carey students.
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