Skoobit Launches Online College Textbook Rental Service

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 08/13/08

Skoobit has developed a textbook rental system to allow college students to rent text books for months, semesters, or the year. College students will be able to rent any textbook for as long as needed with the simple commitment of returning it once they're done using it.

There are a variety of plans, such as a special summer semester plans for those who only require three books at a time; in that plan each book will rent for $24.99 for 45 days. The company expects the most popular plan to be $10.99 a month per book for four months. Shipping and handling is free for receiving as well as returning the rented book. On its Web site, the company said that some supplemental materials, such as CDs or online access codes might not be available for some books.

The company said it has 2 million books in its rental collection. When a student rents the book, it's sent by mail within four to six business days with a pre-paid mailing label for returning the book at the end of the term. If a book isn't in the collection at the company's warehouse, the book may take an additional week for delivery. The mailing labels will also be made available online and a reminder sent near the end of the rental period.

"When I was in college I had to spend hundreds of dollars on books each semester, and every semester I would try to sell them back, but would receive a lot less than I paid for, if I got anything at all," said Christopher Blythe, creator of Skoobit. "I felt that there was a better way for students to get the books required without spending too much money."