Unlock Savings: 7 Best Spots to Score College Textbooks in 2025

Chegg – Rental King
Amazon – Too Many Books, Not Enough Time
CampusBooks – Let’s Compare Everything
AbeBooks – Preloved Textbook Paradise
SlugBooks – Pinch Pennies, Stretch Dollars
eCampus – Rentals Your Way
BookFinder – Global Textbook Treasure Hunt

Intro

Let’s be real: college textbooks are stupid expensive, and nobody wants to pay full price. Not when you could spend that cash on—well, literally anything else. Apparently, everyone’s on the same page, because “cheap college textbooks” blew up on Pinterest by 85% last year. So, if you’re on the hunt for ways to NOT get ripped off, you’re in the right place. Here’s my no-BS rundown of the seven best places to snag textbooks in 2025, with some fresh hacks I swiped from TheCollegeInvestor and whatever’s trending on X (Twitter, for us old folks).

Chegg – Rental King

Chegg’s basically the OG when it comes to textbook rentals. Their whole thing is “don’t buy, just borrow and save a fat chunk.” I’m talking up to 90% off retail, and free return shipping so you don’t sweat the small stuff. Plus, they push out eTextbooks and random study tools if you’re into that. Most folks aren’t even buying anymore—everybody’s renting. Oh, and discount codes? Pinterest is littered with ‘em. Chegg’s where you go when you’re broke but still gotta pass midterms.

Amazon – Too Many Books, Not Enough Time

Amazon’s got everything, duh. Textbooks are no exception. New, used, digital, whatever – they’ve got it, and if you’ve got Prime Student you can get those bad boys in two days flat. TheCollegeInvestor claims you can save up to 75% just by snagging used copies. Honestly, if you’re not scanning Amazon for deals, you’re probably paying too much. Oh, and Pinterest is full of “cheap textbook” alerts—jump on those before someone else does.

CampusBooks – Let’s Compare Everything

CampusBooks is for people who absolutely cannot make a decision without seeing every possible price. You punch in your book info, and boom, it spits out prices from all over the internet. You can buy, rent, resell, whatever. There’s even a little quiz if you’re stuck on “should I rent or buy?” mode. If you thrive on spreadsheets and coupons, this is your jam.

AbeBooks – Preloved Textbook Paradise

You want used books? AbeBooks is basically the thrift store of textbooks. Tons of old editions, some international versions, and prices that’ll make you do a double-take (like, $1 books?!). Sometimes there’s free shipping, which is honestly a small miracle these days. If you don’t care about having the latest edition (let’s be honest, professors barely update them), AbeBooks is your secret weapon.

SlugBooks – Pinch Pennies, Stretch Dollars

SlugBooks is like a mashup between a price-comparison site and a textbook black market (okay, not really, but you get the idea). Punch in the ISBN, and it’ll hunt down the cheapest offers from places like Chegg, Amazon, and beyond. Their whole deal is saving you up to 90%. If you want to brag about how little you spent on books, thank SlugBooks later. Plus, Pinterest has a million SlugBooks hacks floating around.

Campus – Rentals Your Way

eCampus is another solid spot for renting, but they let you pick how long you keep your books, which is honestly kind of genius. Some folks need a book for a week, others for the whole semester. eCampus gets it. They throw out deals like 90% off and free shipping if you hit $35. Stack their “eWards” points and you get discounts on future orders. Coupon codes are hot on Pinterest too—don’t skip ‘em.

BookFinder – Global Textbook Treasure Hunt

If you’re a deal hunter with no borders, BookFinder is your playground. They pull prices from 100,000+ sellers around the world and factor in shipping, so you don’t get scammed at checkout. New, used, rentals—whatever, they’ll find it cheap. Honestly, sometimes the best deals are from halfway across the planet. The real penny-pinchers live here.

Wrap-Up

So, if you’re still paying full price for textbooks in 2025…why? Chegg, Amazon, CampusBooks, AbeBooks, SlugBooks, eCampus, and BookFinder are all out here making it stupid easy to save money, rent stuff, resell, or just not get ripped off. Don’t let the college bookstore rob you blind. Hit up these sites, stack those deals, and spend your leftover cash on something actually fun.