Barnes and Noble Textbook Marketplace Review

Barnes and Noble is a longstanding bookstore chain, with over 600 retail locations. It's the most extensive and only national bookstore chain in the U.S.

In addition to its brick-and-mortar locations, Barnes and Noble has a large online marketplace, where you can buy thousands of books, including textbooks. 

In this review, we take a look at Barnes and Noble's textbook marketplace. We'll give you the ins and outs of buying textbooks online at B&N, and share some alternatives, including some popular textbook rental websites.  

What Is Barnes & Noble? 

Barnes and Noble is one of the oldest and most recognized booksellers in the U.S. It was founded in 1886 as a small bookstore in New York City. Over the years, it grew into a nationwide retail chain. Today, it also operates a large online marketplace with thousands of available book titles, including textbooks. 

What Does It Offer? 

Textbook Marketplace 

Students can purchase textbooks from Barnes & Noble's marketplace, but the number of titles appears minimal compared to dedicated textbook marketplaces. I conducted a couple of searches and found slightly over 1,000 titles, and only around 100 study aids and test-prep materials. 

Shoppers can have most textbooks shipped to their address or choose in-store pickup. Shipping times vary, depending on the product. I saw several textbooks with shipping of 1-2 days, and a few at 5-6 days. 

Shipping is free on orders of $50 or more (before tax) within the U.S. If you become a Premium Member, you qualify for free shipping on all orders. 

Major Book Retailer

In addition to textbooks, Barnes & Noble sells thousands of book titles across just about every genre imaginable, including fiction, non-fiction, teens and YA, audiobooks, toys & games, and educational books. It offers two membership levels: Rewards (Free) and Premium, which provide users with various benefits. 

Barnes & Noble Membership Benefits

You can become a B&N Rewards member for free, or choose a Premium membership for $39.99 per year. The Rewards membership lets you earn 1 Stamp for every $10 you spend. When you collect 10 stamps, you earn a $5 reward, which is 5% — not bad. 

Premium members earn the same reward and also qualify for 10% off almost all purchases on the website or in store, including audiobook purchases. As mentioned, they also qualify for free shipping on all orders and receive a range of other perks, including free beverage upgrades (in-store), special birthday offers, and early access to special editions and events. 

Are There Any Fees?

Aside from the optional $39.99 annual Premium membership, and any shipping charges you might be subject to on lower value orders, there are no fees to using the Barnes and Noble marketplace. 

How Does Barnes & Noble Compare? 

As an online book marketplace, Barnes and Noble is fantastic. However, it offers much less to students looking for textbooks. Many students rely on textbook rental services to save money on books, which can be very expensive and offer much larger book selections than Barnes and Noble.

One example is Campus Books, which lets you buy, sell, and rent your textbooks for up to 150 days. They will even buy back textbooks that you no longer need. Another option is Valore Books, a college textbook rental company that lets you rent or buy books online. You can also sell your old textbooks after getting an instant quote. Both Campus Books and Valore offer a large selection of books with free shipping available. 

How Do I Open An Account? 

You can open a Barnes and Noble Rewards account within a couple of minutes on the website. You only need to provide your name and email address, and choose a secure password. 

Is Barnes & Noble Safe To Use? 

Yes, Barnes and Noble is a well-established online marketplace and should be considered safe to use. You can view its privacy policy here. 

Is It Worth It? 

Barnes and Noble is a massive bookstore, but as a place to buy textbooks online, it's not that great. It doesn't appear to have that many titles, and unlike Campus or Valore Books, you don't have the option to rent your textbooks. Also, B&N got rid of third-party sellers in 2020, so you can't sell your old books through the site. I think it's reasonable to consider it as an option if you want to compare prices between other platforms. It can't hurt to check whether B&N has the book you want in stock. Otherwise, I would always start my search with the dedicated textbook platforms.