Student Senate Publicizing Service for Cheaper Books

The OU Book Exchange allows students to create an online account in order to buy, sell and trade used textbooks with fellow OU students.

Currently, there are over 1,300 books available on the exchange. Students can sort through the amount of textbooks by department or the book’s ISBN number so that students can be assured that they’re buying the right book for their class.

The book exchange allows students to get more money for their used textbooks than generally offered through bookstore buyback programs. A student that may have received only a few dollars for a book through such buyback programs could possibly receive a similar to retail price at the Book Exchange.

Chris Williams, SAC At-Large Senator for Student Senate, said, “The student book exchange is an invaluable resource to Ohio’s students. It allows us to earn more of a profit than selling books to traditional vendors does and gives the buyer of books more room to negotiate with the seller.”

An added bonus that comes from students buying directly from other students is it allows them to get the heads up on what to expect in a class or from a certain professor. The student that is selling the book has most likely taken the class already, and will often still have their notes from the class. The seller may offer to give these notes to the student buying the book.

In order to list a book on the exchange, a student first logs into their account, or creates one if they have no previously done so, and then clicks “Add Book.” Next they will be brought to a page where they enter the book’s ISBN number. If that book has been listed before, the system will automatically pull the title, author and publisher information.

The user will then be taken to a page where they enter the book’s information, including the course and department it’s for, as well as what their asking price and the condition of the book are. After that they click “Post Book” and instantly the book is online and ready for other students to find.

Williams said, “The book exchange is one of the great initiatives that Student Senate has made on the behalf of Ohio’s students.”

Students can access the Book Exchange by clicking here.