By Maddie Williams
Students looking for an alternative way to buy textbooks will soon have a new option. Senior Alex Moore has devised a plan to help.
When he considered how much his friends paid for books last summer, Moore wondered if he could find the same books, but for less money. He discovered that most students were ordering their books from Amazon or the campus bookstore.
Sophomore Michael Wiersema said he easily spent between $500 and $550 on textbooks this semester. This was a similar response to other feedback Moore received. The more he asked the more he began to wonder if he could combine several different book orders and save some money.
This was the start of his company "Textbook Beggar".
Moore created a table that compared Amazon, the bookstore and his prices. He estimated the prices he found were, on average, 50 percent lower than the bookstore's price and 15-20 percent lower than Amazon's.
He used coupons different sites provided each semester to his advantage. By combining multiple orders, Moore could use group rates that aren't available to everyone.
When thinking about how he was going to charge, Moore had a few ideas in mind. Eventually he landed on a flat rate of $1.00 per book in addition to the price of the book itself. He felt adding the $1.00 in commission ensured that he made minimum wage.
Customers received their books at their dorms' front desks before classes started and came complete with receipts to explain rental returns and total savings.
After Moore added his commission, he said the books were still 8-10 percent cheaper than they were on Amazon.
"Even with my commission included in the price, my hope is that I am still your
cheapest option," Moore said.
To ensure that he consistently found the lowest price, Moore used a variety of sites that compared multiple book prices. In his most recent order, Moore said he collected textbooks from nine different sites.
He has given thought to utilizing student-run campus book sales outlets, like the Facebook pages "Textbook Exchange" and "Free & For Sale." Moore felt he had ethical qualms when it came to buying Taylor students' old books for the use of his company. He thought it was not fair to buy up their inventory only to sell it for a profit.
When Moore went to place the first order, he gave his customers two payment options: PayPal or Venmo. This way, they didn't have to give their credit card information to him directly.
Moore was confident that this form of payment helped with customer clarity. Neither the customer, nor himself, was committed to anything until the money was there.
He admitted his company name sounded very similar to Textbook Butler. He did not want to step on anyone's toes, or make the students confused, but decided to stick with the name for now.
When asked about his plans for J-term and the spring semester, Moore said he will be taking orders until Christmas. This cut-off date ensures customers will get their books on time.
Moore also said he plans to develop his site"textbookbeggar.com", and make itavailable for students. This will make it easier for students to contact him from anywhere and at anytime.
