Rent vs. Purchase Textbooks Forum

[cutieluby]

I have searched for advice on purchasing textbooks and have tried to do research since our book list was finally released, but have not been able to find much. During undergraduate I rented all my books because I knew I wouldnt have to write in them or keep them to reference later, but I didnt know if law school would be different. If there is already a thread discussing this (couldnt find one), feel free to point me that way!

A few thoughts I had while trying to make this decision, please correct me if I am wrong:
Buying- Obviously buying the book is going to be more expensive, even if you get it used. You never know what condition the book will be in when you order it used, but at least you can do all the marking and highlighting that you want.
Renting- Definitely the cheaper option. I have heard that most of the time the same books are used both semesters, so I would have to send it back and reorder. Also, all highlighting and writing must be minimal to return.

[w7ldcard]

I have searched for advice on purchasing textbooks and have tried to do research since our book list was finally released, but have not been able to find much. During undergraduate I rented all my books because I knew I wouldnt have to write in them or keep them to reference later, but I didnt know if law school would be different. If there is already a thread discussing this (couldnt find one), feel free to point me that way!

A few thoughts I had while trying to make this decision, please correct me if I am wrong:
Buying- Obviously buying the book is going to be more expensive, even if you get it used. You never know what condition the book will be in when you order it used, but at least you can do all the marking and highlighting that you want.
Renting- Definitely the cheaper option. I have heard that most of the time the same books are used both semesters, so I would have to send it back and reorder. Also, all highlighting and writing must be minimal to return.

I wrote a ton in my books my first year. I didnt even really buy the books for class while in undergraduate. I know people that did well that rented their books also. It really depends on your style of learning and note taking.

[jaysnooginz]

I have searched for advice on purchasing textbooks and have tried to do research since our book list was finally released, but have not been able to find much. During undergraduate I rented all my books because I knew I wouldnt have to write in them or keep them to reference later, but I didnt know if law school would be different. If there is already a thread discussing this (couldnt find one), feel free to point me that way!

A few thoughts I had while trying to make this decision, please correct me if I am wrong:
Buying- Obviously buying the book is going to be more expensive, even if you get it used. You never know what condition the book will be in when you order it used, but at least you can do all the marking and highlighting that you want.
Renting- Definitely the cheaper option. I have heard that most of the time the same books are used both semesters, so I would have to send it back and reorder. Also, all highlighting and writing must be minimal to return.

I never really had a problem buying used editions from places like amazon unless the edition changed the semester I was taking the class. In that case, I bit the bullet and bought new from Amazon, and resold at a pretty good price on half.com.

[rinkrat19]

Buying and selling back is much more of a pain, but can save you money over renting. Plus sometimes you can't sell a book back for a good price. I ended up with 10 or so books that I ended up donating to our public interest book sale because they weren't worth selling.

I bought/sold 1L year, but rented most stuff 2L and 3L. I checked whether Amazon, Half, or my bookstore had a cheaper rental price and made sure the rental term dates worked with my semester start/end.

[cutieluby]

okay thank you for the advice!