As the costs of textbooks increase, students have grown tired of paying for their required readings. Frustrated with the hassle of the bookstore, a group of college students from schools across the country have come together to create SunTexty, which they say is an easier way to buy and sell textbooks.
SunTexty, which functions much like a Craigslist for books, allows students to avoid the bookstore prices and sell books to each other while on campus.
Ryan Heimpel, the student who started the original branch of the site, said the idea for SunTexty came to him when he sold a $65 textbook back to the bookstore and only received $15 for it.
“I thought to myself, I could have just sold it to another student for $40," Heimpel wrote in an email. "I would have received more money and the buyer would have paid less."
All of the people who say December is the most expensive month clearly don't have to buy textbooks in January.
— Jamin Hochstetler (@jhochstetler12) January 12, 2016
After swearing off the bookstore, Heimpel started trying to buy and sell books on Amazon and through Facebook groups, but found many issues with that as well.
Heimpel said shipping books through Amazon is a hassle, and random conversations in Facebook groups can cause orders to be overlooked or books to be forgotten.
Eventually, Ryan got together with some other students to create SunTexty, which was designed to help alleviate this textbook issue on campuses all over the country.
On SunTexty, students can list books for sale using just the ISBN number and send the price out to potential buyers all over campus.
The site was just launched a few weeks ago, but there are already hundreds of ASU students using it.
SunTexty co-founder Ralph Andrew said he believes the site will help students save a significant amount of money each semester.
“We pay enough for tuition, housing, etc.," Andrew wrote in an email. "The last thing we need are $700 textbook bills. We’re literally seeing books that cost $100+ at the bookstore sell for $20 on SunTexty. That to me is what the site is all about. Letting students connect directly to bypass markups.”
Nursing junior Sarah Fensterheim said she is excited about the growing idea of a student-based textbook site.
“I’ve had bad experiences with the bookstore not having my books available or not allowing rentals and charging me ridiculous amounts,” Fensterheim said.
Related Links:
Open-source alternatives bring flexibility to textbooks
ASA finds rising textbook prices change buying behavior
Reach the reporter at aegeland@asu.edu or follow @alexisegeland on Twitter.
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