Everybody wants to have that older sibling, friend, or classmate that is willing to pass down their textbooks to you for dirt cheap. However, in reality, most of us are stuck buying online, paying shipping charges, and waiting for the textbook to arrive. Or, the unthinkable, paying the outrageous prices at the bookstore. Some colleges have textbooks created specifically for a course at that institution. The chances of finding that textbook online are very low. In this situation, you may be left with no option but the bookstore.
However, what if there was a way for students to gather at their university and “exchange” or even “sell” textbooks? Perhaps, there could be one big textbook yard sale every semester. However, in a sea of 5,000 undergrads, how would you organize and advertise the textbooks? The concept of exchanging textbooks amongst students at your college is a genuinely good one, if it were realistic.
Well, with online social media platforms, the idea of a “virtual yard sale” is indeed realistic and becoming increasingly popular. Some students have taken matters into their own hands and created a “textbook exchange” Facebook page specific to their university. For example, David Huynh created the “Ohio State Text Book Exchange” page on Facebook in hope that students could post listings of their books, message each other, and eventually meet on campus to exchange or sell. In the description, it is clear that this page is not created to make money. Instead, it is created for students to sell books, cut out any middle man, and avoid getting “ripped off” at the bookstore. With almost 400 members, their wall is filled with students simply offering brief descriptions and prices of a textbook they are selling or looking to purchase.
Matt Gardner has also created a similar Facebook page for Millersville State University in Pennsylvania with nearly 400 members. The University of the Pacific in California currently has nearly 1,300 members selling and buying textbooks on their Facebook page. Georgia Tech’s page, with nearly 300 members, offers this suggestion: “Don’t jip your friends or enemies.” Along with these examples, creative students across the country have created similar Facebook pages.
Before heading to the bookstore or textbook buyback, do a basic search on Facebook to determine if any students have created such a page for your college. If so, join and begin posting. If not, take a few minutes and set one up yourself. Invite all of your classmates to join and spread the word. Students know firsthand how expensive textbooks can be. Facebook serves as a social media in which they can list their textbooks for free and exchange with students from their own university. Word will spread quickly and as more students join, more opportunities to purchase or sell your textbooks will arise.
However, if you are going to participate in this type of Facebook page, there are a few things to remember. First off, this page is most likely public. Aside from the ISBN number, title, author, and price, do not list any information that you wouldn’t feel comfortable announcing on national television. For example, don’t say “yeah, this textbook has been laying in the backseat of my unlocked car for weeks.” Although it sounds ridiculous, people often offer way too much information without realizing the potential for harm or theft.
Secondly, as Georgia Tech warns, don’t falsify the condition of the textbook. How will the buyer react to a considerably damaged textbook after walking the entire way across campus? Chances are, they’ll pull out their I-Phone and post a negative comment on your Facebook listing. You are all in the same situation, trying to find textbooks for cheap. Respect your fellow classmates.
Thirdly, arrange a time during the day and in a public location to meet for the exchange. Although you attend the same college, you are basically meeting a stranger. Just be safe and smart about the physical exchange.
As students are hit with the rising costs of textbooks, they are forced to employ creative strategies to sell and purchase cheap textbooks. Facebook was created for “social media” purposes and many students have taken advantage of its power, accessibility, and convenience in creating a university textbook exchange.
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