Are you having financial difficulties with buying textbooks? It’s a well-known fact that textbooks can cost a fortune when you’re a student eager to learn more. If you’ve ever searched online for affordable textbooks, you’ve probably stumbled upon TextbookRush — a company that helps students buy, rent and sell textbooks at an accessible price. In this detailed TextbookRush review, you’ll learn more about the online store, its ratings, and the services it provides.
Pros & Cons
About the Company
TextbookRush was founded back in 2002 on the campus of Ohio State University. Based in Grandview Heights, the company is an online platform that focuses on online textbook buyback, textbook rental, and used textbooks sales.
This company is a prime example of a small business expanding nationally during several years of hard work. Their top priority is meeting student needs, as we will explain in our review on TextbookRush.
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to buy cheap textbooks or get rid of the ones you don’t use anymore; this website is highly recommended when it comes to commercializing textbooks. TextbookRush also provides its users with the possibility of buying/selling video games and movies.
TextbookRush Services
TextbookRush is one of the best places to sell textbooks. Additionally, it gives you the option to rent and buy textbooks at an affordable price and buy and sell video games and movies on the online platform. Here’s a detailed review of the company’s services.
Purchasing Textbooks
The online textbook store offers 15 million titles for you to choose from. From algebra and foreign language study to philosophy and religion, you’ll be able to save up to 90% of the book’s original price and, at the same time, be environment-friendly by buying used books.
After trying the service firsthand, we can agree with TextbookRush reviews that the buying process is very easy. First, you can easily search the books you desire to buy by title, author, ISBN, or even by using specific keywords. This feature is crucial for those users who don’t know the name of a book or author.
TextbookRush Rental Review
This is a service designed to help millions of students save money by renting textbooks instead of buying them. Every person who ever attended college or completed a degree knows what it means to have to buy a textbook that you’ll only use for a couple of months. As such, the company designed this feature to help students by making acquiring textbooks more affordable.
According to TextbookRush rental policy, you can rent a book for a low price, use it for as long as you need to, and then send it back without any additional costs.
The rental process is straightforward. First, you check whether the book is available by entering the ISBN in the search bar. Then, the website immediately shows how much you’d be saving by renting the book instead of buying it.
Shipping is free for orders of $35 or more, and the checkout is easy. Upon checkout, you get the due date. You should send the book back at least a week before the due date to ensure it arrives on time. During our analysis of the TextbookRush rental service, we were pleased to learn that you can easily get one or more return labels.
The company also allows you to extend the rental period for an additional 10 days for $9.99. That said, rentals can be extended only once. You can also upgrade the rental to purchase if you decide to keep the book.
TextbookRush even offers international editions. These have very affordable rental prices, and you’ll be getting the same content as in the US editions. In addition, every international textbook on TextbookRush is verified by the company’s in-house control team.
TextbookRush Marketplace Review
The online marketplace connects buyers with vendors, ensuring a secure environment for transactions. You’d sell textbooks directly to a buyer instead of shipping them to TextbookRush first. This gives you the freedom to set your price and arguably get more bang for the buck. That said, TextbookRush charges a 15% commission for every sale you make.
TextbookRush is committed to delivering the ultimate satisfaction to buyers, which is why sellers are required to accept returns within 30 days from the order date. Should you have any issues when buying a textbook, you should let the company know by filling out the Trusty guarantee form.
TextbookRush Buyback Review
The company provides its users with the opportunity to market their old textbooks and get some of their investment back.
Here’s how selling your books on TextbookRush works:
- Enter the ISBN of your book in the search field
- Get a quote and then click on the “add to sell cart” button if the quote fits your expectations
- Click on checkout
- Choose how you’d like to be paid — PayPal, store credit, or check
- Verify your address and accept the company’s terms and conditions
- Print and attach your trackable shipping label to your carton
- Send the book
- Get paid
Moreover, our TextbookRush sell back review shows that the online store is an ideal way for students to save up some money, and we would highly recommend taking advantage of it.
It accepts books with moderate underlining, notes, and highlighting. The company even buys back ex-library books but requires that they have a “withdrawn” stamp.
TextbookRush offers a great price for buybacks; when shopping for quotes, we noticed that the company often offered the best price compared to its alternatives. During our TextbookRush review, we learned that it might take up to 3 days to confirm that a textbook meets its guidelines, and the payout would be issued within 10 days.
We received the same amount as the quote, and the payment was realized promptly — in just five days from the day we sent the textbook. We received the payment through PayPal; store credits are also issued within one business day after processing the package. Therefore, payments via check might take a few days.
However, several TextbookRush reviews mention they received a check or PayPal payment for a drastically lower rate than the quote. Upon closer inspection, we verified that the company reserves the right to change the payout amount if they decide the book’s condition doesn’t fully meet its guidelines.
Ebooks Rentals
TextbookRush offers you the option to rent Ebooks. Renting Ebooks makes you even more environmentally friendly. Plus, you get the copy immediately, which is great when you’re on a tight schedule. However, TextbookRush rental reviews reveal that students still prefer hard copies. The reason for it might be that the selection is more limited compared to physical textbook options.
The Ebook will expire on its due date, so you won’t have to deal with returns. However, you should be aware that rental extensions aren’t possible for Ebooks. The only option is to re-rent it or buy it. Even if you opt to buy an Ebook, you’ll be saving up to 60% of the original price.
