University Book Store, a US-based independent bookstore, has announced the launch of an in-store textbook rental service at its U District, Tacoma, Bothell and Health Sciences locations. The new programme is seen to complement its online rental programme, which has been available for two years now. Students can also compare prices with a number of online retailers and check textbook buyback prices at ubookstore.com.
University Book Store anticipates that about 50 percent of its textbook offering will be available to rent at the Bothell and Tacoma locations; about 40 percent will be available at the U District Store. The cost to rent will be between 35-55 percent of the price of a new textbook.
Interested students may visit one of the campus stores to find out which titles are being offered for rent. The initial rental period is 90 days and can be extended for periods starting at 10 days. Once a student no longer needs a textbook, it can be returned to one of the participating campus locations or mailed in without incurring any shipping costs. Neither online nor in-store rentals are eligible for the University Book Store Customer Rebate.
To further assist students looking for the best deals on their course materials, University Book Store is offering its online multi-retailer textbook price comparison tool for the second year in a row. It provides students with real-time single search access to University Book Store's pricing on new, used, digital and rental textbooks, as well as up-to-date pricing from other online retailers including Amazon, Half.com, Barnes & Noble, Alibris and AbeBooks. The tool can be accessed at http://uw-seattle.verbacompare.com.
