Is Amazon Student Worth It for Buying and Selling Textbooks?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the value and practicality of "Amazon Student" for buying and selling textbooks, including its benefits and limitations. Participants share personal experiences and opinions regarding the service, its features, and alternatives for acquiring textbooks.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express enthusiasm for Amazon Student, highlighting benefits like free two-day shipping and exclusive deals for students.
  • Others mention difficulties in accessing the service due to lack of a .edu email address, suggesting alternative methods to verify student status.
  • Several participants share experiences of needing textbooks on short notice, indicating that the service can be beneficial for last-minute purchases.
  • Concerns are raised about the automatic enrollment in Amazon Prime after the trial period, with some participants noting they received refunds after opting out.
  • One participant discusses using multiple .edu accounts to extend the benefits of Amazon Student, emphasizing the advantage of free shipping.
  • Another participant prefers renting textbooks from a different service, citing ease of use compared to buying and reselling textbooks through Amazon.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share mixed views on the utility of Amazon Student, with some supporting its advantages while others express concerns or preference for alternative methods. No consensus is reached on whether it is the best option for all students.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention limitations related to their college's policies on student email addresses, which affects access to Amazon Student. Additionally, there are varying experiences regarding the automatic enrollment in Prime and the clarity of Amazon's communications about the service.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering options for purchasing or renting textbooks, as well as those interested in the benefits of Amazon Student and alternative textbook acquisition methods.

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Anyone use "Amazon Student"?

I wish this was around when I was in school! Nice way to buy texts and sell them back. Free for six months!

- Amazon Prime shipping benefits free for six months
- FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items
- FREE Release-Date Delivery on video games, DVDs, books and more
- Deals and promotions exclusively for StudentsAmazon Student

Anyone a member? What do you think? Amazon is trying to make a huge push into education and textbooks.
 
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Sounds like an awesome idea, too bad my college doesn't give us a .edu e-mail so I can't use it
 


I use it all the time actually. It's really great considering my teachers tell me my required books like 3 days before he/she starts assigning homework.
 


WannabeNewton said:
It's really great considering my teachers tell me my required books like 3 days before he/she starts assigning homework.

Ha, amazing in this day and age teachers can only give you a few days notice!
 


I did that. Be careful -- it automatically enrolls you in Prime after six months.
 


jhae2.718 said:
I did that. Be careful -- it automatically enrolls you in Prime after six months.
This happened to me too, but Amazon was gracious enough to give me my refund within 2-3 business days. Not sure if I'm eligible to re-enroll.
 


jhae2.718 said:
I did that. Be careful -- it automatically enrolls you in Prime after six months.
And it's not the full-blown Prime either. Amazon doesn't exactly make this clear.
 
I have a total of 8 student .edu accounts available (from siblings and best friends) which gives me 4 years of free amazon student. We all make our own wish lists and pay with our own cards but same account . I LOVE 2 DAY SHIPPING!

If you have siblings in college or your spouse is enrolled give it a try. When your student account trial is up sign them up. I'll have amazon prime my whole undergraduate career. :D
 
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Free two-day shipping is great, especially since Amazon just bumped up super saver from $25 to $35 minimum. I usually buy textbooks used, though, so the free shipping doesn't apply. I do, however, buy a lot of Dover books, so it's great getting those shipped free and having them arrive in two days.
 
  • #10
How to Rent Your Textbooks Instead of Sell Them

As the header states, that's what I do. I used to use Amazon, but it became a bit too difficult. I simply just rent my textbook from Big Mama. Its so much easier than buying and then having to sell it and you still haven't lowered your damages to the amount you spend on rentals. So yeah, that's why I rent.

And if you still have textbooks that you bought, you can actually rent your textbook out to students across the country on their site. Made a bit of moola doing this before I started renting on their site.
 
  • #11
Woopydalan said:
Sounds like an awesome idea, too bad my college doesn't give us a .edu e-mail so I can't use it
Maybe try emailing them a photocopy of your student ID as an alternative proof. I believe I did something like that.
 

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