Entertainment Buying/Renting Services
Although known for their books, the company didn’t stop at commercializing textbooks. Instead, the owners added a feature named Entertainment, where users can browse for games and movies.
The category is divided into four subcategories:
- Buy games
- Sell games
- Buy movies
- Sell movies
Games/Movies Textbook Buyback Program
Selling games and movies is just as simple as selling textbooks on TextbookRush. First, you need to enter the UPC to get a quote. In addition, TextbookRush locks the quote for seven days. Once you decide the price works for you, you should use the printed and attachable shipping label and send products.
Buying Used Games/Movies
TextbookRush offers competitive prices on used games, movies, and TV. Furthermore, you get free shipping on orders above $35. We must agree with textbookrush.com reviews that the selection is quite extensive. Plus, you’ll earn rewards points with every purchase.
K12 Book Services
TextbookRush is a part of the K12 Book Services, a family of companies that buys and sells books in the educational publishing industry. The program aims to help schools and other educational organizations buy and sell used educational textbooks.
TextbookRush Return Policy
If the product you bought from the company doesn’t meet your expectations, TextbookRush advises you to fill out their return request. Afterwards, you should return the item by mail within 30 days of ordering it. Once you complete these steps, you’ll get a full refund.
You should know that the TextbookRush return policy requires that sent items are in the same condition as when they are received; otherwise, you will not get a full refund. As such, the company advises its customers to study their packing guidelines carefully before returning the item. Finally, shipping and handling costs for returns are the customer’s sole responsibility except when the product is damaged.
TextbookRush Shipping
The promptness with which a company delivers its products is central to running a successful business, and TextbookRush is known for its exceptionally fast shipping. The website claims that orders placed on their website will be shipped between one and two business days.
However, the time it takes for your package to arrive at a specified address depends on the carrier company. Also, keep in mind that TextbookRush location delivery is limited to the US only.
TextbookRush clients benefit from free shipping in three instances conforming to the company’s policy:
- When their order surpasses $35;
- When they opt to sell books/games/movies to TextbookRush;
- When they return the textbook rentals.
TextbookRush Cancel Order
TextbookRush also allows you to cancel your order. So, if you change your mind and decide to cancel an order you placed, you can easily do it. Here’s how to do so in two different scenarios:
- If the order hasn’t been shipped yet, you can simply cancel it by clicking on the “cancel order” link found on the website.
- If the package was already shipped, you can contact the company by email and make sure to include your order number.
TextbookRush Customer Service
While using the online platform and the company’s services is seemingly simple, you might still have some questions on the topic or need assistance after you’ve browsed through the website and read the frequently asked questions.
In this instance, the platform advises you to contact their customer support team by:
- Using the online form on the contact page
A TextbookRush phone number isn’t available, which is a potential downside, especially if you need immediate assistance.
When we contacted the support team via email, we got a reply on the next business day. The same was when we used the online form to ask about their return policy for textbook rentals. At first, we got a generic response; then, we asked a few more specific questions and received detailed answers.
Ratings and Reviews for TextbookRush
After checking the company on Trustpilot, we found that TextbookRush had an average rating of 4.2 with 14,900+ written TextbookRush reviews. Moreover, 69% of these individuals rated the company as excellent, while 13% said it was bad and they would never use it again.
The same company has a 4.04-star rating on Reseller Ratings with 28,800+ reviews, 76.7% of which were five-star reviews.
Users mostly acclaim TextbookRush’s ease of use. They say the company’s website is easy to navigate, and the entire process is streamlined. Also, multiple TextbookRush buyback reviews show appreciation for the fast payout and smooth transaction. People buying items also highlight the fast service and quick shipping.
On the flip side, some users gave the company poor ratings because they had received a drastically lower price than the initial quote. However, as we already mentioned, the company reserves the right to do so. Other complaints were related to the inability to reach customer support promptly. Furthermore, several users mentioned the lack of phone numbers as a huge downside.
TextbookRush Pros and Cons
Pros
- Huge textbook selection — there are over 15 million books to choose from, including international editions.
- Competitive prices on purchases and rentals — TextbookRush stands out from the competition for offering great buyback quotes and rental prices.
- A sleek mobile app — reviews on TextbookRush praise the sleek app. You can easily buy, sell, or rent textbooks on the go.
- Thirty days 100% satisfaction guarantee — if, for any reason, you aren’t satisfied with your purchase, you can return it within 30 days, no questions asked.
- Free shipping for orders that exceed $35 — when renting books, you get free shipping if the amount is at least $35.
- A prompt payment — it takes up to 5 days to process the package and up to 10 days to issue a payout.
Cons
- No available phone number to contact — customer support can only be reached via email or contact form.
- No return policy for ineligible/damaged books sent in — several user reviews mention they didn’t get their books back even after being deemed ineligible. However, upon closer inspection, we discovered there isn’t a policy for such instances.
Final Verdict: Is the Service Worth a Try?
After our detailed TextbookRush review, it’s fair to deduce that this is a great platform for students worldwide.
While the customer service could use some efficiency improvements and a phone number, TextbookRush offers an array of benefits. Thanks to the 100% satisfaction guarantee, their vast selection, and low prices, the website is highly favored over competitors.