Students now have another way to buy and sell textbooks. The book exchange sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of Utah went online Monday, giving students a forum to sell their textbooks and look for cheaper books to buy.
“It’s all up to students themselves,” said Spencer Angerbauer, the Technology Board director of ASUU. “It’s going to be a huge benefit to everyone in the long run.”
Angerbauer hopes the book exchange will allow students to sell their books for more than the U Bookstore pays, and buy books for less than the Bookstore sells them for.
The book exchange includes links for students to post books, email the seller of a particular book or have the site alert the student when a needed book is posted. It also includes an information page offering instructions on how to use the exchange.
“It is very user-friendly,” Angerbauer said. “It can take you through a step-by-step process.”
In an effort to alert students about the book exchange, ASUU will spread 1,300 posters and 10,000 fliers around campus with the book exchange’s Web address, http://bookxchange.asuu.utah.edu.
“We really want the U students to know there is an option out there,” Angerbauer said. “We want students to know there is an option for buying and selling books that can save them money.”
The fliers, posters and other publicity is paid for by an Internet company that agreed to sponsor the book exchange. According to Angerbauer, his board went to a “handful” of potential sponsors before they found a company that wanted to get their name out to students.
“We haven’t spent a cent,” Angerbauer said. “We wanted to do it that way.”
The Technology Board is putting so much effort into publicity because the exchange’s success depends on how many students use it.
The online book exchange may take a while to get going, according to Angerbauer, but he hopes students will wait to sell their books through the book exchange instead of using the Bookstore.
“Students need to be patient with the online book exchange,” Angerbauer said. “That’s where the Bookstore has an advantage.”
The online book exchange helps students find each other, but it does not mediate the transaction when the textbooks are actually sold. Students get the contact information of students with the needed textbooks, and can then contact them as they see best.
The book exchange only allows U students to post textbooks, for security reasons, but anybody can buy books from the Web site, Angerbauer said.
“Any company could come in and post massive amounts of books,” he continued.
The Web site also includes a disclaimer asking students to exercise wise judgement when using the exchange. Angerbauer is aware of the fraud potential of the exchange, and hopes to ensure fraud will not happen.
“We are constantly monitoring it,” Angerbauer said. He also said he has talked to other schools with online exchanges who did not have any problems.
“With a service like this, you’re not going to have too many problems,” he said. “We’ve gone through a lot of measures to make sure fraud won’t happen.”
Students posted about 20 books the day the exchange opened, and ASUU thinks students will post more once finals end.
“I thought I’d try my luck and see if I could get a little more money this year than I had in past semesters,” said Steve Somers, a senior in finance who posted his textbooks Monday. Somers also plans to buy his books through the exchange, and has some of his next semester courses posted waiting for the books to become available.
“I think the system works very well, it was easy to navigate,” he said. “I’m glad it’s there. Hopefully I’ll be able to find more books for next semester.”