FAQ's

Who is behind the creation of this site?
Both founders of this site recently graduated from college: one from Cal Poly in 2002, and the other from U.C. Davis in 2001. They both are currently living in San Luis Obispo County, and both got screwed by the bookstores during their education. Now graduated, without the burden of a real job, and with too much time on their hands.... This site was created.


Is the site free?
Yes it is, but only for a while. ScrewthebookstoreS.com is advertising like crazy to ensure the site is used by the student masses and our efforts will be relentless until this is achieved. Unfortunately, advertising costs money, so eventually there will be a cost associated with posting a book. To ensure the future of the site, we must recoup our expenses so we can keep up the heavy advertising. At the present, a coupon code is automatically entered after a book is posted, making the site free for all users, and it will continue to be free for the next six to twelve months. But don't worry, when the coupon period is up, it will only be a few dollars to post your books. The money you will save by avoiding the bookstores will be well worth it.

Is my personal information safe?
ScrewthebookstoreS.com does not sell your information to anyone. Only your first name, email address, and optional phone number will be displayed next to your book postings so that buyers can easily contact you. It is a violation of our user agreement for anyone to take this information and use it for commercial purposes.

What if I don’t know the books I will need for next quarter?
On the search page is a drop down menu called “textbook lookup”. If your school is listed on the menu, it will link you to your campus bookstores’ textbook lookup. Once you have your book information you can efficiently search our database of student listings. Unfortunately, this feature is only available for a few schools because many campus bookstores do not have an online textbook lookup.

What is a fair price for a used book?
There are two key figures that are crucial to setting a price on a used book. They are: The cost of the book in the bookstores, and the bookstores' buyback price. We suggest pricing it somewhere in the middle of these two figures. For example, if the bookstore sells a book for $100, and their buyback price is $20, we suggest selling the book in the ball park of $50-70. There is usually such a wide margin between what the bookstores charge and what they are willing to pay students, that pricing it in the middle will be a deal worthwhile to both parties. (Remember: the buyer must have a legitimate financial incentive to purchase this book from a student online. The goal is not to screw our fellow students, only the bookstores.)

Do book listings ever expire?
Yes, but only if they are not renewed. Currently, after 35 days a listing automatically becomes inactive and is taken out of the database. We do this to help keep the database current and keep our maintenance down. However, a listing may be renewed indefinitely. The site has a built-in e-mail notification that is automatically sent out when a book listing nears expiration. To renew your listings, simply follow the link in the email or login to the site and go to your "Current Listings" link on the home page.

How do I update my user information?
First login, then go to the Post Page. At the bottom are fields containing your user info. Make all necessary changes and click ''update user info''.

Is there an email notification for new book postings?
Yes, you can receive automatic emails when the books you want are posted. This can be done by using one of our advanced search features. From the Search Page, click the "Advanced Search" button. Enter the criteria you are searching for in the fields given, and make sure the email notification box is checked. Once this is done, whenever a new textbook that matches your search criteria is posted or its price is edited, you will instantly receive an e-mail notification. To maximize your chances of finding the books you need, we recommend entering your search criteria as soon as you know the required textbooks for your upcoming classes.

How do you recommend completing the transaction?
After agreeing on a price, we recommend speaking to the other party over the phone to confirm the details of the exchange. By speaking to someone, you get a chance to feel them out. For example, if the buyer has a screen name of Betty, but sounds like a fifty year old man, take extra precaution! We also recommend doing the exchange during daylight hours in a busy place, such as the Library Reserve Room. It is also a good idea to have a friend accompany you as extra security. Another method of exchange can be to use the U.S. Mail system; however this takes longer and is more expensive.

What schools does this website serve?
The site is set up to handle any school in the United States; however our strategy is to advertise at the local level to specific schools. If your school is one that we are targeting, you’ll know it, for our advertising campaign at these schools is huge. If you know of any schools that are in need of such a service, or are interested in helping us expand, please email us at promotions@ScrewthebookstoreS.com.


Have you done any marketing research?
Our marketing research studies show that students have a genuine need for an online book exchange service. In fact, a recent survey of 200 Cal Poly and 100 U.C. Davis students revealed that 92% would be eager to by-pass the bookstores and deal directly with other students for their entire used book needs. We also found that 80% of students feel like they are being screwed by their local bookstores.

Why have the bookstores been able to get away with screwing students for so long?
To put it simply, there has been a lack of competition. Until now the students never had a real alternative to the bookstores, so there was nothing to keep them honest. Other attempts at implementing online book exchanges have been made, but none were marketed correctly. Their efforts, while noble, resulted in poorly designed websites that only generated a trickle of web traffic, and never had more than a handful of books listed at any particular time. Why would a student use a textbook exchange if they can't find the books they need? The answer is...They don't.

How is ScrewthebookstoreS.com going to make a difference?
Our goal is to give students the size, strength, and stamina to give the bookstores the rogering they deserve. We admit that the idea of an online textbook exchange is not unique, but our success so far has been unparalleled. In our first quarter of operation at Cal Poly (SLO) more than 20% of Cal Poly’s student body used our site. We believe that the key to our success has been strong student support combined with relentless marketing. Our great start, has given us the confidence and motivation to crank up our efforts and make sure that ScrewthebookstoreS.com is the most widely used college textbook exchange in the nation.