There are many places to buy textbooks for university education. But if you want a great price, the convenience of purchasing, and want the book delivered straight to your door, Chegg could be for you.
Chegg is basically an online university bookstore. You can rent, buy and sell textbooks through Chegg. It also has a study component that includes textbook solutions and access to experts who can answer questions.
In this article we take a tour of what Chegg has to offer.
- Marketplace for new and used textbook editions
- Many used books offer steep discounts over new books
- eTextbooks enable you to find and highlight text
Buy, sell and borrow textbooks |
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Textbooks come with a 4-week free trial of Chegg Study |
Who is Chegg?
Chegg provides textbooks to university and community college students. Its CEO is Dan Rosensweig. Chegg is based in Santa Clara, California and was founded in 2005. The company went public in 2012 and is traded under the symbol CHGG.
Chegg benefited tremendously from the transition to virtual education during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. In its investor report for the first quarter of 2021, it reported revenue growth of 55% year over year. And according to the report, the site also currently has an average of 19 million unique monthly visitors.
What do they offer?
Chegg offers textbooks for sale and for rent. They also have information on reselling used textbooks. The target group are students from universities and adult education centers. In addition to textbooks, it offers tutoring services through Chegg Study.
With Chegg, students can save up to 90% off the list price of textbooks. There’s also a 21-day risk-free return policy on physical books. This can be useful when a student decides to finish a course.
Purchase of textbooks
Many students are familiar with buying textbooks in university bookshops. However, these are often new books that are sold at full price.
Not only are Chegg books much cheaper than new books, but you don’t have to go to the bookstore either. Instead, books are delivered straight to your door.
You have to pay for shipping with Chegg. But they often offer free shipping promotions. Right now there is one for orders over $ 35.
Borrowing textbooks
Borrowing textbooks is an inexpensive way to pay for class materials. Chegg makes borrowing textbooks easy. When you’re done with a loan, use the prepaid return label to return the book.
If you fail to return your book by the due date, you will be charged a renewal fee (25% of the original rental cost), which gives you an additional 10-day return period. If you don’t return it by this extended date, you will be charged a purchase fee. Or if you want more rental time, you can extend the rental period at any time.
Rentals are generally in good condition with some signs of wear. You can highlight text in rental properties, but Chegg does not recommend writing in it. In addition to lending, some books can also be used or purchased.
When you select a book to borrow, the due date is displayed. Textbooks have almost three months before they have to be returned. You will also see the book’s list price and the Chegg discount.
Note that loan books are used textbooks and generally do not contain additional materials such as CDs, DVDs, access codes, or laboratory manuals. If you want this, you will have to buy a new textbook.
eTextbooks
Some textbooks have an eTextbook. An eTextbook is a digital version of the physical textbook. You can access the eTextbook on connected devices. You can also find and highlight text.
They come with a 14-day return policy. eTextbooks cost a little less than the physical textbook, but are an additional purchase. eTextbooks can be borrowed for 120 or 150 days. Or you can buy them.
Sell your textbooks
Chegg used to buy used textbooks but stopped some time ago. If you click Sell in the top menu, you will be redirected to a page stating that Chegg is no longer buying textbooks. Instead, they recommend GoTextbooks and provide a link to them.
connected: How To Sell Your Textbooks And The Best Places To Do It
Chegg study
Chegg Study is a subscription-based study service. You get 24/7 access to textbook solutions and expert questions and answers. It states that the average response time to questions from subscribed students is 46 minutes.
Chegg Study costs $ 14.95 per month. However, if you buy or borrow a textbook from the website, you will get a 4-week free trial of the service.
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Minimum order value $ 25 or Amazon student membership |
$ 35 minimum order or BN membership |
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How do I open an account?
You can visit Chegg’s website to create your account and start shopping. You have the option of either creating a unique username and password or logging in with your Apple, Facebook or Google credentials.
Is it safe and secure?
Chegg’s website uses encryption and a secure payment method. However, it should be noted that there have been three data breaches in the past four years. The worst hack happened in 2018 when information from over 40 million customers was leaked.
No website is completely invincible to cyberattacks, and those as large as Chegg are natural targets for hackers. Still, three security breaches in such a short amount of time are worrying and could lead one to wonder whether Chegg is investing enough time and money in its data security systems.
Is it worth?
The Chegg platform is incredibly popular with college students. It is convenient to have textbooks sent to your address. And given the generous 21-day return policy on physical textbooks and potential cost savings, Chegg is certainly worth checking out.
It’s not the only game in town, however. Amazon competes with Chegg’s as well as Barnes & Noble and several others. Make sure you compare the prices of the textbook you need on several textbook rental sites before pulling the trigger.
Chegg functions
Buy, sell and borrow textbooks |
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Free with orders over $ 35 Always free for textbook sellers and for rental returns |
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International shipping not possible – US address required. |
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Check or PayPal (For books that are resold on GoTextbooks) |
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(For books that are resold on GoTextbooks) |
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Help center, 24/7 live chat and phone |
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Textbooks come with a 4-week free trial of Chegg Study |